The latest round of war-movie failures, explained and discussed in more detail by Mark at Weapons of Mass Discussion this past Saturday, is just another episode in a five-year horror story at the box office for the US movie business. Despite the growth of DVD sales during most of that time and the potential for gold in downloads, the ongoing dismal results at the box office have to be causing headaches in Hollywood's executive suites.
Box office receipts have never really recovered from a disastrous 2005, barely beating inflation since then, while per-capita ticket purchases have stagnated:
What's more, while the US economy as a whole grew 15% in real terms from 2002-2007, the movie industry's box office contracted by over 9%:
Ouch. When's the last time (or the first time?) you saw the industry's box-office situation portayed so starkly in the general or business press?
Additionally, DVD sales declined in 2007 for the first time. YouTube and other instant and/or "amateur" movie alternatives loom ever larger.
If there was a way out for the studios, it would seem to involve, among other things, not squandering precious resources on politically-correct enterprises that are guaranteed box-office duds. That idea doesn't seem to register -- which is why the executive headaches mentioned in the first paragraph will likely get stronger.
Data Sources: Box Office Mojo (Total Box Office and Tickets Sold); US Bureau of Labor Statistics (annual average inflation); US Bureau of Economic Analysis (GDP growth); Census Bureau (annual population estimates).
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
—Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters
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This is the best news of the year
March 31, 2008 - 23:35 ET by upcountrywaterSo nice to see an old movie, that leaves one with a good feeling, as apposed to 8 bucks for a piece of crap!!
<wake up>SAVVVE The Whales N' Earth; conserve N' recycle !
IranianUranium<sleep>Infrastructure/repair?/ROFLMAO
G-Movie
April 1, 2008 - 08:15 ET by AgnosticI would love to see what that graph would look like if you removed all the childrens movies that seem to save Hollywood's collective bottom-line every year.
I don't think there's anyone
March 31, 2008 - 23:36 ET by balboaI don't think there's anyone that doesn't know movies are struggling at the box office. While poor performance by some movies is a factor, it's more the changing technology of iTunes, other Internet downloads, and the proliferation of home cinema systems that make going to a theater less important.
If Hollywood produced good
April 1, 2008 - 00:01 ET by Scout FinchIf Hollywood produced good movies, no iTune technology, Internet downloads, or swanky home cinemas would slow people down from the excitement of a new, good movie.
Too many movies are based on old TV shows or old movies, and you can't deny that Hollywood continues to produce movies not only of a leftward bias, but downright biased against conservatives. What about making movies that play it straight down the middle?
...and movies boa that have
April 1, 2008 - 00:05 ET by bigtimer...and movies boa that have nothing but intentional leftist agenda inserted in them one way or the other...it does get old to some of us out here.
Just let us view a movie...without a point of political view or a political ism in it.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
lol bal
April 1, 2008 - 00:55 ET by candanceTypical liberal logic:
Candance, that's a whole
April 1, 2008 - 10:29 ET by balboaCandance, that's a whole lot of conclusions you're jumping to. I simply refuse to believe that the reason the box office is struggling is because conservatives are not interested in going to the movies.
Bal
April 1, 2008 - 10:36 ET by OldSailor88The only movie I've seen at the theater in several years was Talladega Nights "DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT, RICKY!!"
Ahem. Anyway, the reason I haven't gone out isn't because of home theaters or ipods, or whatever new media you want to blame it on. It is because:
1. I'm sick of hearing about Hollywood's politics. Shut up, make or act in a movie, and entertain me. I don't give a flying monkey fart about your politics.
2. The product that they put out is a steaming pile of dung.
When they start putting out a quality product I may return.
Stultus est sicut stultus facit
I understand. I don't think
April 1, 2008 - 10:48 ET by balboaI understand. I don't think you make up the majority of those no longer visiting theaters with frequency.
You're right, Bal
April 1, 2008 - 11:02 ET by OldSailor88It's not because of my reasons. It's because of the price of movie tickets. I just wanted a good excuse to say monkey fart.
Stultus est sicut stultus facit
erverybody bought a big screen on credit
April 1, 2008 - 14:33 ET by mvfreemanCoupled with their surround sound system why would anyone go to the movies? I'm with you and think it's more to do with other competing avenues of entertainment.
If someone has a plasma tv and a 5.1 digital surround sound sytem why would they want to put up with annoying teens, over-priced concessions, and a movie that might not be all that.
Much better to wait for it to come out on DVD and then rent it.
Bal
April 1, 2008 - 04:23 ET by well99I went to the movies for entertainment not politics.Since Hollywood feels the need to enlighten us I dont waste my money going.
Exactly, When I go to
April 1, 2008 - 10:07 ET by mjgExactly, When I go to movies, I want to be entertained not preached to by someone who either hasn't finished High School or hasn't made it thru college. Glad to hear that those movies are not doing very well at all.
Let's go to a movie and dinner, Nah!
April 1, 2008 - 00:01 ET by d1carterThe market is trying to tell the traditional movie business something. The price is not right and the product is not right. When is the last time a first run movie has caused such a buzz that you just had to go to the movies?
Misery?
April 1, 2008 - 00:42 ET by ToddonCapeCodMisery?
For whom?
Hollywood, or us who have to shell out $20 for tickets and snacks -- per person -- to sit through such tripe as is being foisted upon us??
movies
April 1, 2008 - 00:45 ET by candanceI have no I-pod. I have no MP3 player. I have no home stereo. My only DVD player is the one on my computer.
Yet I have no interest in seeing current movies. I have no interest in downloading them, viewing them for free, or watching them at home. They are so stupid and so boring it's literally not worth my time.
The last time I went to the movies was to see Ratatouille last year. When I hear about a good movie I'll go and see it, but I never go unless I really want to.
I agree technology
April 1, 2008 - 00:56 ET by BlazerI agree technology certainly hurt's the movie industry in some way's, but that's where an industry need's to change and adapt. I believe the last three movies I saw were Transformer's, I Am Legend and Cloverfield all of which I enjoyed greatly and as far as I could tell had no politic's involved.
The simple fact of the matter is no matter what your political leaning's left or right, people dont' want politic's at the box office. Movies are supposed to be an escape from reality, not an affirmation of it. Plus I dont' care if your a liberal or a conservative, in a war movie most people want to see America as the good guy's kicking butt.
Politic's aside Hollywood put's out alot of junk these day's.
If Hollywood continues to put the movies on the screen they want to see, instead of the ones we want', then maybe they deserve the same fate as rest of the Jurrasic, stubborn media.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Blazer
April 1, 2008 - 01:00 ET by Blonde....wretched hive of scum and villany. We must be cautious.
Just wanted to say....every time I read that, I laugh. I love it. It always makes my day. So thanks!
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
Hey there Blonde your
April 1, 2008 - 01:15 ET by BlazerHey there Blonde your most welcome ! By the way I know it's been awhile, but I had to take a vacation from the politico for awhile and feed my other addiction's.
But I see there are plenty of new troll's around here for us to feed on so maybe you can pass the word to RD and tell him to get those 5 Weber's ready. :)
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Blazer
April 1, 2008 - 01:21 ET by BlondeWe always have a soupcon of trolls here....always ready to "grill" them....RD or not!
But we both need to give him a shout out...it was his Birthday yesterday.
As to the trolls...5 Webers...10 Webers...there are not enough grills in the world for those annoying little creatures.
But as you say...."we must be cautious".
Nite, O!
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
Blazer,
April 1, 2008 - 01:29 ET by R D HelmAs far as grilling trolls - I have never personally attempted that, though I have helped to deep-fry a few around here. :-)
My questions are:
1) Do they taste like chicken?
2) Will they fit on the grill?
3) What do you marinade them in?
4) And finally, how the heck do you get all that hair off of 'em?
Theme for Election '08: I want my mommy!
OK, RD
April 1, 2008 - 01:33 ET by BlondeWith that comment, I am off to the land of Winkin, Blinkin, & Nod.
Lata, Dawg.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
'night, Blonde.
April 1, 2008 - 01:40 ET by R D HelmTheme for Election '08: I want my mommy!
They look and squawk like
April 1, 2008 - 01:50 ET by BlazerThey look and squawk like chicken's, I've never personally tasted them, but I hear they like to marinade in thier own ripe juices, so i wouldn't dare eat them unless they were charred and as far as the hair.........a flamethrower perhap's?
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
a flamethrower
April 1, 2008 - 01:59 ET by R D Helma flamethrower perhap's?
Okay. Another tool I have to add to my collection. LOL.
Theme for Election '08: I want my mommy!
So it's not just me...
April 1, 2008 - 01:15 ET by Republican_by_DefaultI thought I was the only one getting tired of the same old garbage out of Smellywood. It's nice to know that others think so to.
Yeah, I'm sure 'changing technology' has a little to do with it. But I'm guessing it's more about a continual flow of sex-themed movies that only appeal to adolescents (of all ages).
Honestly, who wants to spend $30+ for a 'date movie' that will make you and your date want to puke? It becomes a contest of who will be bold enough to say, "hey, you want to skip the rest of this movie and go get some dessert or coffee... or watch CSPAN".
Was it Bill Cosby who said that comedians who resort to vulgarity do it because they lack the talent to make people laugh (rough paraphrase). I think sex-themed movies are the same. If these people had real talent they could entertain and fill theatres without a single genital reference.
Make a new World War II movie...
April 1, 2008 - 03:09 ET by AgentAmericanI could see a vigil of thousands of movie fans camping out in front of the theater to go see Sean Penn's new Harvey Milk biopic...and pigs have mastered unpowered flight.
What would be a nice break from the stream of filth and cocaine-inspired propaganda is a good old-fashioned movie set in WWII.
To counter the swill that was Titanic, James Cameron could film a battle epic about The Bismarck. Or a long overdue remake of the Gregory Peck classic Twelve O' Clock High, or his other classic The Guns of Navarone.
A kick-ass movie about the Royal Navy going after the Bismarck would be a sure-fire favorite.
But the consequence would be that the PC politburo would deem the film too insensitive to Germans.
Or a good Revolutionary or
April 1, 2008 - 08:12 ET by sublight68Or a good Revolutionary or Civil War movie, one that accurately portrays the people, issues, attitudes and events of the time without trying to make them metaphors for something else.
Unfortunately, Hollywood would be too focused on drawing parallels between colonial minutemen and Islamic terrorists.
I don't have HBO but I'm interested in seeing "John Adams" when it makes its way to DVD. They did an outstanding job with "Band of Brothers" and "From the Earth to the Moon."
A kick-ass movie about the
April 1, 2008 - 08:31 ET by jmtAlready been done:
Sink the Bismark
In actuality there are quite a few good topics for movies going back to WWII without having to remake anything. How about:
The Damned Engineers
Its a story of how Peiper's panzers were held up by a company of US Engineers during the initial phases of the Ardenes offensive.
The point is that Hollywood sees everything through its own set of prismatic glasses. Remember The Player? It was supposed to be a box office smash - but flopped. It told the life of a B-list actor/A-list guest star in Hollywood. The Hwood types loved it because they lived it. To the rest of the world, it was just a sad tale of little interest.
Hollywood will continue to make leftist tripe as long as they think what they lose in the US market will be made up in the foreign markets.
jmt
http://www.jmichaelt.org
A new telling of the Bismarck story
April 1, 2008 - 16:56 ET by AgentAmericanI meant a brand new feature that wasn't as innaccurate as the film with Kenneth More, I have it on DVD.
