Lucas Reflects on the Dark Side of Filmmaking (1 Viewer)

[Glenn Overholt]

You actually watch movies at drive-in's?

Glenn

 

[Michael St. Clair]

I think the 'dark side of filmmaking' is when a director's insecurity and ego causes him to become obsessed with repeatedly mucking with his past work instead of moving on.



I go about once a year. We always have to get there early, they are all very popular and regularly sell out around here.

 

[Pete-D]

Yeah movie's are still making money. The thing is when you have a record year like 2004, studio execs get greedy and expect every year to be as good as that.

Look at the top 10 all-time box office chart ...

1 Titanic Dec 97 Paramount 600.8

2 Star Wars ($322.7M + $138.3M from 1997 SE) May 77 Fox 461.0

3 Shrek 2 May 04 DreamWorks 436.5

4 E.T. : The Extra Terrestrial ($399.8M + 2002 SE) Jun 82 Universal 435.0

5 Star Wars Episode I : The Phantom Menace May 99 Fox 431.1

6 Spider-Man May 02 Sony 403.7

7 LOTR: The Return of the King Dec 03 New Line 377.0

8 Spider-Man 2 (including Imax) Jul 04 Sony 373.4

9 The Passion of the Christ Feb 04 NewMarket 370.3

10 Star Wars Episode III May 05 Fox 358.5


3 of the top 10 all-time box office earners are from 2004. I bolded Return of the King as well, since it did a lot of business in early 2004 as well.

It's ridiculous to expect to repeat that kind of business every year.

I think what will change is these "big" fantasy/sci-fi movies will be made increasingly via CGI without as much location shooting.

The other thing that isn't widely publicized is that global box office is growing. So a lot of times when we think a movie isn't doing as well as it should (ie: Troy last year), it ends up making a killing overseas.

 

[Tom J. Davis]

Absolutely! I love the drive-in. I usually don't like to see something for the first time there, but after that if I want to see it again I wait until it's on at the drive-in. I go to the movies less and less each year because of all the bullshit you have to put up with now. I can see myself only going to the drive-in someday.

 

[Mark Hawley]

It's amazing to think in a stretch of about 9 months (late 2003 to the summer of 2004), four films made over $370 million.

 

[RodneyT]

quite possibly the best comment ever seen on this forum. Finally, someone able to summarize the Cinema/Home Theatre "battle" in a short paragraph.

 

[JonZ]

"This year has been HORRIBLE so far when it comes to films"

Ive only seen 3 in the theater so far - SW:ROTS,Batman Begins and War of the Worlds.

 

[Mike_G]

It's too bad that the theaters we go to now are sub-par. Maybe I'd go to the movies more if there was a theater near me that actually:

1) Turned on the digital sound
2) Properly framed their movies
3) Put in the right aperature plate
4) Charged LESS for 2 people than buying a DVD
5) STOPPED PLAYING COMMERCIALS

I've been complaining to my local Lowes since ID4 was released (was that '96?) when the film opened. Nothing's changed. My home theater's better.

Mike

 

[Chris Atkins]

The communal aspect of moviegoing is very important. But it's not all important. There can come a time when the downsides of going to the theater (noisy crowd, bad presentation, high prices) outweigh the positive benefits.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Let's be clear here, my statement was to point out that while the microwave did change eating in some ways (mostly how we cook at home), in the end it didn't kill restaurants. Neither did fast food.

I still hit a nice $60/plate or more place from time to time, and they sure as hell aren't hurting for biz.


Ticket sales dropped off a LONG TIME ago (number of tix sold), like in the 50's. DVD's aren't killing BO in the way Lucas presents it, they are altering how films make money in total.

Now films make the initial box office and then INSTEAD OF continuing at the theater for months on end they get that repeat viewing money out of DVD sales and rentals, income that 20 years ago or so wasn't available to them (meaning they had to make it with longer theater runs).

But I don't see the first few weeks of big films dying off anytime soon. People like the experience, and I've been to too many full theaters to think otherwise.

I have 2 nice setups and I still love going to the theater. Let's not also forget that people love to be able to talk about films around the water cooler and you can't do that if you wait for the rental. There is a culture of seeing films when they first hit, in a big theater with a box of popcorn and lots of other people, and that isn't going away.

It just might not be happening 5 weeks into a films run anymore like it used to. So yeah, different but hardly dying, and certainly not about to become "small and digital and all close-ups".


As for bad theater experiences, there are already answers to that. A few theaters have new setups, improved management (like checking in to make sure the setup is working correctly), even some reserved seating theaters (like the Arclight). That tells you that the demand to see a film in a great environment with a good audience is still there.

Event pix are still fun with an audience, and art house pix are usually seen with respectful and interested audiences due to the nature of the film and theater. I get bad experiences, but then I pick theaters based on presentation and audiences. Like any entertainment service, you either meet customer expectations or you suffer and someone else takes your biz.

 

[SteveCallas]

I'll agree that I prefer my home theater to the movie theater as I have many times before - and my home theater isn't even that great yet.

I don't like the obnoxious people who talk, make noises, keep illuminating their cell phones, walk in and out of the aisles, etc., and I sure as hell don't appreciate CRAPPY surround sound and paying $8.50. The theater I went to to watch Spiderman 2 played it in STEREO! I shit you not, stereo.

For $15 or less, I can get any dvd of my choosing which means awesome surround sound, solid picture, unlimited viewings, no interuptions, no noises, etc. I can eat a meal while I watch, I can change positions or lay down, and I can adjust the volume. Then when it's over, if I liked it, I can watch a making of featurette to dig in deeper.

When you go to the movies you go with a significant other or with friends - this is the same way I watch dvds. The only thing I don't get in my home theater is a huge screen...which will be taken care of in the next few years. The last movie I saw at a theater was White Noise, and I intend to keep it that way (not that White Noise was bad or anything like that).

 

[Ted Todorov]

Considering every "tent-pole" film this summer is either a sequel or a remake (Batman, Star Wars III, Bewitched, War of the Worlds, Dukes of Hazzard etc. etc.) I am surprised that the B.O. is holding up as well as it has. If that is indeed the type of film driving people to the theater, count me depressed. If I never see another sequel or remake, I'll be a happy man.

So far as all the crocodile tears of declining Box Office (allegedly due to piracy):

1) It is simply false -- B.O. for STUDIO films is actually UP from 2004 -- see The Vanishing Box office -- an article in Slate.

2) It is even more false if you add the DVD revenue to the B.O. (foreign and domestic) receipts -- Hollywood is making FAR more money than ever before.

3) Which brings us back to the impact of piracy on the theatrical B.O. -- I submit that it is too small to even measure. Yes -- movie going is in decline -- and this is entirely due to DVD and other modes of home viewing. Which simply means that the studios are getting their money (and more of it) from a different source. Again see the Slate article -- the trend started in 1948 -- due to TV, not piracy.

Ted

 

[Seth Paxton]

Those dirty TV pirates. '48? Probably commies then. Commies that wanted to ruin American cinema by making Cleopatra bust with secret TV/piracy plans.


ie - good post Ted

 

[Holadem]

I just now caught this .

So, that Lucas eh?

--
H