2020 At The Boxoffice (1 Viewer)

[jcroy]

The movies that will benefit most from bypassing theatrical for VOD and still get those $5 rentals later are going to be those aimed at kids. Kids'll rewatch a movie dozens of times.

How about something like second tier superhero movies?

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't think I've ever paid to rent something more than once. If I rent something once and then feel strongly enough about it to want to see it a second time, the second thing I would do is buy it. Similarly, I don't think I've ever rented something that I saw in a theater for the same reason.

 

[jcroy]

If I rent something once and then feel strongly enough about it to want to see it a second time, the second thing I would do is buy it.

I also did this during the vhs era circa late 1980s -> 1990s, albeit very infrequently. For example, such as buying Terminator 2 and Blade Runner (criterion version) on laserdisc. The vhs tapes I did buy which I watched a lot afterward, was stuff like: They Live, Goldeneye, The Dead Pool, Evil Dead, etc ...

Otherwise most of my rentals was stuff I only watched once, and had very little to no interest in watching again.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I also did this during the vhs era circa late 1980s -> 1990s, albeit very infrequently. For example, such as buying Terminator 2 and Blade Runner (criterion version) on laserdisc. The vhs tapes I did buy which I watched a lot afterward, was stuff like: They Live, Goldeneye, The Dead Pool, Evil Dead, etc ...

Otherwise most of my rentals was stuff I only watched once, and had very little to no interest in watching again.

Back in the 80s, you didn't have much choice but to rent a bunch! When VHS tapes ran nearly $100, you weren't likely to buy!

In college, a friend loved the 80s "Crossroads" movie - mainly because he was a guitar freak. He must've rented it 20 times - and we must've watched the guitar duel at the end 100 times.

He ended up paying a lot in rental fees, but still not as much as the VHS would've cost!

 

[jcroy]

Back in the 80s, you didn't have much choice but to rent a bunch! When VHS tapes ran nearly $100, you weren't likely to buy!

Some catalog titles on vhs were dipping into the $20 a pop range around 1988-1989 or so. That was around the time I started buying prerecorded vhs tapes, albeit mostly concert videos.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I strongly prefer the current situation for a multitude of reasons, but there was something magical about going to the video store as a kid, and the alchemy of deciding what to watch depending on what happened to be in when you went. I saw some great movies that I never would have given the time of day if I had the multitude of options we have now.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Some catalog titles on vhs were dipping into the $20 a pop range around 1988-1989 or so. That was around the time I started buying prerecorded vhs tapes, albeit mostly concert videos.

The earliest "affordable" Hollywood movie VHS releases I recall were "Officer and a Gentleman" and "Star Trek II" in either late '82 or early '83.

Of course, the major salvo in the "priced to own" war was "Batman" in 1989, which a) came out fast for VHS in that time - less than 6 months! - and b) was $24.95 MSRP, waaaay below the usual $90 or whatever.

Concert videos had been priced "affordably" for years. I know the Kinks' "One for the Road" was around $40 in 1983/84 because I almost bought it, and there were plenty of others after that. Different market than Hollywood stuff so they tried harder to sell those vs. rentals.

I'd be curious to know when the 1986 "Crossroads" came out as an "affordable" VHS. All I know for sure is that it didn't happen when my friend and I lived in the same apartment through spring 1989!

 

[TJPC]

I loved the movie Airplane when it came out and asked for it for Christmas. I didn’t get it. My parents looked all over CDA and the US between Chicago and Detroit and could not find it for under $150!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

 

[TravisR]

I don't think there's any real chance of that being implemented but if it did, I think any value that reassuring people that it was safe would be undone by all the new extra steps in place. People would either get aggravated by all the measures and stay away or they'd be unsettled by the measures and stay away.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Sorry, any system that relies on people to answer honestly “has anyone in your house been sick in the past 14 days” to ensure everyone’s safety is one I don’t trust. If activities like the movies are available, people in contact with sick people will absolutely go out if they need to break up the monotony of having to care for a sick household member.

Does anyone really think that a person who chooses to break a quarantine is going to be confronted with that question and respond, “oh crap, I didn’t realize being infectious in public was a bad idea and that I’m being incredibly selfish, I’ll go home right now.”

 

[Jake Lipson]

Charts With Dan about the box office, such as it is:

 

[B-ROLL]

The Governor of Arizona said in a news conference stated the theater managers had stated that the studios wouldn't be releasing anything until June 15th

 

[Jake Lipson]

The Governor of Arizona said in a news conference stated the theater managers had stated that the studios wouldn't be releasing anything until June 15th

That seems awfully early. The next movie on the schedule is Tenet on July 17.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’m utterly shocked to discover the governor of a state largely unconnected with the film industry hasn’t prioritized memorizing the latest release calendar.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Variety has a piece about the upcoming release of Tenet. Unsurprisingly, Christopher Nolan wants to use it to help bring movie theaters back. But it also says that WB will decide within a week whether to stick with the July 17 release date or push it back.

Insiders expect that the studio will make a decision within a week about whether to hold “Tenet’s” planned debut on July 17 or push it back deeper into 2020. That’s because Warner Bros. will need to start revving up its marketing campaign for the film, and it won’t want to spend tens of millions of promotional dollars only to have to move it.

Lots more at the link.

Christopher Nolan Wants ‘Tenet’ to Revive Movie Theaters. Will It?

Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" is more than a movie. It's the spark that cinemas are counting on to ignite a moviegoing revival.

variety.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

Charts:

 

[Wayne_j]

I just watched that chatting with Dan, there was an actual domestic top 5 list this week but the #5 film grossed $75 from a theater in Texas. Dan also breaks down how many rentals Scoob will need in order to break even.

 

[Wayne_j]

Charting with Dan retro edition:

 

[Malcolm R]

How low budget horror movie The Wretched became America's #1 film