Why is Hollywood setting movie records?

[cocheese 0]

Why is Hollywood thriving in a shitty economy? Movies suck, prices are high, and it's going to be on TV soon anyway.

Who is supporting this crap? The people getting free money from the government? Probably the same people supporting the professional sport teams, NASCAR, and fake wrestling.

BTW, when is the 3-D Red Bull movie coming?
Now this will be good on the big screen with some $8 popcorn.

[riddler 0]

People are not going on vacations, but going to the movies instead. It's still a much cheaper form of entertainment.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[cocheese 0]

Maybe just for the air conditioning.

[JohnMitchell 14]

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People are not going on vacations, but going to the movies instead. It's still a much cheaper form of entertainment.

I think you're right, just like tandem jumping is booming. You can't afford a big vacation, but a trip to the movies works. I think the movies did very well during the Great Depression too.

[squirrel 0]

History is repeating itself. During the "first" great depression, movies became very popular. Society needed an escape, and the price of a flick at that time was very cheap. Actually it still is today. I am going to take in a matinee, only $5, and I will bring my own water.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[shropshire 0]

It's not Great but it will be Depressing.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[charlie5 0]

Well when movie ticket prices are double what they were just a few years ago, then those record "earnings" are severely inflated.

*here's a site that adjusts for inflation

Gone with the wind is still #1

http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

The feather butts bounce off ya like raindrops hitting a battle-star when they come in too fast...kinda funny to watch. - airtwardo

[quade 3]

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Why is Hollywood thriving in a shitty economy?

I have no idea where you got this impression, but Hollywood isn't exact thriving in this economy. Some, very few and special films, have recently set box office records, but as a whole, the industry is down.

The box office records are hugely inflated due to the extra money people are willy to spend to see certain titles (but clearly not all) in 3D, however, as I said before the industry as a whole in down.

I don't track everything in the industry, but this last year rentals and streaming made more money than the box office, DVD and download sales (which is where traditionally the bulk of the money came from). While gross ticket sales are up due to increased prices and 3D, attendance is down quite a bit. People are staying home and catching stuff in rental.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/08/consumers-now-spending-more-renting-movies-than-buying-them.html

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[cocheese 0]

Ok. cool.

[quade 3]

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Ok. cool.

Oh, I see, you think you were making some sort of clever point.

Hardly.

The financing of film goes well beyond the box office and the price of a box of popcorn doesn't have anything to do with it at all. That's all on the theater owners which are a completely separate entity.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[squirrel 0]

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Ok. cool.

Oh, I see, you think you were making some sort of clever point.

Hardly.

The financing of film goes well beyond the box office and the price of a box of popcorn doesn't have anything to do with it at all. That's all on the theater owners which are a completely separate entity.

so very true. one film I worked on cost 98 million to make, and 30 million in promotional cost, at least that is what was reported by the accountant to me, and they do all kinds of things with numbers. but, the movie went to DVD at only 30 million in box office receipts. "What Dreams May Come." too heavy for the public, and as the producer said, "it was a caviar dinner for a hamburger eating audience."

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[kawisixer01 0]

I have a big ass high def led/lcd 3-d flat screen, a bad ass surround sound system (w/15" sub), and a very comfortable couch. Every time I have made the MISTAKE of setting foot in a theater in the last five years I've been extremely disappointed and said I was never going back. Which has been maybe three or four times. Between the off balance sound that my system would kick the crap out of, the irritating people around me that couldn't stop smacking their lips, chomping on their pop corn with their mouth open, or leave their cell phone in their pocket, I cannot picture myself ever walking into a theater again. The most I will do is the drive in, which still is pretty good because both our vehicles have pretty impressive after market sound systems.

[Guest]

"It’s also bad news for the studios, because DVD sales are far more profitable than rentals and have filled the coffers of Hollywood the past decade."

How much you wanna bet that the moguls will try to use legal means to curtail rentals in order to force people to buy?

Of course this will only spur piracy.

C'mon Paul, tell me they haven't already thought of this one.


mh
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"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[cocheese 0]

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Ok. cool.

Oh, I see, you think you were making some sort of clever point.

Hardly.

The financing of film goes well beyond the box office and the price of a box of popcorn doesn't have anything to do with it at all. That's all on the theater owners which are a completely separate entity.

This has nothing to do with expensive popcorn. And I wasn't making any clever points.
The only movie I'm going to go see in the next few years is the Red Bull skydiving one.

My original thought was: why the fuck are people going to movies if they don't have jobs?

[skydiver30960 0]

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My original thought was: why the fuck are people going to movies if they don't have jobs?

THAT'S a question that will get us booted to SC in no time. At least, I know the response I'd like to make would.

It's funny how many people have different takes on just what the title of this thread means to them. To me it asks: How can Hollywood keep churning out what are either thinly veiled or blatantly obvious remakes, and people keep going to see them? Are all the truly great stories already written? I understand that all the recent superhero flicks are setting up the Avengers film, which of course we'll be expected to subsidize to a degree reminiscent of the national debt. But do we really need a Conan remake?

Elvisio "the insanely expensive popcorn is my Achilles heel" Rodriguez

[squirrel 0]

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I have a big ass high def led/lcd 3-d flat screen, a bad ass surround sound system (w/15" sub), and a very comfortable couch. Every time I have made the MISTAKE of setting foot in a theater in the last five years I've been extremely disappointed and said I was never going back. Which has been maybe three or four times. Between the off balance sound that my system would kick the crap out of, the irritating people around me that couldn't stop smacking their lips, chomping on their pop corn with their mouth open, or leave their cell phone in their pocket, I cannot picture myself ever walking into a theater again. The most I will do is the drive in, which still is pretty good because both our vehicles have pretty impressive after market sound systems.

oh, i totally hear you. we actually have an old Sony projection screen, which I prefer over the HD look. almost never go to a theater. but, the other day, we ventured out to one to see "Bad Teacher"...an early show, and, we walked in and we were the only ones in the theater! a sweet full digital theater to ourselves, it was very cool.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[johndh1 0]

MUCH better if you have an in-home system like that, but it's still not a "night out" if that's what someone's wanting - but still better to spend $1 in the Red Box and be disappointed than to spend close to $30 for two in theater. After "Skyline" I committed to not seeing a movie without consulting rottentomatoes.com and getting the percentage of audience like/dislike - and trying to give time not taking into account opening weekend box office numbers determined by people who saw the same promising trailers that I did. Since then, I have not been disappointed by a movie choice following their ratings.

Roll Tide Roll

[Phillbo 11]

wrestling is fake ?

[cocheese 0]

I think so. Real wrestlers don't stomp the mat like a sumo on crack everytime they do something.

[riddler 0]

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How much you wanna bet that the moguls will try to use legal means to curtail rentals in order to force people to buy?

The industry is already increasing NetFlix's surcharges by an order of magnitude to make additional profit, with streaming media as the excuse - NetFlix is on the hook for $2 billion this year, which is why they have raised prices for everyone. They've already admitted that they're trying to drive consumers to their own services.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD