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Title: Worst Box Office In 25 Years: Hollywood’s Problems Are Permanent & Deep
Source:
Breitbart
URL Source: http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollyw ... s-problems-are-permanent-deep/
Published: Sep 2, 2017
Author: John Nolte
Post Date: 2017-09-03 06:17:58 by Tooconservative
Keywords: None
Views: 12870
Comments: 68
If you figure in inflation, those numbers are even worse. For example, in 2012 the average ticket cost $7.96. Today it is almost a full dollar more at $8.89. Yeah, things are that bad and will look even worse on Tuesday. With no apparent faith in their own product, this is the first Labor Day in 25 years where a new title has not been released on more than 1,000 screens. Over this weekend last year, the box office hauled in nearly $130 million. This year will do about a third of that. Summer attendance is at a 25-year low. The summer box office is down a whopping –16% compared to 2016. Can a handful of titles — It, Kingsman 2, Bladerunner 2, Thor 3, Justice League, Star Wars 8 — save an entire year? Doubtful. Pull out of a dive? Maybe. Still, we are talking about only six big titles over four months, which is about on par with last year’s Passengers, Rogue One, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Beasts, Inferno, Sully, and Magnificent Seven. Hollywood has had bad years before and it was not the end of the world. This year feels different, like we have crossed a Rubicon. Investors appear to agree. We begin with the fact that some 15 years ago, the movie business stopped being a growth business. While revenues have increased a bit, admissions have remained stagnant. Those revenues were boosted through premium priced gimmicks like 3D and Imax. One can argue that the worldwide box office has opened up considerably, and while true, entry into that market is an insanely expensive gamble, meaning a CGI’d frachise film, a $250-$350 million entrance fee when you account for production and promotion costs. Moreover, after exhibitors take their cut, a movie has to gross a little more than twice its budget just to break even. So if you spend $250 million and your worldwide gross is $550 million, you are still on the bubble. China, which accounts for the most international growth of late, takes a whopping 75 cents of every box office dollar, and look at how much international revenue comes from a partner that eats up three-quarters of the pie. Yes, the international box office might be up a tick, but I doubt it’s ahead of inflation. Anyway, that is just a summary of the lay of the land. Hollywood’s fundamental problems are much deeper and fall into three categories: product, ideas, and customer service. A quality product, like a tasty burger, is the golden goose that keeps laying the golden egg. Great ideas, like iPads and iPhones, are the golden geese that keep laying those golden eggs. Great customer service — well, you get the idea. And Hollywood’s biggest problem right now, it’s most fundamental problem, is… Product: Outside of low-budget horror, today’s movie biz is only about insanely expensive franchises, which is fine, if you have enough of them. What happened this year and last, unlike any other years I’m aware of, is the death of a whole bunch of golden geese: Straight up bombs include Alien, Transformers, Cars, Smurfs, Resident Evil, Underworld, Wimpy Kid, Xander Cage, Nut Job, Independence Day, Ice Age, Ninja Turtles, Divergent, Huntsman, Alice in Wonderland, Inferno (DaVinci Code), and Jack Reacher. Underperformers include Pirates, Kong/Godzilla, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, and X-Men. Add to this an entire genre: the comedy, an area in which Hollywood painted itself into a corner primarily with raunchy titles aimed at teens. Casualties include Baywatch, Snatched, Fist Fight, Rough Night, Ghostbusters, The Boss, Why Him?, Neighbors, Barbershop, Dirty Grandpa, and Zoolander 2. Dead golden geese. Pillars removed. But this happens. Customers grow bored. Things wear out. And this is where ideas are supposed to come into play, because ideas breed more golden geese. Right? Riiiight…? Ideas: The longstanding joke that Hollywood is officially out of ideas is no longer funny. Here is a list of the new ideas, the potential new franchises, that died in the crib: The Mummy, The Emoji Movie, the poorly titled Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, The Dark Tower, Valerian, King Arthur. I do not know of a single new franchise successfully launched this year, and last year there were only three to four: Deadpool, Suicide Squad, Doctor Strange, and Fantastic Beasts. A handful of new franchises compared to somewhere around 20 lost and/or were severely wounded. You do the math. Customer Service: The ideological conformity within Hollywood is not only destroying the greatness that comes from artistic tension, is not only shelving great stories, it is alienating and insulting half the customers. Moreover, going to the movies today is not just an expensive risk when it comes to the quality of the product, but the theaters themselves are terrible at policing the talkers and texters who ruin the experience. Going to the movies used to be a form of escape from the tyranny of everyday life. No more. Around 80% of movies disappoint, the rudeness of others aggravates, and the hyper-politicization of too much of the product and its pitchmen (the actors) drains your ability to remain spellbound. — Hollywood failed to listen to the canary in the coalmine that was the home video business. That pillar collapsed some ten years ago. Instead of looking inwards, instead of realizing that the quality of the product was such that no one wanted to experience it again at home, the studios blamed piracy, video games, and television. Sorry, no. The only problem is that your industry sucks and that it keeps getting suckier. Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here. Even before this catastrophic Labor Day weekend is factored in (more on this below), the domestic 2017 box office is in hideous shape. This year is –6.3% behind 2016 and continues to fall behind 2015, 2013, and 2012.
