Surprise Surprise: Bad Movies = Less Attendance
 

As you read this, keep in mind that Rob Schneider and Freddie Prinze Jr still get movie deals....

I think the fact that 40 Yr Old Virgin, critically acclaimed, is #1, and Deuce Bigelow, critically panned, is doing shit at the box office reinforces this sentiment.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050829/en_nm/slump_dc

By Paul Bond Mon Aug 29, 1:47 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The main reason for the box office slump is the quality of the movies themselves, according to a survey of moviegoers' opinions found in Internet chat rooms and posted on message boards.
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Even when moviegoers cite other reasons for going to theaters less often than they used to, they still circle back to the quality of films as the root cause for their disaffection, according to research company Brandimensions.

For example, potential moviegoers who cited the ease and selection offered by DVD rental firm Netflix as one reason why they visit the multiplex less, then said they were driven to try Netflix because of the dearth of decent theatrical releases.

The study found that audiences also cited such other factors as the rising costs of movie tickets, onscreen commercials shown before films and even inadequate parking. But those consumers whose views were collected in the study also said that if the movies were more appealing, they would put up with the other factors.

This year's box office take is about 8% lower than it was for the same period a year ago, and the number of tickets sold is off about 11%.

Brandimensions searched 1.9 million Internet blogs and chat rooms where users were discussing the box office slump. Relevancy algorithms were used in choosing 1,350 posts to dissect by using software coupled with human data analysts. The result was a 16-page analysis.

The sites that were culled in creating the study run the gamut from the obvious, such as iFilm and other movie-related sites, to the not so obvious, such as a site for criticizing the president and another dedicated to professional musicians.

In one of its findings, the study said that when a movie's DVD release closely follows its theatrical debut, consumers often consider it the sign of a bad movie.

Many Internet chatters also expressed dismay about what they see as Hollywood's incessant focus on piracy and said they'd gladly wait longer for DVD releases if the trade-off were better theatrical releases.

The demographic that indicates most that it is seeing fewer movies are males ages 25-49, followed by females in the same age bracket. Those age groups are increasingly deciding that a sporting event or concert offers more value than movies do.

"They're not only cross-shopping movies against each other, but they're also cross-shopping movies against other entertainment experiences," Brandimensions chief operating officer Bradley Silver said.

Silver said that 44% of Internet chatters on the subject of the box office slump cite bad movies as their reason for shunning theaters, and among those citing other reasons, the quality of films is usually their second or third reason. He also said that the data indicates that even movie stars don't have the same cache as they once did.

"With Charles Bronson and
Clint Eastwood, you knew what you were getting," he said. But, he added, with many current stars, audiences don't often know exactly what a movie promises.

Asked to sum up the attitude of disaffected moviegoers, Bradley said: "Going to the movies used to be fun and exciting. It used to be an event. It's none of those anymore."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

I'm so not shocked.

Many of the movies released over the past few years have been garbage. The plots are rehashed, predictable, and/or uninteresting.

Plus, going to the movies is expensive. An adult ticket at my local theatre is nearly $10. Even a matinee ticket is nearly $7 (I remember when a full-price adult ticket cost less than that). Add in the obligatory (overpriced) popcorn, Milk Duds, and soda, and you could be looking at spending $30 or more for a couple. A movie had better be d@mn good for me to shell out that kind of money, given that I could wait a couple of months, rent it on DVD for $5, microwave my own popcorn, and watch it in the privacy of my own home.

I can't remember the last time I went to a movie -- there's never anything out that appeals to me. I was all excited about Netflix for a while, but I think I've run out of good stuff. Chances are I'm just too picky, but I guess I'd rather read a book than watch crap for two hours.

What a concept. of course, the movie industry blames P2P programs instead of blaming themselve for their dismal fortunes.

I was a little disappointed with this summer's box office. I'm hoping that the fall/winter season will produce some blockbusters.

You know, this summer was just lackluster in terms of films. I mean aside from Wedding Crashers and 40 YO Virgin, I haven't wanted to go to the movies at all.

Hollywood, if you can hear me, get off your collective ass and make some ORIGINAL films, not just remakes.:mad:

Seriously. I can't even stand going to the movies anymore. I can't remember the last one I was excited to see.

I think that the entertainment industry as a whole is so stupid. The movie industry puts out movie after horrible, unoriginal movie and expects us not to notice, all the while jacking up the ticket price? It's the same thing that was happening to the music industry a couple years back.

I used to go to the movies far more often in high school -- now I go probably less than 8-10 times a year, and ONLY with a movie that has been critically acclaimed or widely recommended by friends. Lucky for me, there's a theater on campus that only charges $4.50 a movie if you have a student ID, but even with prices that low, my movie attendance has been sporadic since I graduated.


The last movie I was actually excited to see was Mean Girls.

The last movie that I really wanted to see, and would have been willing to wait in line for a ticket and put up with all the other stuff at the theater was LotR:RotK.

I hear about movies that I wouldn't mind going to see....but I can usually find something better to do than watch some half-baked movie that the monkey's in Hollywood expect us to love.

Uhmm yes and no.

A lot of the big studios have interests in the smaller indy films now which are growing pretty well and are featuring more and more talented people. So while you won't see movies like the Godfather today, you can find amazing films in select theatres. Anyway, aside from making money from the indy movies, whenever those indy movies receive a great response they are moved onto major theaters (Lost in Translation and Sideways). The people often making the decisions are the investment bankers who have very reliable models that determine whether a movie would get good reception and make money based on previous movies; if the film sucks, they won't provide financing.

Also what this piece doesn't talk about is that the studios have focused more on certain money producing ventures (like releasing DVDs that are cheap to produce but bring in a lot of money).

Anyway, my next pick for a great big-screen movie is Proof. It's a play based on UChicago and shot there. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377107/

-Rudey