The decline of movie theaters.

[Mart68]

That’s may soon end. The movie industry was able to reduce the period from 90 days to to 17 days before a movie could go to streaming during Covid.

The theater lobby is in the midst of taking that back up to 60 to 90 days.

I think that prior to subscription services it was two years from release before the film could be shown on TV. Certainly in UK, anyway.

That was a long time to wait and gave incentive to go out to watch it. 90 days isn't really that long, I could wait that out.

This assumes they recommence making films that people want to see (and I mean films for adults, not Minecraft or whatever). I don't really see that happening without some big shake-up.

 

[Oddball]

There are less and less movies worth watching as entertainment dollars are going more and more to shows. I would say that is true for any taste, as we certainly do have variety of different tastes. Depending on location, going to movie theatre might also not be cheap and with more people having larger TVs, renting a movie for $5 for the whole family might be a more sensible option.

As for me, I do prefer my HT as I get exactly what I bargained for - amazing audio and video. My family is also more in favour of home watching, and last time we ventured to cinema was to see the Barbie as my girls just could not wait for the home release.

 

[krabapple]

Movie theaters themselves are better than ever. Better seats, better food choices, better projection and sound technology. Whether the tech is used better is open to question (especially: calibration, and soundtrack playback levels)

This thread is really about the 'decline of movie theater-going'....which has been distressing the film industry since the dawn of television.

 

[RayDunzl]

I think I have been to one (count'em) theater movie this century.

 

[bluefuzz]

My feeling is that people will still go to the theaters coz of surround sound

Surround sound is one of the main reasons I don't go to cinemas/theatres ...

 

[Brian Hall]

I haven't been to a theater since The 90s and wouldn't even consider it now. I have a great setup at home. Why put up with irritating people and paying for overpriced popcorn and drinks?

Theaters also have the huge disadvantage of not having a pause button.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Since our granddaughters outgrew Disney features we haven't been to a theater. The last adult movie we saw in a theater was the most recent version of "Emma." I'm not excited by the sound in most theaters. Often a mid-fi setup with room compensation sounds better. I'm sorry to see theaters go, but the number of movies I'm interested in seeing is very low these days. I'm not interested in superhero or action movies. A 45"-55" TV works fine in our living room. My dad, born 1921, went to the movies weekly when he was a kid. He taught me to recognize all of the character actors in the '30's movies that local TV stations played during the '50s. I'd love to see Guy Kibbee, Franklin Pangborn, Eugene Palette, et al resurrected.

 

[kemmler3D]

Movies doing well in their theaters won’t be released to streaming won’t be released to alternate formats until they determine the time is “right.”

This is already the case regardless of theater ownership though.

 

[Travis]

This is already the case regardless of theater ownership though.

Yes it is, but during Covid they got around agreements with the theater group, Cinema United, and could go straight to pay per and/or streaming. Then as things opened up, the window went to 17 days (can’t recall how quick Barbie and Top Gun 2 hit streaming/cable). But every major studio has a streaming outlet (except Sony) so they have an outlet and can control the Waterfall revenue.

The current debate, starting in 2024, between exhibitors and studios, is should the window be 45 days, or 90. Obvious to figure out who wants what. Studios want to get smaller productions, lower review movies, over to other platforms quicker (flops) because it costs them money, exhibitors want minimum of of 90 regardless of whether it’s a blockbuster or a small production.

So there are two critical windows (these get blurred in the reporting): time that studio can release to pay per view. Second, the window before they can release to streaming/on demand (Netflix, Paramount+, HBO/MAX

The exhibitors want min of 90 days before it’s even available on a pay per view basis. Producers want it down to 30 to 45.

Here is article about history of the length in of window, an LA Times article from Yahoo news.

Theaters want you to wait longer to stream movies. Why that probably won't happen

Top theater lobbyist Michael O'Leary called for a minimum theatrical window for 45 days. But many say it's too late to turn back time.

www.yahoo.com

Here is an article on where things are at currently

Studios Delay Moving Films to Streaming to Protect Box Office

Average wait time now is three months, Ampere says

www.tvtechnology.com

 

[Travis]

 

[Travis]

I think I have been to one (count'em) theater movie this century.

We’re not their market. We haven’t been to a movie without our son being involved in some way in 10 years.

My wife will go to a movie with other women about once a year (Barbie for example).

 

[BeeKay]

I understand many people enjoy the movie theatre experience, but I never bought into it. There were too many, too loud people, and with the rise of mobile phones, the situation became unbearable. You didn’t just have to endure cavemen munching their popcorn with their mouths open; now you had to remind them to shut up. Streaming movies or watching DVDs or Blu-rays is perfect. These annoying places won’t be missed.

 

[JW001]

The last time my wife and I went to the movies was to see "Dunkirk" screened in an imax theater, ironically winning Academy Awards in categories related to sound. It was the crazy level of sound that made us cover our ears with hands all the time, and not enjoying otherwise a great movie. The sea breeze in the scenes shot in Weymouth, UK, sounded like a hurricane, and explosions were exceeding any limits I would like to be exposed to. Literally, it was like sitting close to a starting jet fighter.

 

[krabapple]

I seem to be an outlier. I have a home 5.2 system, but I still go to 'the movies' every month or two. Most recently I saw the Led Zeppelin documentary in IMAX. It was very nicely done, and not too loud. And I love going to the local revival house to see old or 'foreign' movies. For new 'must see' blockbuster releases, we generally wait a week or two until the crowds thin out.

 

[DMill]

We on this site are partially to blame. Homes with killer surround sound music and an 80 inch tv on the wall really aren’t that uncommon. 20 years ago the viewing quality for going to a theatre was so much better. Now it’s not so much and I don’t have to deal with someone on their phone 1/2 through the movie.

 

[Petrushka]

I’m so old I remember seeing the Darth Vader mask in ads and wondering what that was about.

When we finally went to see it, my two year old son was terrified, and I spent the time with him in the lobby.

I Watched “Flow”at home with my grandson, age 13. It features a rather intense opening with a cat trying to survive a flood that gradually covers everything; houses, trees, hills. I asked him if it was scary, and he said he knew everyone would be okay, because: story structure.

 

[RayDunzl]

I might go to a historical theater, and have, to the one here in Tampa, for a couple of music shows.

Saw Bela Fleck and the Flecktones there, and a local variable collaboration (Bogus Pomp) that keeps Zappa's music alive.

The first movie theater experience I remember was in Wilmington NC, a trip to see grandparents, and one afternoon Dad took me to see The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

 

[Buckchester]

I go to the theatre less and less for three main reasons:

1) I always get the back of my seat kicked. I hate getting the back of my seat kicked.
2) There aren't many good movies these days worthy of the theatre experience (IMO).
3) I have a great surround sound system at home.

 

[JustJones]

The Rocky Horror Picture Show , Saturday midnight at the Vogue Theater

The 800-seat Vogue Theater opened on December 22, 1939. It closed in September 1998, after nearly sixty years as a movie house.

Remembered by many for its 24-year run of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, the Vogue Theater was the last single screen, privately-owned theater in Louisville. The Vogue Theater, which specialized in independent, foreign and art house film, was the only theater of its kind in the city.

Edit: Last film I saw at the Vogue ' The Seduction of Mimi' .

 

[bluefuzz]

Homes with killer surround sound music and an 80 inch tv on the wall really aren’t that uncommon

Yes they are, at least outside the US. But 50” TVs and a soundbar are ubiquitous and plenty good enough …