The Warner Bros. Thread | Will NOT merge with Paramount...capitalism is still terrible

[xiazhi]

4 hours ago, DlAMONDZ said:

People bitch about AT&T being shit to their customers all the time yet here they are actually doing something good for once and still people find a way to shit on them. It boggles the mind

Good for whom? Theaters, filmmakers, actors or Legendary Studio?

 

[jimisawesome]

17 minutes ago, excel1 said:

 

Big $$$$$, would challenge DA FORCE AWAKENS

 

 

Bankruptcy does not equal closure. Someone will buy the theaters for pennies and reopen them just in time for market to normalize. Be real. 

 

AMC files bankruptcy 30-40% of their locations will shut down for good even if you find a vulture.  To use the Chicago market as an example, they have over 30 locations and double digit of the (suburban) locations are redundant being within a 15 minute drive of each other. 

 

Or to use my market as an example, there are 10 locations.  4 of them are redundant, 1 more is a Classic and another needs a major renovation.  If I was the Private Equity buying the scraps I would close 5 of these locations right off the bat.

[TwoMisfits]

13 minutes ago, jimisawesome said:

 

AMC files bankruptcy 30-40% of their locations will shut down for good even if you find a vulture.  To use the Chicago market as an example, they have over 30 locations and double digit of the (suburban) locations are redundant being within a 15 minute drive of each other. 

 

Or to use my market as an example, there are 10 locations.  4 of them are redundant, 1 more is a Classic and another needs a major renovation.  If I was the Private Equity buying the scraps I would close 5 of these locations right off the bat.

 

You actually probably wouldn't even buy them:)...you'd just buy the 4 you wanted and let the banks foreclose the other 6 in the bankruptcy...no need to even take possession and pay pennies for the worthless (or worse, "costing you money through taxes and liens" assets:)...

[excel1]

1 hour ago, redfirebird2008 said:

 

Long term it's not a very good investment for the typical banker type of people who might do that. COVID has sped up the inevitable reality that was probably gonna happen in 10 years. Movie theaters might end up more like the current market for Blu-ray or vinyl music. Drop in the bucket compared to the streaming market. 

Let me be blunt.

 

The theater and film business was overbuilt - dramatically, in many places - and has been in the midst of a correction for some time. Multiplexes in every town are not needed. Blockbusters every weekend are not needed. This has been ongoing and is no secret. Covid no doubt accelerates the correction, but this was always going to happen. We do not need quite as many theaters as we had. That said, I highly, highly doubt the number of 'permanently closed' theaters ends up representing a remotely significant amount of lost screens or ticket sales. 

 

The industry disruption created by streaming is no different than VHS or DVD. People - individually and especially groups -  could pay less money, rewatch the movie over & over, take breaks when he needed, save money on concessions, etc - with DvD and VHS before. Did VHS and DVDs end theater business? Movie studios had every option to release VHS and DVD etc a week or month after release, just as they may with streaming. The financial incentives were the same. Did this happen? No.

 

Every person in the US will not be a sub for Disney+ or HBO Max. These things - will - be maxed out at a point and it will be clear the studios are leaving more money on the table by not going through with full theatrical release. This is a mathematical financial certainty and one every board will no doubt realize. 

 

We are talking about something bigger than "brick and mortar" theaters and endless blockbuster films. We are talking about consumer behavior. Trips to the movies have been a beloved pastime for consumers for nearly a century. This is not ending. Hollywood will need to produce higher-quality content and Theaters will have to present them in a way that makes the experience more memorable. 

 

This represents an opportunity for the industry to adapt and innovate in some sorely needed ways. We'll see what comes out of it but there are already some interesting things coming out.

-Classic movies rearing in theaters will hopefully stick around. This was highly common through the 1980s, it wasn't until the late 1990s blockbusters started popping monthly - and then weekly in the 2000s - that classic film rerelease stopped

- the trend of more space, bigger seats, better food etc seems likely to grow in value here

 

Who knows - it will be very interesting to see what happens. Maybe we get movie stars traveling to the bigger theaters as means of drawing crowds like we used to? Innovation is a great thing. 

 

Either way, the theater business is not going away, it is just changing course & this will be exciting to follow.

Edited December 8, 2020 by excel1

[Legion Again]

35 minutes ago, xiazhi said:

Good for whom? Theaters, filmmakers, actors or Legendary Studio?

 

Nope, nope, nope, and nope but presumably their point was “good for people who want to watch movie at home the day they release at no charge.” Which is, to be fair, a pretty substantial group of people,

[excel1]

6 minutes ago, WandaLegion said:

Nope, nope, nope, and nope but presumably their point was “good for people who want to watch movie at home the day they release at no charge.” Which is, to be fair, a pretty substantial group of people,

 

The true question is 'how many of these people actually went to the theaters and would thus represent lost theatrical revenue as a result of streaming' - which is probably quite small - followed by 'how many were on the fence and will now opt for streaming' - which is no doubt bigger but I suspect not massive. 

