Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

A subforum to discuss film culture and criticism.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
mistakaninja
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 5:15 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#226 Post by mistakaninja » Mon Jun 22, 2020 3:33 pm

They both reduced the number of episodes aired each week. Coronation Street is back filming and will have new episodes produced before they run out. EastEnders has now aired all finished episodes and isn't back in production yet, so there will be a hiatus filled with classic episodes and talking heads shows.

User avatar
movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#227 Post by movielocke » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:50 pm

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/06/tenet ... 234569651/

WB says they’re rethinking theatrical box office strategies and going to have a longer run as a result.

Let’s make up some numbers to illustrate the relative difference of this. Say you have a ten screen multiplex. Precorona, They contract Tenet for four screens for three weeks, two screens for two weeks and one screen for four weeks.

If theatres are at 25% capacity studios need runs to be 4x longer, 4x as many screens or 2x of both.

Expect the new Tenet contract for the same ten screeen multiplex to be something like 8 screens for four weeks, 4 screens for six weeks 2 screens for six weeks and 1 screen for six weeks.

Obviously that math doesn’t work out precisely, but overall, movies could be at the multiplex for more like six months instead of two months. It also means most multiplexes will probably only have two to three films at most at any given time because all the big studios will be contracting out multiplexes for more screens for longer times than they were before.

At least until all the product budgeted over 100M currently backlogged is cycled through the new system. Once the backlog is clear we will got a one-two year period with no films budgeted over 150M since studios won’t be greenlighting budgets that big until normal theatrical returns to the world.

This whole point above is moot though since the south and west regions of America are only just now beginning their big corona outbreaks they will be instituting another month plus full shutdown before the July 4 holiday weekend. (Buy toilet paper now, not tomorrow, btw ;-))

However, counterpoint, domestic box office is important to blockbusters, but if it’s only america and Brazil that can’t have movie theatres for the next year or two and the rest of the world has relatively normal theatrical, your international blockbusters may well continue but the domestic release is almost an afterthought, since they can still crack a billion overseas for black widow and Jurassic world, for example.

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#228 Post by knives » Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:29 pm

Stupid question, but it popped into my head why isn't the industry trying to prop up Drive-in theaters? That would seem a bit more Covid friendly.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#229 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:32 pm

I’ve heard many existing ones are showing older popular favorites like Jurassic Park to packed lots

User avatar
Rayon Vert
Green is the Rayest Color
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:52 pm
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#230 Post by Rayon Vert » Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:34 pm

There are news articles and videos online saying they're making a comeback, both in the US and Canada.

User avatar
senseabove
Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:07 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#231 Post by senseabove » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:07 pm

And they're reportedly doing very well in the Bay Area. I've seen both positive reporting and heard anecdotally that say they were packed. I wanted to go see The Invisible Man, but it was the B picture to The Hunt, which I didn't want to see at all, and I'd heard you need to get there early to even get in.

User avatar
therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#232 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:14 pm

knives wrote:
Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:29 pm
Stupid question, but it popped into my head why isn't the industry trying to prop up Drive-in theaters? That would seem a bit more Covid friendly.
They’ve been up and running in MA for a while- a lot of people I work with have been going, though they’re a bit west of Boston FYI. I believe standup comics have been doing shows at various driveins too.

User avatar
Monterey Jack
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:27 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#233 Post by Monterey Jack » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:22 pm

knives wrote:
Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:29 pm
Stupid question, but it popped into my head why isn't the industry trying to prop up Drive-in theaters? That would seem a bit more Covid friendly.
...because you have to wait until it's dark to show a movie, and it's almost July, meaning the days are at their longest? Studios needs as many showtimes per day to make money, not one screening at 9:00 PM.

Plus, they can get rained out. I was going to see The Goonies with my sister over the weekend, but thunderstorms kiboshed that.

User avatar
senseabove
Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:07 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#234 Post by senseabove » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:31 pm

Should I be offended that none of four drive-ins I could get to in less than an hour are playing Jaws even once this weekend? How are drive-ins not contractually obligated to show Jaws on the 4th?