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#29. To: misterwhite (#12)
It's over two hours. You just make stuff up.
It's over two hours. You just make stuff up. Make stuff up? Nah. You think it's made up because you don't recognize the truth when it's staring you in the face.
2 HOURS 15 min doesn't equal 95 min.
The Dark Tower Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, is locked in an eternal battle with Walter O'Dim (Matthew McConaughey), also known as the Man in Black. The Gunslinger must prevent the Man in Black from toppling the Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together. With the fate of worlds at stake, two men collide in the ultimate battle between good and evil. Release date: July 31, 2017 (USA)
https://www.google.com/search? q=it+runtime&oq=it+runtime&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.3770j0j4&client=tablet- android-samsung&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
What is that gobbledygook? The run time of the movie is 95 minutes. If it's other than that, provide a link.
I agree
It is a link you dumb ass. The runtime isn't 95 minutes you dumb ass. I saw the movie it sucked and it was 2 hrs fifteen minutes. Why do dispute the undisputable? This thread shows that you can never be trusted because you can't even get the length of a stupid movie correct. Oh and I saw it at the drive inn.
We agree. Those who can't even get the length of a stupid movie correct can never be trusted.
Why do you think mister white is so stupid? I know this is the pettiest of petty topics. But it demonstrates mister whites lack of ability to search the internet. To read. To comprehend what he reads. Maybe he is a retard. If you want to see the suck movie you can buy a ticket for the 2 hour 15 minute movie on fandago. I wouldn't recommend it though. https://www.fandango.com/it-2017-199151/movie-overview
It is a deep mystery. Not so much. OTOH, how much traffic would LF get without a misterwhite and a Boxcar Willy? People chewing each other up is a bigger draw at LF and many other forums than any hunger for news stories.
Mister white is a good sport. I'll give him that. I beat up on him pretty bad sometimes. Some days I like mister white and even whillie.
The movie is 1h 35m, not 135 minutes.
So why does fandano say it is 2 hours 15 minutes? Do you live in an alternate universe? Do you think you are batman? Ever heard of this movie site weirdo? It says 2 hours 15 minutes YOu're a retard aren't you.
That's for the movie It. We were discussing The Dark Tower. At least I was.
Whatever man.
Now everyone knows you can't be trusted.
