Studios Face Off Against Movie Theater Owners

[Ultra Lantern]

Talk about a party fowl.When movie theater owners and Hollywood studio execs gathered in Vegas last month for the exhibition industry's annual convention,CinemaCon,no one imagined this much-needed pep ralley for the slumping movie business would end in a brawl.But on the last day of the confab,word leaked that four studios--Universal---Warner Bros.---20th Century Fox and Sony were finalizing a deal with direct TV to screen certain movies on demand 60 days after their release.The news sparked a bitter feud between studios and exhibitors,with several theater chains vowing to ban trailers for those studios' films.
From the exhibitors' perspective,the plan to offer ''premium VOD''---enabling viewers to watch certain movies at home earlier than usual for $30---represents a direct assult on their business. ''There's a basic principle here that threatrens moviegoing,'' says one theater industry insider.Right now,movies are generally available on demand and DVD three to four months after release.)From the studios' perspective,the threat has been overblown,especially since only underpreforming films would be eligible."We wont do anything that would hurt the theater business,'' says a studio exec.''That would be insane.''
It remains to be seen how the battle will unfold,but theater owners have already won at least two powerful allies.Directors James Cameron and Todd Phillips each voiced opposition to the new scheme at CinemaCon.''I'm on your side with this video-on-demand businness,''Phillips said to a raucous applause.''It's the theater that brings the experience.''


Source: Entertainment Weekly

 

[Prison Mike]

**** the theater. I enjoy watching movies at home.

 

[Danalys]

who's gonna pay $30 for a one time showing of a movie that didn't do well at the boxoffice.

 

[Gotham Knight]

Do you have a link to the article?

 

[Ultra Lantern]

I copied it directly from the page.

 

[Darthphere]

who's gonna pay $30 for a one time showing of a movie that didn't do well at the boxoffice.

Simple economics really. You invite four of your friends over and go four ways on the bill. Essentially paying $7.50 each, invite a 5th friend, it's down to $6. So on and so forth.

 

[8Diagrams(WU)]

Theres no replacing the big screen atmosphere. This is why the movie industry has not gone the way of the music industry. Kind of weak

 

[Alex The Great]

Theres no replacing the big screen atmosphere. This is why the movie industry has not gone the way of the music industry. Kind of weak

I agree. There is something so much better about watching a movie, during a midnight premiere, with a huge crowd. The jokes are funnier, the emotional moments are more emotional. I love it

 

[Darthphere]

Theres no replacing the big screen atmosphere. This is why the movie industry has not gone the way of the music industry. Kind of weak

Sure there is. Lots of people would love to sit on their couch/recliner/man cave theater seating and watch a movie from the comfort of their own home.

 

[Warhammer]

There's a certain magic about a movie when it's seen in the theater.

 

[Prison Mike]

The huge crowd is annoying to me. People laughing and talking at inappropriate times.

 

[castermaster]

How interesting is that thread...

love discussing about terms in particular

 

[Darthphere]

The whole "theater experience" is becoming overrated to me, almost as much as saying something is overrated is overrated. The theater experience comes down to paying $10 to sit with disrespectful *******s who can't sit still or be quiet for 2 hours while munching on overpriced candy and popcorn and a drink so large one man's bladder is bound to explode during the most important part of the movie.

 

[Danalys]

if i could get the blu-ray version day and date of the cinema release i'd never go to the cinema.

 

[KRIM]

People are going to s--t theaters then. I've had maybe 2 bad experiences while watching a film, and this was in the past 10 years.

Don't want to sit in with a crowd? Go to an early showing. At the very least the people that show up for these, will be quiet and respectful.

Don't want to pay for overpriced food? Eat beforehand. These are painless precautions one can take to ensure an enjoyable night out at the movies.

