The end of the $1 Billion Blockbuster?

[stiehl11]

Article by Brandon Katz of the Observer

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[adan]

Your link doesn't work, I went ahead and googled the article and here's the link: observer.com/2020/12/hbo-max-wb-disney-plus-universal-pvod-netflix-2021-box-office/

My thoughts, movie theaters are a thing of the past, hence; so will the "box office". HBO Max showed me that I had a better time watching on my old 2011 Panasonic plasma tv at home with my friends, eating snacks, then I ever did at a movie theater. In fact, I might invest in an Emotiva home theater system if they keep releasing blockbusters direct to stream.

[vcautokid]

Yes, you can't pause the movie when you need to get a snack or go to the restroom when at a theater. Another win for Home Theater. How about that for no technical stuff from me. Yeah theaters are dead to me. My home is way more comfortable, I don't pay $5.00 for a hot dog or $5.00 for a large drink. Also with VR getting better all the time, do I really care about the big screen anymore anyway?

[gus4emo]

Apr 6, 2021 18:46:18 GMT -5 vcautokid said:

Yes, you can't pause the movie when you need to get a snack or go to the restroom when at a theater. Another win for Home Theater. How about that for no technical stuff from me. Yeah theaters are dead to me. My home is way more comfortable, I don't pay $5.00 for a hot dog or $5.00 for a large drink. Also with VR getting better all the time, do I really care about the big screen anymore anyway?

How times change....I have been to the movies in the last few years only to see Star Wars....I love being home with my boys, watching movies....I don't pause the movie just because someone had to pee....please don't tell me you don't have great memories about going to the movies....just saying...

[The Mad Norseman]

And other bennies of home theaters (vs. the big public theaters) is there's not someone kicking my chair the whole time, or several people constantly talking, some giant isn't going to wander in and sit directly in front of me, my shoes don't stick to the floor - and when I look around my home theater I don't see dozens of little smartphone screens blazing away brightly distracting everyone!
So yes, I enjoy it MUCH better!

[rbk123]

I doubt what's true for the small niche of us posters here on this board, holds internationally/globally. Theatres will eventually rebound for the same reason they never went away even though we've had streaming and home theatre for years. Theatres will probably be under different ownership, though, as the current ones go under, to be bought/re-bought later.

[vcautokid]

Apr 6, 2021 21:44:20 GMT -5 gus4emo said:

Apr 6, 2021 18:46:18 GMT -5 vcautokid said:

Yes, you can't pause the movie when you need to get a snack or go to the restroom when at a theater. Another win for Home Theater. How about that for no technical stuff from me. Yeah theaters are dead to me. My home is way more comfortable, I don't pay $5.00 for a hot dog or $5.00 for a large drink. Also with VR getting better all the time, do I really care about the big screen anymore anyway?

How times change....I have been to the movies in the last few years only to see Star Wars....I love being home with my boys, watching movies....I don't pause the movie just because someone had to pee....please don't tell me you don't have great memories about going to the movies....just saying...

Sure it was fun, but I went for the event of being with friends and family mostly. If I really wanted the movie experience, bought the Blue Ray in 1080p or 4K so I could really find out what the movie was about. Otherwise, they can keep the theater. I don't miss it at all.

[Deleted]

I really want to see TOP GUN 2. I was actually debating about going to the theater and purchasing the additional IMAX seats w/shakers etc... but the dang movie has been delayed 3 times.

But, I just love it when what unrighteous people ask for comes back around to sting them. I mean us unessential persons aren't allowed to do this or that....... looks like a financial dilemma for the financial elites or essentials in this world 

Then again, the vindictive side of me says, these younger generations don't deserve going to the movies [you're grounded] 

People don't appreciate freedom until it's gone - there's nothing worth sacrificing for anymore besides paradoxical self-interests [sarcasm].

[klinemj]

If there's 1 thing I've learned with the shutdown...I tend to really enjoy the non-blockbuster movies more than the blockbusters. I recently watched A Serious Man, The Fundamentals of Caring, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Nomadland, and several other movies that would likely never have been a giant blockbuster, and loved them. I am more likely to rewatch each of those than any of the big blockbusters.

