Guess it was a matter of time.

https://variety.com/2020/film/global/cineworld-close-us-regal-uk-cinemas-no-time-to-die-james-bond-1234791728/

Well shucks. The in-laws got us Regal gift cards last Christmas and we've not made it down to Katy to use them...

I was going to take Benny to the movies Wednesday since he doesn't have classes. Tenet was the choice. Regal was supposed to be open.

Forum is still shut down.

Guess I can check Ragtag Cinema


I know a bar that has outdoor viewings and this month is Halloween movies.

How soon until other chains like Landmark Theatres go out of business too?

Man, I really, really hope not. I can even handle AMC going out of business, as new owners or another McTheater chain will no doubt eventually take over and take their place. But Landmark is my haven. I love that place so, so much, and I can't imagine theater going in LA without them.

I work for a chain and it's heartbreaking every time a studio pushes back a release date. At some point, we need new content. Without it, there will be far fewer screens when it comes time to release.

I wonder if we might see a resurgence in drive thru theaters? THere are 3-4 that do pretty well in the DFW area, anecdotally speaking. I've seen a few movies and it was packed everytime. It's not as good as being in a high end theater, but still pretty cool to see on a big screen

Such a gut punch. I remember the first time movie theaters were all going to go under and were in serious trouble and they bounced back through innovation - food, beverage, wait service, luxury and reserved seating.

They may have to evolve again to get out of this, but I'm just not sure what that will be.

It was updated to say they're only considering it, and that it would be temporary:

Quote:

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On Sunday afternoon U.K. time, Cineworld confirmed that it is "considering the temporary closure" of its U.K. and U.S. cinemas, but that a final decision hasn't yet been reached.

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So better news than initially thought, but still hope we can reach a point soon where they can remain open and make money

This is why I've been burning through my AMC gift cards and credits. Even with the **** shows at the theater currently, I gotta get some use.

Yesterday we caught a matinee. 24 movie theater basically empty. Just sad

bluefire579 said:

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It was updated to say they're only considering it, and that it would be temporary:

Quote:

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On Sunday afternoon U.K. time, Cineworld confirmed that it is "considering the temporary closure" of its U.K. and U.S. cinemas, but that a final decision hasn't yet been reached.

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So better news than initially thought, but still hope we can reach a point soon where they can remain open and make money

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That was a Sunday story in response to the rumors. They confirmed the bad news today.

I find myself wanting to go to movies and getting popcorn and drinks (something I used to try and save money on) just to do my part to help keep them open.

This is such a sad reality and honestly, I think there is a way these can be open and successful even in this climate... just be smart. But the economy needs our help and theaters are definitely on that NEED list... more than restaurants right now.

Go see a movie!!! Even an old one!

Cinemark is staying open. You can even bring you own Blu-Ray. Why close when you can open up, cover variable costs and build brand awareness.

Kind of just accelerating the inevitable. People for the most part would rather watch movies at home. As new ways to distribute movies gain traction, theaters were going to suffer.

ORAggieFan said:

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Kind of just accelerating the inevitable. People for the most part would rather watch movies at home. As new ways to distribute movies gain traction, theaters were going to suffer.

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Like pay phones or record stores.

jimscott85 said:

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Cinemark is staying open. You can even bring you own Blu-Ray. Why close when you can open up, cover variable costs and build brand awareness.

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Huh?

free keg beer and 4 songs from an artist playing a sold out show that night were pretty cool.

maybe bowling alleys wouldve fit my post better than pay phones. Its hard to imagine how popular bowling was from the 50s-80's.

This was in 2018....

54% preferred movies at home THEN. Only 13% in theaters.


https://www.statista.com/statistics/264399/preferred-place-of-movie-consumption-in-the-us/

Yeah I really think the movie theater business is dying because they refuse to adapt. What I wanted to see with Landmark when they went up for sale was to be bought by Amazon. That way Amazon prime customers could see movies for basically free like one or two a month and increase butts in the seats. That didn't happen sadly, maybe it will someday.

When moviepass made going to the theater more affordable we saw a huge uptick in business, something like 20-30%. It was great and they bought stuff on the regular, not just coming in for a free show as some thought.

Sadly, theaters never budged to tender an offer there either. Its their own fault by sticking to outdated paradigms.

How do you recommend movie theaters adapt in ways they haven't tried? The 'stay home' trend has had effects across other industries too. Restaurants and bars have been struggling for a couple years as well to figure out less predictable crowds. Covid is a tipping point for a lot of businesses, but behaviors were changing before that.

