The Box Office Buzz and Tracking Thread: Electric Boogaloo

[Frozen]

The Oscars in 2021 are fucked. Sonic could actually win best picture! 

[dudalb]

ONly segment of the Entertainment Industry getting good news today is the Sports talk/Sports news show segment.Brady leaving the Patriots will give them something to actually talk about......

[stealthyfrog]

1 hour ago, Frozen said:

The Oscars in 2021 are fucked. Sonic could actually win best picture! 

Jim Carrey for Best Supporting Actor let's go

[dudalb]

CInemark and a couple of other huge US theater chains annoucned closure.

That pretty much does it, no trips to the movies in the US for the foreseeable future.

[RockyMountain]

At the rate the virus is spreading and the death count is rising theaters won't be opening again anytime soon. I think it is very possible the U.S. could go the entire summer with the theaters closed. And once they do open again a lot of people are probably going to be far more hesitant to go back to the theaters for awhile.

 

This very well could destroy the theater chains.  

Edited March 21, 2020 by RockyMountain

[JB33]

It's surreal seeing this thread completely dormant.

[RockyMountain]

34 minutes ago, JB33 said:

It's surreal seeing this thread completely dormant.

Yep. All these studios opened up their streaming platforms just in time. Perhaps this catastrophe could make the studios more interested in producing television. Costs less money and you can tell deeper stories and it doesn't require people going into theaters. Think it will be awhile before there is a market for another 200m dollar film to be made after this.

[kitik]

So now I'm wondering, how are theaters going to reopen? Obviously we have no clue what the future holds at this point, just a broad hope/expectation that things get back to normal, whatever that word may mean going forward.

 

But if you start with the basic assumption that theaters will reopen, the question is how they would go about it. Would 4000 theaters nationwide all announce in unison that they're all opening at one time on June 1 (or September 1 or whenever)? Would it go state-by-state? Could theaters in California open a week or three before theaters in Florida? Chain by chain?

 

What would they play? A mix of current movies and Marvel/Harry Potter/etc marathons?

 

You have to imagine they would only schedule a skeleton crew to work. In fact I'm sure some theater employees are currently applying at grocery stores, gas stations, and other places that are remaining open. So some theaters could be fairly understaffed when they reopen.

 

But assuming small numbers, of both employees and movie goers, would some theaters, lets say a 20-screen megaplex, only bother to schedule movies on 10 of those screens? It's not like any movie, at least in that first experimental week of reopening, is going to need more than one screen to play on. 

 

When will studios be brave enough to open new movies? You have to think the first weeks will only see smaller movies open, but it's possible that the only way to really get the audiences to head back to theaters in big numbers will be to open a really big blockbuster like Black Widow or Wonder Woman. It'll probably take something like that (or Mulan/Soul/Top Gun/whatever) to encourage people to really head back to theaters.

[TwoMisfits]

4 minutes ago, kitik said:

So now I'm wondering, how are theaters going to reopen? Obviously we have no clue what the future holds at this point, just a broad hope/expectation that things get back to normal, whatever that word may mean going forward.

 

But if you start with the basic assumption that theaters will reopen, the question is how they would go about it. Would 4000 theaters nationwide all announce in unison that they're all opening at one time on June 1 (or September 1 or whenever)? Would it go state-by-state? Could theaters in California open a week or three before theaters in Florida? Chain by chain?

 

What would they play? A mix of current movies and Marvel/Harry Potter/etc marathons?

 

You have to imagine they would only schedule a skeleton crew to work. In fact I'm sure some theater employees are currently applying at grocery stores, gas stations, and other places that are remaining open. So some theaters could be fairly understaffed when they reopen.

 

But assuming small numbers, of both employees and movie goers, would some theaters, lets say a 20-screen megaplex, only bother to schedule movies on 10 of those screens? It's not like any movie, at least in that first experimental week of reopening, is going to need more than one screen to play on. 

 

When will studios be brave enough to open new movies? You have to think the first weeks will only see smaller movies open, but it's possible that the only way to really get the audiences to head back to theaters in big numbers will be to open a really big blockbuster like Black Widow or Wonder Woman. It'll probably take something like that (or Mulan/Soul/Top Gun/whatever) to encourage people to really head back to theaters.