 

The response to WB news has me encouraged as so many people were outraged. Doesn't mean its everyone, but more than I expected. There is no bigger problem in NA today than the decline in average intelligence among the average person. The lack of ability to foresee the later effects of todays decisions is shocking and much more widespread than at any point in the last 100 years. 

 

I was concerned oblivious movie buffs would love the convenience and not realize the harm it was doing to the movie business overall. But that seems to have been dispelled.

[WittyUsername]

1 hour ago, excel1 said:

 

Big $$$$$, would challenge DA FORCE AWAKENS

Oh, so you’re just screwing around. Okay then. 

[cax16]

11 minutes ago, excel1 said:

 

The true question is 'how many of these people actually went to the theaters and would thus represent lost theatrical revenue as a result of streaming' - which is probably quite small - followed by 'how many were on the fence and will now opt for streaming' - which is no doubt bigger but I suspect not massive. 

 

The response to WB news has me encouraged as so many people were outraged. Doesn't mean its everyone, but more than I expected. There is no bigger problem in NA today than the decline in average intelligence among the average person. The lack of ability to foresee the later effects of todays decisions is shocking and much more widespread than at any point in the last 100 years. 

 

I was concerned oblivious movie buffs would love the convenience and not realize the harm it was doing to the movie business overall. But that seems to have been dispelled.

I really didn’t see much outrage on Twitter minus some “film Twitter” folks. The majority of stuff I saw was that people loved having the option to watch the movie at home or in theatres. Most people seem to be saying they expected this and covid only made it happen sooner. I’m obviously not saying you’re lying but just what I’ve seen on my feed on Twitter. 

Most complaints I’ve seen are from people upset at how WB treated the talent involved with the movies.

 

I don’t think theatres will ever be gone but if Disney follows suit on their investors day call and does day and date with Disney+, wether they offer a rental on the day of release or do what WB did then theatres are in a lot more trouble. I’m not sure that Disney does that though but who knows. We’ll find out in a few days. 

[CJohn]

CHANGE THE NAME OF THE THREAD DAMMIT

[filmlover]

The NYC Broadway/theatre scene is currently facing just as much of a problem as movie theaters, if not more so. They've been closed ever since March 12 (the day everything fell apart) and won't be able to return until June at the absolute earliest because it's impossible in the current global situation. Think even a few locations have had to shut their doors for good during all this (on top of all the shows that closed for good, some before even opening). The entertainment industry has just taken an overall beating in 2020 that will take a while to fully recover from.

[cdsacken]

1 hour ago, TwoMisfits said:

 

You actually probably wouldn't even buy them:)...you'd just buy the 4 you wanted and let the banks foreclose the other 6 in the bankruptcy...no need to even take possession and pay pennies for the worthless (or worse, "costing you money through taxes and liens" assets:)...

All the more reason it will be incredibly easy for those to buy the expensive parts for pennies on the dollar. Leases will be incredibly cheap after covid and bankruptcy. If by some miracle the building is owned even better. Yes we will see consolidation but ask yourself this do you think people that bought a house in 2010 or 2011 are upset now? I don't think so. This even gives the opportunity for more independent theaters. it's so much easier to take a chance when you can buy all the equipment you need for next to nothing versus retail price and get a sick lease deal

[reddevil19]

Haha. Wow. Been a while since I posted, but this is just... Wow. 

I've always been a fan of WB for their fairly open approach to riskier projects, and allowing more control to their auteurs (sometimes to their detriment, thus resulting in huge over-compensating a la the DCEU). 

 

But Jesus Christ are the people running the place incompetent. Regardless of whether it's a good idea or not, this was sooooo poorly handled. 

[TwoMisfits]

57 minutes ago, filmlover said:

The NYC Broadway/theatre scene is currently facing just as much of a problem as movie theaters, if not more so. They've been closed ever since March 12 (the day everything fell apart) and won't be able to return until June at the absolute earliest because it's impossible in the current global situation. Think even a few locations have had to shut their doors for good during all this (on top of all the shows that closed for good, some before even opening). The entertainment industry has just taken an overall beating in 2020 that will take a while to fully recover from.

 

What live theater has, vs movie theaters, are grants from governments in support of "the arts"...that's how most live theater not conducted by university theater departments actually survive outside of NYC and a few other DOM hotspots..

 

Live theater is almost the definition of the "niche" we discuss...there's no "widespread" money to be made, but an ability for 1-2 locations to thrive as "tourist spots" and other locations to be supported by city and state grants...

[redfirebird2008]

2 hours ago, excel1 said:

Let me be blunt.

 

The theater and film business was overbuilt - dramatically, in many places - and has been in the midst of a correction for some time. Multiplexes in every town are not needed. Blockbusters every weekend are not needed. This has been ongoing and is no secret. Covid no doubt accelerates the correction, but this was always going to happen. We do not need quite as many theaters as we had. That said, I highly, highly doubt the number of 'permanently closed' theaters ends up representing a remotely significant amount of lost screens or ticket sales. 