I have only been to one movie since I ended up choking out a black punk sitting in front of me that told me "Bleep you,honkie MoFo!" when I politely (seriously) asked him if he would quit talking to the people on the screen and shouting out to his homies because I am hard of hearing and couldn't hear what the people on the screen were saying. Didn't intend to put a choke hold on him,and didn't even realize I WAS doing it until he was already unconscious. There I am,part way through the movie,and for all I know,the MF is dead and I'm going to have to try to explain that crap to the authorities when the lights come up,or maybe going to have to gun down a few of his homies if they come see why he isn't answering their shout-outs to him before it ends. My only option was to get up and leave the movie right then,and that pissed me off,too. I checked the news for the next few days and there were no reports of any teen wannabe thugs being found dead in the local movie theater,so I guess we both got lucky on that one. I did go to see Avatar when it came out because of the 3D thing. Didn't want to wait to see it at home and lose the special effects. I made sure I went to a chain movie theater in a different town,to a movie in a predominately white neighborhood,though. In fact,didn't see a black face in there that wasn't an employee. Last I heard anything about the movie in the local black-majority town was years ago when there was a riot there because the new Eddie Murphy movie was showing,and it was sold out and some of the homies were denied their chance to see Eddie outsmart and beat up white people. IIRC,the chick in the ticket booth was beaten,and so were the two ushers they employed,and the homies just crashed though and took over the theater. And some people still claim they don't understand why malls in cities are going out of business! In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
The big thing now in high-end theaters is offering recliner seating with built-in surround-sound speakers, gourmet entrees and craft beer and pricey cocktails served throughout the movie. They want to roll the dinner-and-a-movie into an all-in-one at the theater. Just go to the theater to get your food and cocktails and watch your movie. A one-stop date night. But that won't save your average mall theater who can't attract a clientele willing to pay for that and isn't equipped to provide such services. FoxNews: Movie theaters serving gourmet eats You were probably waving your Confederate flag too! LOL
If we were all in perfect agreement, this place would die off. It's the friction that keeps people coming back for more. What's that old example you sometimes hear about putting 10 people in a room and you can't predict that they'll find a leader but it is certain they'll find someone to hate in that group of 10? That kinda applies to online forums too, not just LF.
So what are you guys watching today? I'm watching Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) with Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges. It's a 720p, 1.4GB version from RARBG. (BTW, that is a torrent site! Make sure you are VPNed if you download anything from a torrent site nowadays.) I may follow it up by drifting into a Sunday nap watching Pulp Fiction. I thought about it and I don't recall ever seeing either movie more than once, back when they first came out. I'm watching these like everything else via the free Plex Media Server. I can watch on my Mac or my Roku or my AppleTV/iPad/iPhone, switching rooms/devices easily.
Perfect comment for a chit-chat channel. Absolutely no productive ideas about changing the US Government other than gossip, innuendo and flabbergast.
Oh, yeah, smart ass? What's your master plan? Or are you going to contribute to the brain trust with some chickenshit sniping from the sidelines as usual? In my experience, that's all you're good for. Dazzle us with your master plan, Yoda. Maybe we'll elect you as our leader.
Not much more than individual liberties, rights and respect as the MagnaCarta proclaimed. Obviously, you interpret and discount historical influences, while perpetuating non-essential foundations towards the Declaration of Independence or otherwise just another ignorant document.
I think you misunderstand the Magna Carta, a rather limited document mostly notable for trying to bell the cat (limit the monarch). It was not remotely comparable to the Bill of Rights here in America. But then, you live in the libertarian paradise of Belize. You love civil rights so much that you live where there are virtually none. Or decent health care, a real economy, domestic industry, etc. You've voted with your feet to live in the Third World. In Belize, make that the Turd World, outside your little enclave of wealthy American ex-patriates. Of course, we all do support both Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. So what is your petty sniping about?
I don't have one,but if I did,I would wave it. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
I'm binge watching "The Vikings" on Amazon off and on. Been weedwhacking off and on all day. I get tired,I come in the house,drink some cold water,and watch an episode or two,then go out and weedwhack some more. Planning on binging on "The Americans" next. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Vikings is a great show. Where are you at?
I have 4 seasons of it, have yet to watch a single one. But then I'm behind on watching hit shows. I have Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Americans, Game of Thrones and plenty of others set up on my Plex server, ready to roll, never watched any of them. Yet. I really have far too much stuff to ever catch up with.
I've been watching Vikings. It seems a loose dramatization based on the historic real expansion of the Vikings into neighboring countries. Interestingly, both the Norse religion and Christianity are both portrayed as completely real, with believers on both sides calling the others heathens and such. Certain elements strike me as unrealistic, but nothing serious. Seems if the vikings weren't killing each other all the time, they'd be a much more formidable in their quests to loot and plunder.