User avatar
Dr Amicus
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:20 am
Location: Guernsey

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#235 Post by Dr Amicus » Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:19 am

Funnily enough, our local cinema is showing Jaws - but starting a week tomorrow. Presumably part of the package put together for cinemas reopening gradually as lockdown eases on the mainland but new releases are few and far between (and geared to more speciality audiences). In addition, now and upcoming, we are getting the Nolan Batman films, all three Back to the Futures, Jurassic Park and Bohemian Rhapsody.

User avatar
ianthemovie
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 10:51 am
Location: Boston, MA
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#236 Post by ianthemovie » Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:27 am

Jaws has been playing a double feature with Jurassic Park here at the nearby Mendon Drive-In for several weeks now. (The second screen has been doing double features of other 80s classics.) We went for my birthday the other week and it was packed, and on a weeknight no less. Having never been to a drive-in before my question is how do people stay out that late? If we had stayed for the entirety of both movies we wouldn't have gotten home until 2 a.m.

User avatar
Rayon Vert
Green is the Rayest Color
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:52 pm
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#237 Post by Rayon Vert » Thu Jul 02, 2020 1:49 pm

That's the fun of it. In a family in the old days, if you had a station wagon the kids just fell asleep during the second feature in the back.

User avatar
Monterey Jack
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:27 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#238 Post by Monterey Jack » Thu Jul 02, 2020 11:42 pm

ianthemovie wrote:
Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:27 am
Having never been to a drive-in before my question is how do people stay out that late?
That's the inherent flaw of the drive-in experience...you can't show movies until it gets dark out, and this time of year, that's not until almost 9:00 PM. I want to see movies at the earliest matinee possible.

User avatar
The Narrator Returns
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:35 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#239 Post by The Narrator Returns » Tue Jul 28, 2020 4:47 pm

Ribs wrote:
Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:34 pm
In an extremely cool, rare bold action, AMC has announced effective immediately it will no longer be playing any Universal films.
Whoops. AMC will not only play Universal titles, they'll collapse the theatrical window for them to just 17 days.

User avatar
captveg
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:28 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#240 Post by captveg » Tue Aug 04, 2020 6:46 pm

My friend who own a small 4-screen theater and a drive-in in the Houston area:

"Disney just announced Mulan going to Disney+ as a $30 rental at the beginning of September. We have been toying with the idea of reopening [our indoor theater] if there was any sort of new release content coming soon. I know a ton of other small town theater operators who are feeling completely crushed by this.

The truth of the situation is we are about to see the largest contraction in the movie exhibition industry ever. I would estimate that 50% of all screens in the US will not return by the Summer of 2021. Permanent closures will be announced in wave after wave these next 6-8 weeks. An absolute disaster for the indoor theater industry."

Nasir007
Joined: Sat May 25, 2019 11:58 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#241 Post by Nasir007 » Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:23 pm

The Mulan move is major but Disney did say it was an anomaly.

Movie theaters are going to be dicey as long as there isn't a vaccine to be honest.

The predictions seem a bit dire. I do think they will bounce back once this is behind us.

But overall, I do wonder, is the shift permanent?

If we are being completely honest, home technology is at a point where honest to god if you controlled for factors like distance from screen, seating etc... you are arriving at a point where theaters do not have a leg up on home screens (provided you have invested in a great system). The allure then becomes the communal experience. And second, availability. If you take away the availability argument, meaning things are available at home the same day, and the communal experience is not alluring but something to be avoided - then movie theaters have absolutely nothing to offer. Unless they have another trick up their sleeve.

User avatar
The Elegant Dandy Fop
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:25 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#242 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:40 pm

Am I the only one who anticipates this being a failure for Disney? I know people will argue for $30 being fair as it’s geared toward families, but $30 seems exorbitant for a rentaI of a digital file, especially with the glut of non-stop Netflix programming. I can’t be the only one who sees that the pandemic proves the instability of the Hollywood $200-300 million dollar film made for a global market, right? I feel like it will collapse eventually and if theaters close, I can’t imagine streaming doing much better, especially with the unemployment rate and the economy on its way to being worse now for Americans as UI benefits are being cut. I do think theaters will eventually return to normal, but I don’t anticipate that for at least another year.

black&huge
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:35 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#243 Post by black&huge » Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:45 pm

yeah... $30 to rent... that is just...