PS - if you have not seen Hunt for the Wilderpeople or The Fundamentals of Caring...do yourself a favor and check them out. Both very good.

Mark

[gus4emo]

Apr 6, 2021 22:21:49 GMT -5 vcautokid said:

Apr 6, 2021 21:44:20 GMT -5 gus4emo said:

How times change....I have been to the movies in the last few years only to see Star Wars....I love being home with my boys, watching movies....I don't pause the movie just because someone had to pee....please don't tell me you don't have great memories about going to the movies....just saying...

Sure it was fun, but I went for the event of being with friends and family mostly. If I really wanted the movie experience, bought the Blue Ray in 1080p or 4K so I could really find out what the movie was about. Otherwise, they can keep the theater. I don't miss it at all.

I respect your opinion.

[KeithL]

I have to side with those who DON'T miss movie theaters...

Most of my long-ago memories of movie theaters involve lines, crowds, noisy kids, trying to peer over and around the tall guy or woman in front of me, sticking to the floor, and paying $10 for a large drink and some not-too-stale popcorn. Most of my more recent memories involve paying $10 or $15 to see a movie, arriving just on time, and then being forced to watch commercials before being allowed to watch the movie. And, lately, while the screen is bigger, and the sound might be louder, my TV gets a better picture, and my home sound system definitely sounds better than the one in the theater. And, yes, I do like being able to hit pause when I go to get a beer or take a pee. And the popcorn is always fresh... and the soda is never flat... and the movie always starts right on time (defined as being whenever I want it to start).

To be honest I really can't say that I don't miss theaters - because I went so rarely that I won't notice that they're gone.

[cawgijoe]

I'll have to admit that I much prefer watching movies at home. What others have said above. However, I do miss the social aspect of attending movies in the theater, especially blockbusters.

[KeithL]

Interesting...

For me, when I did go, it was somewhat the opposite.

Back when movies were popular, when a real blockbuster opened, after much fanfare and expectation, there would be huge mobs and long lines for the first few days. There would be long waits, and the possibility of not even getting in, or of not getting seats together, or of being surrounded by a noisy crowd. And, if you waited a while, for things to calm down, you ran the risk of missing the movie altogether. And that meant waiting for it to come around again, or waiting for it to come out on disc, or maybe on TV, which might be a while.

Or maybe you waited for it to come around to the second string local theater. The one in your local mall, with a dozen tiny theaters, and the cheap matinee, and the really crummy seats, and the small screen, and the lousy sound system.

And, if the movie wasn't such a blockbuster, there wasn't much fanfare, and you either went and saw it in a good theater on the weekend it opened, if it managed to make it there at all, or you risked it being gone from your local theaters by the next time it was convenient for everyone to go.

All in all, it was sort of fun, if you happened to catch things just right...

When you managed to catch that movie in a good theater on a night without a mob...

And you went with the right people...

But otherwise the aggravation really overshadowed the fun for me...

Apr 7, 2021 8:28:00 GMT -5 cawgijoe said:

I'll have to admit that I much prefer watching movies at home. What others have said above. However, I do miss the social aspect of attending movies in the theater, especially blockbusters.

[stiehl11]

Apr 6, 2021 18:29:14 GMT -5 adan said:

Your link doesn't work, I went ahead and googled the article and here's the link: observer.com/2020/12/hbo-max-wb-disney-plus-universal-pvod-netflix-2021-box-office/

My thoughts, movie theaters are a thing of the past, hence; so will the "box office". HBO Max showed me that I had a better time watching on my old 2011 Panasonic plasma tv at home with my friends, eating snacks, then I ever did at a movie theater. In fact, I might invest in an Emotiva home theater system if they keep releasing blockbusters direct to stream.

Thanks for the help! I've corrected it. Glad to see this thread get some traction.

[405x5]

Apr 6, 2021 18:29:14 GMT -5 adan said:

Your link doesn't work, I went ahead and googled the article and here's the link: observer.com/2020/12/hbo-max-wb-disney-plus-universal-pvod-netflix-2021-box-office/

My thoughts, movie theaters are a thing of the past, hence; so will the "box office". HBO Max showed me that I had a better time watching on my old 2011 Panasonic plasma tv at home with my friends, eating snacks, then I ever did at a movie theater. In fact, I might invest in an Emotiva home theater system if they keep releasing blockbusters direct to stream.