In addition to the price of
April 1, 2008 - 08:04 ET by sublight68In addition to the price of tickets and generally low quality of the product, there's also the environment.
The older I get (and I'm not really that old), the less tolerant I am of people behaving poorly: loud talking, chomping on popcorn, slurping drinks, text messaging on cell phones, running up and down the aisles...so many distractions and annoyances that it ruins the whole experience of going to the theatre.
Unless it's its the one or two "event" movies a year I really want to see (Indy 4), I'd rather buy the DVD, which is about the same price as two tickets, and watch it at home.
I have long suspected that
April 1, 2008 - 09:08 ET by EvilRoyI have long suspected that actors and producers make movies that they intutively know will not do well at the box office on purpose. While pudits and others will "try" to explain what's going on the show "business" professionals know that what they are doing is showing the others (read the really powerful players...Lucas, Speilberg, Scorese, etc.) will see that they have their minds right and are true believers in the liberal orthodoxy. This in turn puts them on the radar and when the next Titanic, Independence Day, etc. comes along they will be in contention to get a taste of the fortune those movies can make.
I'd like to see...
April 1, 2008 - 10:39 ET by sarcasmoA longer (but still inflation-adjusted) version of the same graph, say back to 1962.
JMR
PS Jesus will be visiting Washington, DC this evening.
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
Movies Are Just Not That Good
April 1, 2008 - 11:48 ET by SmartypantsAs someone who once enjoyed going to the movies on a weekly basis, I can say there are many reasons why I (we) now rarely go out to see a movie:
Finally, if you believe that Hollywood's political leanings have had only a minimal impact on ticket sales, you're dreaming. Over 50% of the nation is conservative based upon how people live their lives. Hollywood's political agenda has certainly turned off a significant percentage of these people. Even if just a small percentage of these people choose to stay away from theaters, it makes a big impact on sales. It is the arrogance (and/or stupidity) of Hollywood that makes them think most of the world agrees with their anti-American smut movies. Most people want action, adventure, romance and comedy when they go see a film--not some half-witted interpretation of foreign policy put together by under-educated, closed-minded fools.
They're just bad
April 1, 2008 - 15:53 ET by tony23That's what "Hollywood" doesn't seem to get. The industry just isn't making GOOD movies anymore. It's not new technology, it's not politics, it's just that people don't want to see the crap that the studios are putting out.
Something no one has mentioned in all this...
April 1, 2008 - 17:08 ET by vaboxrboyLike it or love it, Hollywood movie making is an industry. Millions of us are employed from movie producers to the teeny boppers who take your ticket at your local theater or wait on you at Blockbuster.
Like everything else in our changing world more and more people are taken out of the money making loop and the people at the top are lining their pockets.
Sure, Hollywood is having some growing pains, and I'll even grant it being a little too self-indulgent.
But let's not trash the work that it throws our way as a by-product of production.
Your concern supports ours, V
April 1, 2008 - 18:18 ET by Tom BlumerIf Hollywood did a better job of producing movies people want, they would be throwing more money our way in the form of jobs, concession sales for local vendors, etc.
So they owe it to themselves and their owners, and thus indirectly to consumers, to do their best to make money and put butts in the seats. If they don't we take our entertainment dollars elsewhere.
Of course, that's assuming
April 1, 2008 - 19:25 ET by balboaOf course, that's assuming that producing a blockbuster that everyone wants to see is easily achieved. It ain't.
Bal is right
April 1, 2008 - 22:57 ET by shawn228People have home theaters, the internet and can buy pirated dvds as soon as the movie is released in the theater.
If a movie is good, they usually don't have a problem putting people in the seats like Spiderman 3. Word of mouth on the internet can kill a movie very quickly as well.
I have a 46 inch lcd in my living room and a 42 inch plasma in my bedroom. Both with surround sound. It takes a very interesting movie to get my attention like the movie that will start in a few weeks The Forbidden Kingdom.
Liberal bias in movies imo does not have much to do with how often people see movies.