Movie theaters are in more trouble than at any other time in their hundred-year history. Thanks to the coronavirus, those theater chains that haven’t filed for bankruptcy are teetering. Even where theaters are open, people aren’t coming, at least not in the numbers necessary to cover expenses.
Exhibitors rely on two things: butts in seats and product (i.e. good movies) to put those butts in seats, and right now the butts aren’t showing up and the product isn’t showing up. Movies have either been shelved to next year or made available though pay-per-view, various streaming services, or a combination of all three.
And now… And now! Warner Bros. just launched a nuke with the announcement that every one of its 2021 theatrical releases will premiere on its HBO Max streaming service the same day it is released in theaters.
If that experiment works, if the studios look at that and say, “Yep, yep, yep, the increase in revenue from monthly streaming subscribers is bigger money than dropping it in theaters,” it’s all over.
There will always be movie theaters, naturally, just not like we see now. Not 5000-plus movie theaters. Maybe a tenth as many that offer the spectacle of IMAX, dinner, and drinks.
If you think the studios are unhappy about this, you’re nuts.
It would not surprise me in the least — in fact, I would only be surprised if the following was not part of the plan….
Think about it… One major reason Big Movies Releases are being postponed is due to Los Angeles and New York refusing to reopen theaters. The studios argue that there is no point in releasing a movie if it can’t play in those two cities, not to mention other big cities such as Chicago.
Well, who runs those cities and states?
Democrats!
And who is Hollywood cozy with?
Democrats!
And is it not odd that — according to our so-called experts — it’s safe to sit in an audience to watch a live taping of Saturday Night Live in New York City, but not safe to sit in an audience to watch a movie in New York City?
The studios kinda hate theater owners, primarily because theater owners have joined together to threaten the studios whenever the studios want to close the window between theatrical and home video release. With a 90-day widow between the two, that means two expensive promotional campaigns for studios. With a shorter window, the studios would only have to pay for one.
But every time the studios try to shorten the window, theater owners have threatened to boycott the movie and refused to book it unless the window was put back to 90 or so days. The studios always buckled. Had no choice. You don’t take chances with a product that cost a quarter billion dollars. Back then, theater owners held all the cards.
Those days are over.
There’s money in streaming. Oh, boy, is there money in streaming. And with their streaming services, the studios now have an alternative to movie theaters. Combine that with the fact movie theaters are teetering due to these stupid lockdowns, and what you have is a situation where theater owners now need the studios a whole lot more than the studios need theater owners.
This is a little off topic, but one more thing to keep in mind is that in August of this year, the 71-year-old ruling that barred studios from owning movie theaters was overturned. How perfect is that? And right in the middle of a pandemic! So you have Hollywood’s Democrat pals using the coronavirus as an excuse to shut down movie theaters. You have the studios using the virus (and the theater closings) as an excuse to withhold product from theaters. The theaters go under. The multinationals that own the studios pick up these theater chains cheap.
I’m just thinking out loud here.
So by being inflexible about the theatrical window, movie theaters have, for a long time, been seen by the studios as the last buggy whip holding back a film industry eager to embrace and push and experiment in a digital world.
Theater owners also haven’t done themselves any favors with us, the customers. How many times have you had your movie-going experience ruined by talkers, by some jerk who keeps lighting up his phone, and all the other annoyances that break the spell?
And good grief, the price of concessions… It’s just outrageous. At my local theater — no joke — a small popcorn and soda costs $11.50. Family of four that only wants popcorn and soda, you’re talking $30.00! So right out of the chute, including admissions, you’re hovering around $70 — just to see a stupid movie that could be ruined by some jerk talking or checking text messages.
In a world where even people on welfare have plasma TVs hooked to surround-sound, you need to do better.
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