News Round Up 2020

Mit88 · Oct 26, 2020

https://twitter.com/x/status/1320664032148422657

The interest in the movie going experience is still there. Just needs to be the right movie(s) for the given demographic. I don’t believe Tenant or New Mutants were ever the films to get people out of the house and try to get back to the movies. I think it has to be either a family film or a comic book movie. Even with capacity restrictions Wonder Woman with the amount of screens it would be allotted given they’d be one of very few new movies hitting theaters could potentially turn a profit for WB

J-BOY · Oct 26, 2020

Mit88 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1320664032148422657

The interest in the movie going experience is still there. Just needs to be the right movie(s) for the given demographic. I don’t believe Tenant or New Mutants were ever the films to get people out of the house and try to get back to the movies. I think it has to be either a family film or a comic book movie. Even with capacity restrictions Wonder Woman with the amount of screens it would be allotted given they’d be one of very few new movies hitting theaters could potentially turn a profit for WB

I agree that the right film is necessary, but concerns regarding COVID need to be quelled before anything else happens in the US. Japan is in a much better position than nearly all regions of the US in regards to infections and especially mortality, so I’m not surprised by these results.

tlmadden73 · Oct 26, 2020

Mit88 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1320664032148422657

The interest in the movie going experience is still there. Just needs to be the right movie(s) for the given demographic. I don’t believe Tenant or New Mutants were ever the films to get people out of the house and try to get back to the movies. I think it has to be either a family film or a comic book movie. Even with capacity restrictions Wonder Woman with the amount of screens it would be allotted given they’d be one of very few new movies hitting theaters could potentially turn a profit for WB

The problem is the inconsistent rules across the states. I also would think with the constant threat of restrictions going back into place at a moment's notice, that movie studio wouldn't want to risk releasing a movie, especially if they already can't show it in hugely populated states like California or New York.

It will be curious what the "appetite" for movie theaters is. It just "feels" that people don't miss those as much as going to restaurants, shopping, theme parks, church, because there just isn't a good replacement for those activities compared to "Oh .. I will just chill at home and watch a movie".

fatmanatee · Oct 26, 2020

Mit88 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1320664032148422657

The interest in the movie going experience is still there. Just needs to be the right movie(s) for the given demographic. I don’t believe Tenant or New Mutants were ever the films to get people out of the house and try to get back to the movies. I think it has to be either a family film or a comic book movie. Even with capacity restrictions Wonder Woman with the amount of screens it would be allotted given they’d be one of very few new movies hitting theaters could potentially turn a profit for WB

I would be much more confident about seeing a movie if I were in Japan than I would be seeing one here.

BrianL · Oct 26, 2020

tlmadden73 said:
The problem is the inconsistent rules across the states. I also would think with the constant threat of restrictions going back into place at a moment's notice, that movie studio wouldn't want to risk releasing a movie, especially if they already can't show it in hugely populated states like California or New York.

It will be curious what the "appetite" for movie theaters is. It just "feels" that people don't miss those as much as going to restaurants, shopping, theme parks, church, because there just isn't a good replacement for those activities compared to "Oh .. I will just chill at home and watch a movie".

Fewer people see movies on the whole than th number who eat at restaurants, etc. Most people don't really go to movies anyway, and among those who do, it's onec or twice a year. I think for many of us here we tend to be big movie fans and film buffs, but we are outliers. I can definitely see the movie industry shifting though whith only the big blockbusters even going to theaters and the smaller films going to VOD right away. It will be an adjustment.

Mit88 · Oct 26, 2020

J-BOY said:
I agree that the right film is necessary, but concerns regarding COVID need to be quelled before anything else happens in the US. Japan is in a much better position than nearly all regions of the US in regards to infections and especially mortality, so I’m not surprised by these results.

Yes, that goes without saying. I’m just stating that just because Tenant didn’t do well doesn’t set the bar for what movies could do even in the current climate. It’s all about what you release and who the movies demo audience is. Christopher Nolan has a lot of money earners in his resume, but they’re not widely appealing movies, if that makes any sense While Japan is in a much better position than we are currently, they’re also not typically at the top earners list when it comes to movie releases. They provide a chunk of gross, but not nearly what NA and China provide.

tlmadden73 said:
The problem is the inconsistent rules across the states. I also would think with the constant threat of restrictions going back into place at a moment's notice, that movie studio wouldn't want to risk releasing a movie, especially if they already can't show it in hugely populated states like California or New York.

It will be curious what the "appetite" for movie theaters is. It just "feels" that people don't miss those as much as going to restaurants, shopping, theme parks, church, because there just isn't a good replacement for those activities compared to "Oh .. I will just chill at home and watch a movie".

Everywhere in NY but NYC had their AMC and Regal theaters open as of last Friday, so it’s a step in the right direction. In other restrictions lifted, NYC has been about a month behind our region of the state. Whether that’s the case with movies remains to be seen, but it’s a hopeful step forward.

People miss the movies. It only feels that way because there’s nothing new in the theaters. If you put out a blockbuster, the appetite would be there. It’s understandably risky from a studio perspective when WW84 and Black Widow were set to be billion dollar films in this environment may “only” make 600-800M

Mit88 · Oct 26, 2020

https://deadline.com/2020/10/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-marvel-1234602805/

OhioStateBuckeye · Oct 26, 2020

tlmadden73 said:
The problem is the inconsistent rules across the states. I also would think with the constant threat of restrictions going back into place at a moment's notice, that movie studio wouldn't want to risk releasing a movie, especially if they already can't show it in hugely populated states like California or New York.

It will be curious what the "appetite" for movie theaters is. It just "feels" that people don't miss those as much as going to restaurants, shopping, theme parks, church, because there just isn't a good replacement for those activities compared to "Oh .. I will just chill at home and watch a movie".

BrianL said:
Fewer people see movies on the whole than th number who eat at restaurants, etc. Most people don't really go to movies anyway, and among those who do, it's onec or twice a year. I think for many of us here we tend to be big movie fans and film buffs, but we are outliers. I can definitely see the movie industry shifting though whith only the big blockbusters even going to theaters and the smaller films going to VOD right away. It will be an adjustment.

I do think we are unusual as a group here.

My boyfriend and I are huge movie buffs. We see a lot more movies than we eat out at restaurants.

Our local B&B theater here opened months ago and we've gone a decent bit. We saw Tenet and have been watching a bunch of older rereleases like Jaws and Empire Strikes Back and Hocus Pocus.

I also think different people have different priorities and likes. I feel much safer going to a movie where people have to wear masks in all common areas, and then having an assigned seat with no one within 10 feet of me. Much safer than a restaurant where everyone at tables have masks off and the tables could be a lot closer to me than other people are the movies.

But I also do understand that movies aren't a giant priority for others and they'd much rather go out to eat.

I do think the movie studios need to help out theaters and throw them a bone to try to keep them in business until things are back to normal. For instance, why Disney couldn't just release Mulan to whatever theaters wanted it the same time they made it available for VOD is beyond me. But I do think we've beat that topic to death here.

skeeter31 · Oct 26, 2020

BrianL said:
Fewer people see movies on the whole than th number who eat at restaurants, etc. Most people don't really go to movies anyway, and among those who do, it's onec or twice a year. I think for many of us here we tend to be big movie fans and film buffs, but we are outliers. I can definitely see the movie industry shifting though whith only the big blockbusters even going to theaters and the smaller films going to VOD right away. It will be an adjustment.

I think the adjustment is coming as well. I definitely fall into that 1-2 movies a year category (if even that). I have no problem waiting for streaming or DVD for most major releases. But I’m also an outlier in that I enjoy reading the plot summaries and spoilers when a movie comes out so I can stay up on the conversation with my friends and coworkers before I see the film. I’d also much rather read a novelization of a movie prior to seeing it as well. I’ve always loathed the theater experience so I’ll welcome the change, even if it’s only a small change. I’ve loved being able to see things like Borat on release day rather than having to wait 3-6 months to actually see it. And I’d be much more willing to pay for an at home experience, if it’s a movie I want to see (Mulan just wasn’t that for me). But if Soul was going to be PPV on Disney+ I would have shelled out the money.