 

The industry disruption created by streaming is no different than VHS or DVD. People - individually and especially groups -  could pay less money, rewatch the movie over & over, take breaks when he needed, save money on concessions, etc - with DvD and VHS before. Did VHS and DVDs end theater business? Movie studios had every option to release VHS and DVD etc a week or month after release, just as they may with streaming. The financial incentives were the same. Did this happen? No.

 

Every person in the US will not be a sub for Disney+ or HBO Max. These things - will - be maxed out at a point and it will be clear the studios are leaving more money on the table by not going through with full theatrical release. This is a mathematical financial certainty and one every board will no doubt realize. 

 

We are talking about something bigger than "brick and mortar" theaters and endless blockbuster films. We are talking about consumer behavior. Trips to the movies have been a beloved pastime for consumers for nearly a century. This is not ending. Hollywood will need to produce higher-quality content and Theaters will have to present them in a way that makes the experience more memorable. 

 

This represents an opportunity for the industry to adapt and innovate in some sorely needed ways. We'll see what comes out of it but there are already some interesting things coming out.

-Classic movies rearing in theaters will hopefully stick around. This was highly common through the 1980s, it wasn't until the late 1990s blockbusters started popping monthly - and then weekly in the 2000s - that classic film rerelease stopped

- the trend of more space, bigger seats, better food etc seems likely to grow in value here

 

Who knows - it will be very interesting to see what happens. Maybe we get movie stars traveling to the bigger theaters as means of drawing crowds like we used to? Innovation is a great thing. 

 

Either way, the theater business is not going away, it is just changing course & this will be exciting to follow.

 

You make some good points and I agree, it will be very interesting to see how it all plays out. I hope you are right about the classic movies getting more showings in theaters. In recent years I've gone to some of those special TCM events for films like Wayne's World, Jaws, The Godfather, and Singing in the Rain. I wish we had more of those showings. 

[charlie Jatinder]

6 hours ago, YourMother the Edgelord said:

I don’t think Disney would give Nolan the freedom he’d want for blockbusters especially consider their IP focus.

Nolan is 2nd biggest director in industry. He can do whatever he want. TENET doing $360mn in middle of pandemic is Blockbuster.

 

If Disney can burn millions on stuff like a Wrinkle in Time, Nolan is much safer.

Edited December 9, 2020 by charlie Jatinder

[charlie Jatinder]

6 hours ago, excel1 said:

Sell DC to Disney for gods sake

In a world DC is sold to Disney, other than ofc firing Snyder, will PAPA FEIGE handle DC or someone else.

[Jamiem]

10 minutes ago, charlie Jatinder said:

Nolan is 2nd biggest director in industry. He can do whatever he want. TENET doing $360mn in middle of pandemic is Blockbuster.

 

If Disney can burn millions on stuff like a Wrinkle in Time, Nolan is much safer.

Even looking at 20th Century (which is the studio in Disney that would likely release his works) Nolan would be a much more surefire hit than the new Predator film that’s liking to come out in terms of ROI. 
 

The man would fit in at Disney just fine but I would rather have Sony, Paramount or even Universal get Nolan than Disney, because they are already big enough and I say that as a Disney fan (only exceptions I would have to them getting bigger is if they bought back rights to Indiana Jones or their Marvel characters or if they purchased a video game company, something along those lines) 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Jamiem

[charlie Jatinder]

What Disney need is original content. IPs have started to dry. Yeah they have Avatar sequels to run and MCU isn't showing signs of going down yet but there may come time. Their next biggest thing Live Action remakes has almost exhausted with bigger films. Star Wars outside Skywalker saga will be something to watch out. Pixar is well Pixar but they were relying on sequels in later end of 2010s. 

 

They need new IPs, Nolan could be one for that. If Nolan want $200mn, that's worth it.

[YM!]

2 hours ago, charlie Jatinder said:

Nolan is 2nd biggest director in industry. He can do whatever he want. TENET doing $360mn in middle of pandemic is Blockbuster.

 

If Disney can burn millions on stuff like a Wrinkle in Time, Nolan is much safer.

But does Disney want to take the risk. They don’t seem much interested in much non IP films from their branches outside of animation. 20th Century seems to be downsizing to smaller mid budget films anyways. Besides I don’t think Nolan would be that interested in a deal with them. Mainly because I don’t see there cultures clashing well.

Edited December 9, 2020 by YourMother the Edgelord

[xiazhi]

6 hours ago, WandaLegion said:

Nope, nope, nope, and nope but presumably their point was “good for people who want to watch movie at home the day they release at no charge.” Which is, to be fair, a pretty substantial group of people,

Do you realize they do this at the cost of everyone involved in the film making and distributing chain?