Hollywood box-office slump
p2pnet.net News:- Hollywood is in the midst of its longest box-office slump in 20 years, “and 2005 is shaping up as the worst year for movie attendance in nearly a decade, if theater business continues at the same lackluster rate”.
That’s the shock-horror conclusion of a new Associated Press and AOL poll run by Ipsos.
“While 73 percent said they preferred staying home to watch movies on DVD, videotape or pay-per-view, 22 percent said they would rather see them at a movie theater,” says AP, quoting the poll.
Almost half of the respondents thought Hollywood movies, “are getting worse” while a third said they’re getting better.
However, “people who use DVDs, watch pay-per-view movies on cable, download movies from the Internet and play computer games actually go to movies in theaters more than people at the same income levels who don’t use those technologies,” says AP.
“That suggests the technology may be complementing rather than competing with theatergoing.”
There’s ’slump’. And then there’s ’slump’
“Through last weekend, Hollywood’s domestic revenues totaled $3.85 billion, down 6.4 percent from 2004,” says AP. “Factoring in higher ticket prices, the number of people who have gone to theaters is down 9 percent, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
“If that pace holds through year’s end, admissions for 2005 would total 1.345 billion, the lowest since 1996.”
Of course ‘slump’ is a purely relative term.
Revenues from world-wide ticket, video and DVD sales, as well as television rights, hit a mind-boggling $44.8 billion last year, an increase, not a decrease, of 9% over 2003.
Record DVD sales, up 14% in the US and 46% worldwide, were behind the boost but most other sectors did better than last year – except for cinema ticket sales outside the US which did indeed fall – by a horrifying 1%.
And these numbers didn’t come from another AP AOL poll.
They’re the industry’s own, issued by its MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America).
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See:-
Associated Press – Poll: Most prefer to watch movies at home June 17, 2005
June 18th, 2005 at 5:00 pm
The reason that we, the normal public, don’t want to go to the movie theatre is because Hollywood is coming out with movies that are just not appealing. No one wants to go to the theatre to watch a movie that is no good at all. “Show a great movie, and people will come and watch it”–that is something Hollywood still needs to learn.
June 18th, 2005 at 5:43 pm
As long as Hollywood is putting out films that appeal only to kids, or are remakes of films that should never be made, nobody is going to go to see them at the theatre. This reminds me of the 80s when every other movie was a tired sequel of a story that should have died (Has anyone seen Freddie or Jason?)
June 18th, 2005 at 8:11 pm
Sure have. I guess you missed Freddy vs. Jason?
June 18th, 2005 at 8:49 pm
The minimum raise has not been increased in many years. People making minimum wage can not pay rent. Certainly not for child care. Maybe Hollywood should lobby for better compensation for the lower pay class so they an extra dollar to spend. While everything get’s more ecpensive, who is gonna go spend a days salary on some uninspred piece of “property”(what should be art). Can’t make money if there is none to go around. They already make huge profits of the sore backs of grips. And I’m hurting thier employees.
To quote Big Daddy Kane, Chuck D, and Ice Cube…
BURN HOLLYWOOD BURN!
June 19th, 2005 at 3:39 am
It was the commercials that finally turned me against the cinema. After paying $8.50 for admission, who wants to be subjected to thirty minutes or more of commercials? So I purchased an overhead projector, a 100 inch screen, and a surroud sound system that closely approximate the cinema experience in my own home. Now I can watch any movie I want anytime I want and can pause it if I need to attend to the call of nature. You have done this to yourselves, Hollywood.
By the way, microwavable popcorn and a canned coke cost about $1.50, not the $9 I must fork over at the cinema.
June 19th, 2005 at 4:05 am
The article is right about movie ticket price, it is high. At $8.75 for one adult ticket, the movie better be well scripted and at least have some intellectual values. Recent movies are dull, remake of old genre, and entirely all too predictable. Example, watch the Punisher and you’ll find out how predictable the story unfolds. Unless movie ticket price get lower, I will think twice about seeing a new movie in theater.
June 19th, 2005 at 5:02 am
Much the same way that home computer mixing programs have cut into studio earnings, so have home theaters cut into tickets. Since the individual has the ablitily to do it his way and see it his way, the offerings at the theater are going to have to be worth the price. Why pay nearly 9 dollars a ticket to get in the door, be bombarded by ads on your dime and pay highway robbery prices for concessions? Rental tapes are a third or less to see at home and the individual can have it his way.
No longer are second and third rate movies worth the price. Remakes of old remakes and third and fourth sequels aren’t going to cut it unless it is of quality. The hype carrying such third rate movies no longer works, as too much of the viewing public has gotten burned too many times. Folks now go to the internet to see what the movie is about and if it is worth seeing. Newspapers did critiques but they were dependant on the megacorporations good will so most of those critiques weren’t honest in their opinions, favoring the media instead.
Making movies and music harder for the purchasers to use as they see fit isn’t making them any good will with customers either. Many that have children know fairly quickly that they aren’t going to last in a child’s hands without a backup. Lastly, they aren’t getting my money to continue to run this economic terrorism they are on a rampage with. They have turned my goodwill to a non-customer through the actions they continue to take. Got ahead, call me pirate, theif, and blame me for your peoblems. I don’t have to take that and won’t without responce. My lack of going to the movies or buying music and movie dvds is a direct result of those actions. I am sure I’m not the only one!
June 20th, 2005 at 3:54 am
“Factoring in higher ticket prices”
Most bussiness’s would take the hint and lower the prices not the cartels.
Heaven forbid they have to give up their large profits or pay their lead actors less.
June 20th, 2005 at 6:26 pm
I must be out of my mind if spend $9.50 for me, $9.50 for my wife and the $10 on snacks. A new release at Blockbuster is like $3.50, and i dont have to sit in a dirty room with rubbish on the floor and on the screen.
I go to things that are clearly better on a large screen (Star Wars 3), but if they the keep going after humble d/loaders who use BT, then they will continue to see a drop off. They can;t continue with the attitude of “We will sue you, but we want to entertain you also”