I assume here Disney is trying to make back something close to a theatrical blockbuster earning before it inevitably gets pirated right out the gate but yeah this and Nolan insisting on releasing Tenet in theaters in the midst of the pandemic make me feel ashamed to be a film lover. As dramatic as that sounds and as much as we love film we can't be doing this kind of shit to keep cinema alive. It's already alive and well as a whole. It's only because the US can't have their billions earning blockbusters for at least ONE year that we see this kind of sad, stupid behavior.

User avatar
movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#244 Post by movielocke » Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:02 am

$30 is probably heavily market tested, and a lot cheaper than taking a family or even a kid to the movies.

Here in my California suburb if even one parent takes just one kid to a matinee at the local multiplex it’s $14 a ticket—nope they don’t discount for kids. So you’re already at $28 and haven’t even bought the near mandatory popcorn/candy/soda that kids generally get since going to the movies is a special occasion, if said parent and child are frugal and share a medium popcorn and soda that’s another $11 for the combo.

And for a family of four, oy! Going to the movies costs nearly a hundred bucks

User avatar
Monterey Jack
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:27 am

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#245 Post by Monterey Jack » Wed Aug 05, 2020 9:00 am

Disney kneecapping theaters at their most desperate hour of need. For SHAME.

User avatar
willoneill
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:10 am
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#246 Post by willoneill » Wed Aug 05, 2020 9:37 am

David Chen of the /Filmcast tweeted that if you're not willing to pay $30 for a PVOD release of Mulan that it's because you're racist against Asian filmmakers ... so yeah, the discourse is going well online with this news.

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#247 Post by knives » Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:13 am

How does that even work? I mean, what about the many people who didn't even know this was directed by an Asian filmmaker?

User avatar
willoneill
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:10 am
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#248 Post by willoneill » Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:28 am

knives wrote:
Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:13 am
How does that even work? I mean, what about the many people who didn't even know this was directed by an Asian filmmaker?
I was both paraphrasing and interpreting his tweet, and was using "filmmaker" to encompass not just the director but also the cast (and I'm assuming many of the crew).

My point is, and I try to bang this drum a little as humanly possible being a relatively well-off white straight man, but NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT RACISM. I want to see Mulan (it's looks pretty good, IMO), but I'm not paying $30 for PVOD, nor will I pay PVOD prices for the new Nolan, a Star Wars, an MCU, or even my own mother's movie. I'm not paying premium prices for anything that's not the theatrical experience. And I suspect I'm not alone in this view, which is why most of the big films have been postponed rather than dumped to PVOD or streaming.

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#249 Post by knives » Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:46 am

That's only a little better given the millions of reasons anyone wouldn't want to pay for that. For example, I don't know if my ethics would allow me to pay for a release dependent on a vertical integration model while certainly for most people, to give a more universal reason, it's just not financially feasible in this depression where a quarter of the work force is laid off. It speak to economic privilege he isn't looking at that he thinks racism would be a primary reason not to see Mulan right now.

User avatar
captveg
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:28 pm

Re: Coronavirus' Effect on the Entertainment Industry

#250 Post by captveg » Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:48 am

Just looking at numbers, Hamilton was streamed ~500,000 times on Disney+ over its debut week. Let's say by some miracle twice that many with Disney+ stream Mulan, which means they pay an extra $30 than they did for Hamilton. That's still only $30m in revenue for a film that was expected to make $100-150m opening weekend in the US alone. Now, granted, it may also drive subscriptions and earn Disney+ money that way, but Disney has essentially decided to sacrifice / write-off this film to earn a very little return in 2020 rather than a larger potential return in 2021.

Post Reply