It is based on reaL characters although they may have truncated the timescales and events a little. That warrior woman in Sweden reported on the other day may confirm some of the legend, certainly Ragnar Lodbruck was a real person who sacked Paris and actually did that portage. Vikings were paid ransoms not to raid certain cities In pagan religions various drugs were used to induce visions, even the american indians did this. God has been known in a number of civilisations but the Norse gods appear a little demonic at times. There seems to be a renewed emphasis on the old religions in various movies and shows
End of season 3. I'm catching up on a lot of programs because I killed my sat dish deal for anything but the basic package for a couple of years before I got my HD antenna,ROKU and Channel Master. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
You really need to make the time to watch Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. You might even want to watch them twice in a row. There is probably nothing you can do for yourself that would be a better use of your time for 2 hours a day. I didn't start in on Breaking Bad until the 3rd season,and only then because I was bored and wanted to see what all the excitement was about. Ended up binge watching the first three seaons. I can't remember a single episode ending without me saying "DAYUM! I didn't see THAT coming!" Sorta the same thing with The Walking Dead" Zombies? Gimme a bleeping break! What could be more boring that zombies? Then I started watching it,and quickly figured out is was series about survival after the shit hits the fan,and society with the rule of law ends,and how we put it all back together and what we will go thought to get it done. The Zombies were just the "vehicle" to get the younger crowd watching the show. The REAL danger,as always,comes from other humans. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
It's even based on real people. Ragnar and his brother,especially. If you want to spoil the ending for yourself,you can look up what actually happens to them. Seems if the vikings weren't killing each other all the time, they'd be a much more formidable in their quests to loot and plunder. Tribal warfare. Nothing new about it. The Vikings didn't invent it,but if they had been united they would have ruled the world. They actually held Rome up for ransom back when Rome was THE world power. It was the Viking tribe named the Rus that chilled the competing tribes and made Russia into a nation. They were selling white Irish captives to the Africans for gold in the 8th century,so people with Irish ancestry have a legitimate claim to blacks that blacks owe THEM reparations. IIRC,it was 134 men,women,and children captured during a raid on a Irish fishing village. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
At two hours a day (3 42-minute episodes ad-free), I'd have 22 days of GoT, 21 days of Breaking Bad, 31 days of Mad Men. It almost makes watching TV a chore. : ) Given how highly rated these shows are, I will be picking them for my next series to watch. Especially zombies that can't move more than 1.5mph. A toddler could outrun them for God's sake. It drives me crazy to watch them menacing the heroes in slow-mo. I notice in the last season or so, the zombies aren't even much danger any more. They still have zombie bits but not as a primal threat. Which speaks to your point that the real danger is other humans, not zombies.
You will be glad you did. One reason I decided to start watching Breaking Bad was the lead character was the guy that played the Metrosexual dad in Malcolm in the Middle,a series about growing up in the 50's and 60's that I loved. I just couldn't picture that ineffective roller-skating fool as a heavy. Boy was *I* wrong! In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Yeah - I agree. It just doesn't look real. Another problem is the propensity of Hollywood to re-make (or re-boot as they call it) good movies from the past and completely ruin them. Point Break, Rollerball, Ghostbusters, etc. Why? Because they're shallow people who can't come up with original stories? How many remakes of Tarzan or Godzilla or King Kong can anyone actually want to watch? Well, Hollywood seems to think there is no limit. Then you have the people who say that Hollywood in the modern era has only one script for all movies and everything is just a set of variations on the One True Holy Script from which all movies are made. I don't know the movie industry well enough to stake an opinion but I suspect they have more than a talking point when they insist there is only One True Holy Script that is the template of every movie made in the last fifty years or so.
That might be true. It even appears to be true at first glance,but it makes no difference at all in this day of independent series produced elsewhere that stream over the internet. The entertainment industry centered in Hollywood and controlled by a handful geezer Nazi-like Jews is about as relevant as the horseshoe industry. They will continue to churn out tripe and get it aired for a few more years,but only because the people that control Hollywood productions also own the tv networks and movie theaters where they are shown. Their days are numbered,though. Their studio system will die when the generation that were born and grew up before 1960 finally die off or go into "the home". Hollywood has NEVER created series tv like The Wire,Game of Thrones,Breaking Bad,The Americans,etc,etc,etc. Sure,they skim off some of the profits like a tick sucking the blood from a host by buying into production companies or buying into the sat broadcast companies,but the entertainment world is now WAAAAY too big for them to control it. Or even have much influence on it. "Formula" tv and movies are history. They just don't know it yet. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
I think they'll concentrate on producing a few blockbuster movies per year, like a new Star Wars sequel/prequel. And do it by introducing Chinese characters to pander to Chinese box office where they believe their future profits are. Of course, trying to pander to China might not get them a dominant position in Chinese cinema but still could alienate their former core audience in America/Europe. In which case we see the end of some major American studios.