 

I think there will need to be an entire rethink on seating, concessions, and movie timing before theaters reopen.  Literal removal of 1/2 - 3/4 of seats per screen (and separation of all seats) would be a 1st start - if we reopen before a cure, spacing will have to be a certainty.  Also, sanitizing would have to be a certainty, and that would take some serious time between showings.  And concessions with cashiers taking cash and cards, making food in open air, doing it all gloveless, etc...there will have to be a separation of who makes the food and who takes the money and some serious sanitation upgrades (like restaurants are doing now).

 

I could see a reopen for just single evening showings to start...and then a single matinee and a single evening...and then seeing how it goes.

 

Since there would be fewer people coming, they would want fewer people working...and in that environment, I think they'd want the subscriber base as the known goers.  Buying walk up might be a thing of the past...you can't track them well if someone gets sick...

[RockyMountain]

I honestly think that studios will start making a lot more smaller movies and then releasing them immediately to streaming (as there will be a lot more people waiting for things to come to streaming and physical media now anyways). Also think we will start seeing a lot more Disney+ tv shows. If studios want to keep their universes going that may be the way to do it. Just release tv shows of the universe on to streaming platforms. The days of billion dollar films that they can throw everything at are going to be gone for quite awhile and may never return.

Edited March 21, 2020 by RockyMountain

[JB33]

10 hours ago, RockyMountain said:

I honestly think that studios will start making a lot more smaller movies and then releasing them immediately to streaming (as there will be a lot more people waiting for things to come to streaming and physical media now anyways). Also think we will start seeing a lot more Disney+ tv shows. If studios want to keep their universes going that may be the way to do it. Just release tv shows of the universe on to streaming platforms. The days of billion dollar films that they can throw everything at are going to be gone for quite awhile and may never return.

That last sentence is such a sobering thought.

[RockyMountain]

There were 84 deaths today due to the virus. I think the country would need to go several weeks with no deaths (as well as a lack of new cases being discovered) before they would even start considering opening the theaters back up.

 

I don't think it is out of the realm of possibility that the theaters will stay closed for the rest of 2020. The Spanish Flu took about two years before they got control of it and back then they didn't have people traveling all over the place like they do now.

Edited March 22, 2020 by RockyMountain

[MrGlass2]

2020 box office compared to 2019, by day:

 

[RockyMountain]

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/movie-theaters-coronavirus-bankruptcy-relief-bill-1203541587/

 

Sorry but I think there are a little more important things going on right now than theaters going under. Send the money to people that really need it. The people that own these theaters are already rich people and they will be ok even if their business goes bankrupt.

[AJG]

1 hour ago, RockyMountain said:

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/movie-theaters-coronavirus-ba
nkruptcy-relief-bill-1203541587/

 

Sorry but I think there are a little more important things going on right now than theaters going under. Send the money to people that really need it. The people that own these theaters are already rich people and they will be ok even if their business goes bankrupt.

 

People that work at the cinema will lose their jobs. Cinemas closing would also devastate local bars and restaurants that rely on cinemas for customers (and will also probably be forced to close).

 

Small communities and towns often depend on large multiplex's as their main attraction. Young people would go and spend money in these areas, that they wouldnt often go to, because that area would have their closest cinema. 

 

There's a reason why councils bend over backwards to invite cinemas in. 

[DAJK]

I'm still in the camp that this is not going to be the end of all movie theatres. Go ahead and tell me I'm being complacent, but this industry will eventually return. 

[dxmatrixdt]

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Edited June 25, 2020 by abusive brainwashed Christ

[TwoMisfits]

22 minutes ago, DAJK said:

I'm still in the camp that this is not going to be the end of all movie theatres. Go ahead and tell me I'm being complacent, but this industry will eventually return. 

 

I agree...but it might be different...it might be a return of boutiqey cinemas for anyone who wants to buy tickets to a theater...and subscribers only for main theaters (like the gyms)...so, they are controlled income and can handle smaller spaced seating arrangements...and subscribers would pre-reserve their seats...

[AJG]

The $1.5b+ movie is dead forever btw.

[excel1]

2 hours ago, DAJK said:

I'm still in the camp that this is not going to be the end of all movie theatres. Go ahead and tell me I'm being complacent, but this industry will eventually return. 

People love going to the theaters. This will never end. They were overbuilt and fil-ms were produced from the 90s and 2000s but lets be real. Avengers endgame just did bonkers numbers. cmon now