Has Hollywood become too Dependent On Blockbuster films?

[BAYLOR]

So far, the summer of 2017 has become the summer movie box office thuds.

 

[Cathbad]

Seriously?


2 Wonder Woman 6/2/2017 Warner Bros. Action PG-13 $402,908,376 46,579,003
4 Spider-Man: Homecoming 7/7/2017 Sony Pictures Action PG-13 $309,801,381 35,815,188
5 Despicable Me 3 6/30/2017 Universal Comedy PG $249,700,520 28,867,112
14 Dunkirk 7/21/2017 Warner Bros. Action PG-13 $158,808,079 18,359,315
15 Cars 3 6/16/2017 Walt Disney Adventure G $148,523,767 17,170,377
16 War for the Planet of the Apes 7/14/2017 20th Century Fox Action PG-13 $138,947,203 16,063,260
18 Transformers: The Last Knight 6/21/2017 Paramount Pictures Action PG-13 $129,928,855 15,020,676
23 Baby Driver 6/28/2017 Sony Pictures Thriller/Suspense R $100,833,441 11,657,045
24 Girls Trip 7/21/2017 Universal Comedy R $100,142,145 11,577,126
27 The Mummy 6/9/2017 Universal Adventure PG-13 $80,101,125 9,260,245



Doesn't look too bad to me, so far.

 

[BAYLOR]

Seriously?


2 Wonder Woman 6/2/2017 Warner Bros. Action PG-13 $402,908,376 46,579,003
4 Spider-Man: Homecoming 7/7/2017 Sony Pictures Action PG-13 $309,801,381 35,815,188
5 Despicable Me 3 6/30/2017 Universal Comedy PG $249,700,520 28,867,112
14 Dunkirk 7/21/2017 Warner Bros. Action PG-13 $158,808,079 18,359,315
15 Cars 3 6/16/2017 Walt Disney Adventure G $148,523,767 17,170,377
16 War for the Planet of the Apes 7/14/2017 20th Century Fox Action PG-13 $138,947,203 16,063,260
18 Transformers: The Last Knight 6/21/2017 Paramount Pictures Action PG-13 $129,928,855 15,020,676
23 Baby Driver 6/28/2017 Sony Pictures Thriller/Suspense R $100,833,441 11,657,045
24 Girls Trip 7/21/2017 Universal Comedy R $100,142,145 11,577,126
27 The Mummy 6/9/2017 Universal Adventure PG-13 $80,101,125 9,260,245



Doesn't look too bad to me, so far.

The Mummy, Valerian and Alien Covenant didn't make quite as much. money as was hoped for for.

 

[Cathbad]

According to reports, 2017 is lining up to be better than the very successful 2016.

13 The Mummy $404,558,810 $80,101,125 $324,457,685 0.25
24 Alien: Covenant $231,682,252 $74,236,713 $157,445,539 0.47


I sure wish I had problems like making only $404m...

 

[BAYLOR]

According to reports, 2017 is lining up to be better than the very successful 2016.

13 The Mummy $404,558,810 $80,101,125 $324,457,685 0.25
24 Alien: Covenant $231,682,252 $74,236,713 $157,445,539 0.47


I sure wish I had problems like making only $404m...

Many. Hollywood executive have some rather bizarre notions of what constitutes a hit and what constitutes a box office disappointment.

 

[BAYLOR]

This year I've seen only two films so far, it's fewest films I've ever seen in a given year.

 

[Cathbad]

You've probably missed some great ones.

 

[BAYLOR]

You've probably missed some great ones.

Maybe so..

I find that I just don't have much enthusiasm for the cinema offerings.

 

[Cathbad]

Maybe so..

I find that I just don't have much enthusiasm for the cinema offerings.

You realize, that by not going, you are feeding the Monster that is Streaming?

 

[BAYLOR]

You realize, that by not going, you are feeding the Monster that is Streaming?

IM starting to think that maybe the cinemas days are numbered. Interestingly the Series Max Headroom predicted this possibility.

 

[Cathbad]

IM starting to think that maybe the cinemas days are numbered. Interestingly the Series Max Headroom predicted this possibility.

And several since...

 

[BAYLOR]

And several since...

GIven all the entertainment alternates that have emerged, cinemas long term future looks pretty bleak.

 

[Cathbad]

GIven all the entertainment alternates that have emerged, cinemas long term future looks pretty bleak.

And it's all your fault, Baylor!!

 

[HanaBi]

Maybe so..

I find that I just don't have much enthusiasm for the cinema offerings.

Same here, chiefly because of the expense, hassle of parking and noisy/inconsiderate patrons (but that's for another thread). Unless a particular film demands a large screen experience I'm quite happy to stream from the comfort of my own home. And I think Hollywood will quickly catch onto this to the point where cinema-going will be a thing of the past in the next 10-20 years.

 

[Vladd67]

Is Bright the shape of things to come? A major star making a movie for Netflix rather than the cinemas.

 

[Dave]

Is Bright the shape of things to come? A major star making a movie for Netflix rather than the cinemas.

Not unless they improve their quality control. All the made-for-Netflix films I have seen have been poor. Their TV shows, on the other hand are quite good.

I can't see the end of cinema. People like watching films on big screens, they like an event, they like audience participation (but not too much, they also like the lack of interruption that darkness and no-mobile-phones ringing and no other distractions gives.) They will certainly evolve but if they were going to be wiped out then the advent of TV in the 1950's-1970's would have done that. They recovered.

 

[Cathbad]

They will certainly evolve but if they were going to be wiped out then the advent of TV in the 1950's-1970's would have done that. They recovered.

But with the lower costs for bigger screens, I fear the cinema will be lost.

 

[Vladd67]

I can remember seeing Battlestar Galatica at the cinema and on the big screen it seemed like a film, not two tv shows tacked together. The cinema does improve the experience of watching, if only it wasn't for your fellow viewers, for example whilst watching a film that lasted about two hours it seemed every half hour or so people were getting up to go and buy food and drink, one guy even took his boots off every time he sat down. Add to that people chatting throughout the film and it's just not worth the hassle, my wife is a little deaf in one ear and if she has people chatting on her good side she gets wound up. Given how much an evening at the cinema can cost, you would think people would realise they aren't in their living rooms anymore.

 

[Overread]

I think the trick is that cinema has gotten more expensive whilst DVDs, home streaming, home cinema kits etc.. have all become a lot lot cheaper. People also far more easily see the overpricing on food for cinemas as well.

Cinema isn't offering anything "special" besides the film now, but the prices on everything related to it for the customer have gone up; whilst prices for many other forms of recreation have gone down. Also it used to be that it took years for a film to go from cinema to rental to retail - now on DVD and streaming a film is out only a few months after cinema.

It takes away that pressure to watch a film at the cinema, because you know in 6 months or less it will be on DVD and you can watch it at home on the TV with the surround sound and have the pause button for when you want to make the tea/go to the loo.


Honestly I think that cinema has to find ways to make itself cheaper or at least appear cheaper to the masses to get people back in. Unique offerings might also help a lot, or other ways to enhance the experience. It always surprises me, for example, taht merchandising happens a lot with most big films yet most cinemas don't retail anything but food. If it were me I'd want to have a "gift shop" right there to sting all the customers with merchandise right there and then when the film is fresh in their mind -

 

[HanaBi]

With the advancement of home-cinema technology, with 4k and 8K QLED TVs from 40" to 72" roll-up screens with 21:9 aspect ratios, coupled with dedicated stream boxsets, I still believe cinema will become a niche market is 20 years; more so if the off-on technology that is VR really takes off, thus being able to immerse oneself into the TV experience from the comfort and privacy of one's home.