#30. To: A K A Stone (#29)
#31. To: misterwhite (#30)
#32. To: A K A Stone (#31)
2017 film
6/10·IMDb
16%·Rotten Tomatoes
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Running time: 1h 35m
MPAA rating: PG-13
Box office: 88.6 million USD
#33. To: misterwhite (#32)
(Edited)
#34. To: A K A Stone (#33)
https://www.google.com/search? q=it+runtime&oq=it+runtime&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.3770j0j4&client=tablet- android-samsung&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
#35. To: buckeroo (#28)
#36. To: misterwhite (#34)
(Edited)
#37. To: A K A Stone (#36)
This thread shows that you can never be trusted because you can't even get the length of a stupid movie correct.
#38. To: misterwhite, tooconservative, nolu chan (#37)
We agree. Those who can't even get the length of a stupid movie correct can never be trusted.
#39. To: A K A Stone (#38)
Why do you think mister white is so stupid?
I know this is the pettiest of petty topics.
#40. To: Tooconservative (#39)
misterwhite and a Boxcar Willy?
#41. To: A K A Stone (#38)
you can buy a ticket for the 2 hour 15 minute movie on fandago.
#42. To: misterwhite (#41)
#43. To: A K A Stone (#42)
Ever heard of this movie site weirdo? It says 2 hours 15 minutes
www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/
#44. To: misterwhite (#43)
That's for the movie It. We were discussing The Dark Tower. At least I was.
#45. To: A K A Stone (#44)
This thread shows that you can never be trusted because you can't even get the length of a stupid movie correct.
#46. To: Tooconservative (#0)
Moreover, going to the movies today is not just an expensive risk when it comes to the quality of the product, but the theaters themselves are terrible at policing the talkers and texters who ruin the experience.
#47. To: sneakypete (#46)
(Edited)
I made sure I went to a chain movie theater in a different town,to a movie in a predominately white neighborhood,though.
#48. To: A K A Stone (#40)
Some days I like mister white and even whillie.
#49. To: sneakypete, A K A Stone, Pinguinite (#46)
#50. To: Tooconservative, sneakypete, A K A Stone, Pinguinite (#49)
(Edited)
So what are you guys watching today?
#51. To: buckeroo (#50)
(Edited)
Absolutely no productive ideas about changing the US Government other than gossip, innuendo and flabbergast.
#52. To: Tooconservative (#51)
What's your master plan?
#53. To: buckeroo (#52)
Not much more than individual liberties, rights and respect as the MagnaCarta proclaimed.
#54. To: Tooconservative (#47)
You were probably waving your Confederate flag too! LOL
#55. To: Tooconservative (#49)
So what are you guys watching today?
#56. To: sneakypete (#55)
#57. To: sneakypete (#55)
Planning on binging on "The Americans" next.
#58. To: sneakypete (#55)
#59. To: Pinguinite (#58)
(Edited)
I've been watching Vikings.
#60. To: A K A Stone (#56)
Vikings is a great show. Where are you at?
#61. To: Tooconservative (#57)
But then I'm behind on watching hit shows. I have Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Americans, Game of Thrones and plenty of others set up on my Plex server, ready to roll, never watched any of them. Yet.
#62. To: Pinguinite (#58)
I've been watching Vikings. It seems a loose dramatization based on the historic real expansion of the Vikings into neighboring countries.
#63. To: sneakypete (#61)
You really need to make the time to watch Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. You might even want to watch them twice in a row. There is probably nothing you can do for yourself that would be a better use of your time for 2 hours a day.
Sorta the same thing with The Walking Dead" Zombies? Gimme a bleeping break! What could be more boring that zombies?
#64. To: Tooconservative (#63)
Given how highly rated these shows are, I will be picking them for my next series to watch.
#65. To: Tooconservative (#18)
Another problem is that they CGI and green-screen everything to death.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#66. To: Deckard, sneakypete (#65)
Why?
#67. To: Tooconservative (#66)
Then you have the people who say that Hollywood in the modern era has only one script for all movies and everything is just a set of variations on the One True Holy Script from which all movies are made.
#68. To: sneakypete (#67)
"Formula" tv and movies are history. They just don't know it yet.
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