I've got a pretty sweet home theater setup, but I don't think I'll ever have the chance to replicate a 5-star quality cinema experience. The screen and environments are immersible, the temperatures are cooled perfectly, the sound system is glorious, and the seats are quite comfy. And unless your area is full of jerks, it doesn't matter if you're sitting alone or in a packed place. I'd go as far to say that a full crowd adds to enjoyment of the movie (especially with action, horror, and comedy genres).

I'd recommend scouting out as many surrounding cinemas as you can, so you can find the best fit. I feel really sorry for those that have been turned off by a few instances of bad nights.

 

[Darthphere]

Thanks for all that advice, no one has ever thought of the concept of dinner and a movie and matinee showings.

 

[Prison Mike]

if i could get the blu-ray version day and date of the cinema release i'd never go to the cinema.

That would be soooo nice.

 

[Darthphere]

Honestly, this maybe a crazy concept but I go to the movie theater to watch movies. Not to go to the midnight showing so I can cheer at a screen and listen to Mr. Funny Pants oneliners from the back row.

 

[KRIM]

Thanks for all that advice, no one has ever thought of the concept of dinner and a movie and matinee showings.

No need for the snarkiness. You've made it quite clear you're averse to cinemas because of your experiences -- I'm just telling you you're either incredibly unlucky or you're going to crap theaters. Simple as that.

You don't have to go out of your way to comfortably sit down and enjoy 2 hours in complete silence. Just today I've made my 3rd consecutive viewing of three separate films all in their opening weekend. No issues whatsoever.

 

[bullets]

I'm not ready to give up on the theater. There have been time when someone has me p'od but those are far and few between the good experiences. Sometime going to the movies is like an event and also my living room doesn't have IMAX , a loud surround sound or 3D. I know the article says it only will pertain to certain films but I'm not going to pay $30 for something I didn't care to see in the theater. I hope it fails.

 

[Ultra Lantern]

I'm not ready to give up on the theater. There have been time when someone has me p'od but those are far and few between the good experiences. Sometime going to the movies is like an event and also my living room doesn't have IMAX , a loud surround sound or 3D. I know the article says it only will pertain to certain films but I'm not going to pay $30 for something I didn't care to see in the theater. I hope it fails.

I hope it fails also.

 

[E-Man]

As much as I hate the crowds at the movies, I'll just stick with the matinee. I'm not into the whole HD thing at home yet. Sure I like the quality, but I just spend my money elsewhere until I finally have to cave in and get one for my home. Without HD it just wouldn't make sense for me to download it at home, but I wouldn't mind putting in a few bucks to go over a friend's house and do this.

 

[Darthphere]

No need for the snarkiness. You've made it quite clear you're averse to cinemas because of your experiences -- I'm just telling you you're either incredibly unlucky or you're going to crap theaters. Simple as that.

You don't have to go out of your way to comfortably sit down and enjoy 2 hours in complete silence. Just today I've made my 3rd consecutive viewing of three separate films all in their opening weekend. No issues whatsoever.

Or people just need to shut the **** up. Simple as that.

 

[Jennifer Walters]

After the atmosphere at the Scream 4 showing I was at, I'm also not ready to give up on the theater experience. When people actually react in the right ways at the right times. The theater experience is fun as hell.

And as much fun as watching movies in the comfort of your own home with your friends can be, it's just not the same.

 

[8Diagrams(WU)]

Home theatres are nice but the average person just doesnt have the means to build a massive screen and room the type a movie theatre has. People pay for the service a theatre gives and it is a more than rewarding service because people keep going even with the advancements in technology.

If people were only interested in watching movies at home the theatre industry would have crashed in the late 90s when the internet went mainstream. People are willing to pay to see it in the big screen with big sound.

Movie execs will try every little trick in the book(do you not just hate those dont download or well be poor ads they had when you know the guy playing the set carpenter that will be out of a job is a paid actor and the movie exec is somewhere doing blow with some expensive hooker?), and they will cut theatres out of the loop if it means that youre going to be forced to pay for watching even 3 minutes of the worst crap they have out there.