I had no problems with the OP’S link

[Deleted]

Apr 7, 2021 8:28:00 GMT -5 cawgijoe said:

I'll have to admit that I much prefer watching movies at home. What others have said above. However, I do miss the social aspect of attending movies in the theater, especially blockbusters.

I remember when dating long ago that the movies served as a neutral "safe-space" with plenty of witnesses to take a special lady to. Highly uncomfortable - I imagine for a modest lady to accompany a man back to his house on a first date. Meh, even uncomfortable for a man not knowing if the lady is special in a psychopath way - only takes one false accusation. 

[LuisV]

Apr 6, 2021 18:29:14 GMT -5 adan said:

Your link doesn't work, I went ahead and googled the article and here's the link: observer.com/2020/12/hbo-max-wb-disney-plus-universal-pvod-netflix-2021-box-office/

My thoughts, movie theaters are a thing of the past, hence; so will the "box office". HBO Max showed me that I had a better time watching on my old 2011 Panasonic plasma tv at home with my friends, eating snacks, then I ever did at a movie theater. In fact, I might invest in an Emotiva home theater system if they keep releasing blockbusters direct to stream.

100% agreed... Theaters are done.   It's sad, yes, but they will eventually die off just like the printed news... just the sign of the times.  Hollywood needs to do what Netflix, Apple TV and now HBO Max have done... stream the premier.  

[markc]

Apr 6, 2021 21:54:34 GMT -5 The Mad Norseman said:

And other bennies of home theaters (vs. the big public theaters) is there's not someone kicking my chair the whole time, or several people constantly talking, some giant isn't going to wander in and sit directly in front of me, my shoes don't stick to the floor - and when I look around my home theater I don't see dozens of little smartphone screens blazing away brightly distracting everyone!
So yes, I enjoy it MUCH better!

I regret to say that I agree with not only yours but every other point on here.

(Especially about other people treating the cinema / movie theatre like their own living room and talking, using phones etc)

I conclude that we are all getting old.

[Deleted]

Apr 7, 2021 11:24:03 GMT -5 LuisV said:

Apr 6, 2021 18:29:14 GMT -5 adan said:

Your link doesn't work, I went ahead and googled the article and here's the link: observer.com/2020/12/hbo-max-wb-disney-plus-universal-pvod-netflix-2021-box-office/

My thoughts, movie theaters are a thing of the past, hence; so will the "box office". HBO Max showed me that I had a better time watching on my old 2011 Panasonic plasma tv at home with my friends, eating snacks, then I ever did at a movie theater. In fact, I might invest in an Emotiva home theater system if they keep releasing blockbusters direct to stream.

100% agreed... Theaters are done.   It's sad, yes, but they will eventually die off just like the printed news... just the sign of the times.  Hollywood needs to do what Netflix, Apple TV and now HBO Max have done... stream the premier.  

Are they dying off of natural causes or being assassinated?

Streaming companies should do what MQA does for music but w/ movies - don't give the actors a thing ........  I can hear the Hollywood actor's/artist's whining now that is all to reminiscent of  the smell of napalm in the morning  

Great, be prepared for new licensing and equipment as the elites figure out a way to profit more on newer streaming media trends. And next what follows is enthusiasts and fanfare rationalizing actions that put more money in the hands of the elites.   Ah yes, I can see it now - license required for more than one person viewing to neutralize the effects of home AV enthusiasts and a snitch line to report violators. We need to develop technology where a web cam on a TV randomly snaps a shot at the audience counting who is or is not licensed. Only if we could  install some kinda reader to identify people w/ licenses [let's chip em like our pets]. Violators would be easy to find, fine, or even imprison - Remember, these aren't victimless crimes - can't have an actor missing yacht payments

Sincerely,
Mr. Indifferent [who cares about privately owned businesses such as movie theater owners until they start messing w/ AV enthusiasts which serve my self-interests]
Who's feel'n lippy? 

[BigE]

Mostly agree. Though I haven't been in awhile, I still enjoy our country drive in. Missed going in my youth, so now it's kind of new for me & social - like I'd imagine tailgating if I were a sports fan.