Movies & Cinema during the Pandemic? Catch-all Discussion (1 Viewer)

[Worth]

One idea would be for theaters to concentrate on using 2-3 theaters per showing times and show mainly blockbusters Friday-Sunday while imposing the 1/2 - 1/3 capacity showing limits, and then for Mon-Thurs showings, slide in the other non-blockbusters, or older first-run films to offer some variety during the weekdays. That gives theaters a chance to attract as much audience through their facilities to make that movie concession dough, along with the studios making the opening weekend dough.

The problem is, who's going to have popcorn now?

 

[TravisR]

If the film companies would lower the rental rate and the landlords would give a break on the building rentals the theatre folks might stand a chance. Theatre companies need a helping hand.

I'm sure the studios understand that they need the theaters if they want to keep making billions of dollars (streaming or VOD isn't going to generate anywhere near that) so I imagine that, as much as they hate to do it, studios will lower their cut of the ticket.

 

[jcroy]

I'm sure the studios understand that they need the theaters if they want to keep making billions of dollars

Is that gross or net revenue?

 

[TravisR]

Is that gross or net revenue?

It's gross revenue but that revenue stream is still way too big to give up.

 

[jcroy]

With the Paramount consent decrees being possibly repealed, wonder if the giant movie companies will just buy up the remains of movie theater chains (such through a bankruptcy auction or merger).

https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/paramount-doj-consent-decrees-court-filing-1203413811/

 

[jcroy]

https://www.theatlantic.com/enterta...tment-movie-industry-paramount-ruling/602311/

 

[DFurr]

With the Paramount consent decrees being possibly repealed, wonder if the giant movie companies will just buy up the remains of movie theater chains (such through a bankruptcy auction or merger).

https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/paramount-doj-consent-decrees-court-filing-1203413811/

That would put them in a good position. If they owned the theatres they could keep 100% of the ticket price minus the sales tax of course.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

There are a whole bunch of ways it could go, good or bad, but imagine the potential of a studio controlling the entire chain from production through exhibition. If they put effort into it vs just continuing with the same old same old, you’d actually have an entity that could innovate on the production side with the knowledge that it would be properly displayed to audiences. I think that’s one reason innovation has been so stagnant. You’ve got a shrinking handful of guys like Ang Lee experimenting with frame rates and aspect ratios and dimensionality, but it’s all for naught because no one on the exhibition side is willing to reconfigure their facilities for one film from one guy that no one is lining up to follow. Have a system where the innovators are working in both the production and exhibition pipelines and that could get interesting.

 

[jcroy]

The bad side is the smaller movie companies being shut out of the system, such as Lionsgate. They might end up having to sell the company in a merger.

 

[DFurr]

I really believe we're in for some big surprises between now and the end of the year regarding movie theatres; Some will make it and some won't.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

The bad side is the smaller movie companies being shut out of the system, such as Lionsgate. They might end up having to sell the company in a merger.

I think they'd be fine. If Paramount owned their own chain, for example, they couldn't populate multiplexes solely with their own films, as they just don't release enough - they'd have to bring in other studios' as well.

I think studios could run only their own movies in the 40s because there weren't nearly as many screens out there. There were no multiplexes, so you didn't need as much content.

Disney would be in the best position simply because they're so big now, but even they would have a tough time filling 16 screens!

 

[TravisR]

I think they'd be fine. If Paramount owned their own chain, for example, they couldn't populate multiplexes solely with their own films, as they just don't release enough - they'd have to bring in other studios' as well.

"Artemis Fowl on 24 screens!"

 

[Mysto]

Remember - We were there once before
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Paramount_Pictures,_Inc.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I am finding the watching a move at home, can bring to mind something the movie may not have intended. We watched Frozen last night. It dawned on me the the queen, Elsa, is practicing social distancing. The virus she’s worried about is her uncontrolled magical powers.

Is that a reach? The parallel, to me, seems obvious.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I am finding the watching a move at home, can bring to mind something the movie may not have intended. We watched Frozen last night. It dawned on me the the queen, Elsa, is practicing social distancing. The virus she’s worried about is her uncontrolled magical powers.

Is that a reach? The parallel, to me, seems obvious.

It's a reach. She put herself into total exile, not just staying a small distance from people...

 

[TonyD]

Yeah more like what Ole’ Ben and Yoda and Luke did.

 

[ScottJH]

On Friday San Diego Comic Con was canceled for this year. Star Wars Celebration is suppose to take place about a month later, I imagine that will be getting canceled soon.

 

[Tino]

On Friday San Diego Comic Con was canceled for this year. Star Wars Celebration is suppose to take place about a month later, I imagine that will be getting canceled soon.

Of course it will.

 

[TravisR]

Of course it will.

Yeah, all the summer conventions are done. Not just the famous ones but all of them.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Just waiting for Dragon Con to announce their cancellation (Labor Day weekend, late Aug/early Sept)....