Tibbers said:

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Yeah I really think the movie theater business is dying because they refuse to adapt. What I wanted to see with Landmark when they went up for sale was to be bought by Amazon. That way Amazon prime customers could see movies for basically free like one or two a month and increase butts in the seats. That didn't happen sadly, maybe it will someday.

When moviepass made going to the theater more affordable we saw a huge uptick in business, something like 20-30%. It was great and they bought stuff on the regular, not just coming in for a free show as some thought.

Sadly, theaters never budged to tender an offer there either. Its their own fault by sticking to outdated paradigms.

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Need a game changer that can think outside the box.

Blockbuster would never have adapted at all if not forced to by Netflix and even then it was too late.


Theaters did a good thing with big wide comfortable recliner seats... and reservable so you could walk in at showtime.

But their model depends on butts in the seats buying concessions. That footprint and real estate is expensive. And the home theater is just as comfortable or moreso and the snacks are cheaper.


I think what they need is a hybrid subscription model and then you have the choice of watching at home or in the theater. Same release schedule for both. Eliminate 75% of the brick and mortar theaters.


Think about this.

Estimates are that 75% of US population goes to at least one movie a year BUT... 43 million people (12% of the population) account for about 50% of ticket sales. You are actually looking at a pretty small consistent audience of moviegoers. Others are very sporadic.

Amazon has 112 million subscribers in the US
Netflix has 61 million subscribers in the US.
Hulu has 25 million subscribers

The movie industry in US box office in 2019 was $11.3 billion.

If you used a model with say $20 per month and $10 for each additional person ($5 for kid) on your account and say accounts averaged 2.3 people maybe $33 per month. You would "only" need ~27 million subscribers but have a potential of 43 million.

For home only use you would not need the extra addons on the account - or you could do home only and pay some per movie premium for seeing it in theaters for those that see very few in theaters.

Or cut that to $20 per month flat and you need 47 million subscribers.


Anyway.... I think that kind of model could work at some rate and volume that is realistic.

I'll give you this one, but the other one - a poll taken during the pandemic - really? In May, even *I* would have said I'd prefer to watch a movie at home.

Edit: wrong emoji

TCTTS said:

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I'll give you this one, but the other one - a poll taken during the pandemic - really? In May, even *I* would have said I'd prefer to watch a movie at home.

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It's the two in combo... 2018 you could already see a preference for watching at home. Now it will be even more.

Many theaters will close, no doubt, but I think the remaining theaters will ultimately better-accommodate the theater-going demand. Fewer theater locations, but screenings that are potentially more crowded, more accommodating, serve better food, etc. There will still be PLENTY of people champing at the bit for the theater experience once this thing is over.

Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Tibbers said:

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Yeah I really think the movie theater business is dying because they refuse to adapt. What I wanted to see with Landmark when they went up for sale was to be bought by Amazon. That way Amazon prime customers could see movies for basically free like one or two a month and increase butts in the seats. That didn't happen sadly, maybe it will someday.

When moviepass made going to the theater more affordable we saw a huge uptick in business, something like 20-30%. It was great and they bought stuff on the regular, not just coming in for a free show as some thought.

Sadly, theaters never budged to tender an offer there either. Its their own fault by sticking to outdated paradigms.

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Need a game changer that can think outside the box.

Blockbuster would never have adapted at all if not forced to by Netflix and even then it was too late.


Theaters did a good thing with big wide comfortable recliner seats... and reservable so you could walk in at showtime.

But their model depends on butts in the seats buying concessions. That footprint and real estate is expensive. And the home theater is just as comfortable or moreso and the snacks are cheaper.


I think what they need is a hybrid subscription model and then you have the choice of watching at home or in the theater. Same release schedule for both. Eliminate 75% of the brick and mortar theaters.


Think about this.

Estimates are that 75% of US population goes to at least one movie a year BUT... 43 million people (12% of the population) account for about 50% of ticket sales. You are actually looking at a pretty small consistent audience of moviegoers. Others are very sporadic.

Amazon has 112 million subscribers in the US
Netflix has 61 million subscribers in the US.
Hulu has 25 million subscribers

The movie industry in US box office in 2019 was $11.3 billion.

If you used a model with say $20 per month and $10 for each additional person ($5 for kid) on your account and say accounts averaged 2.3 people maybe $33 per month. You would "only" need ~27 million subscribers but have a potential of 43 million.

For home only use you would not need the extra addons on the account - or you could do home only and pay some per movie premium for seeing it in theaters for those that see very few in theaters.

Or cut that to $20 per month flat and you need 47 million subscribers.


Anyway.... I think that kind of model could work at some rate and volume that is realistic.

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You hit the nail on the head. The other benefit of the subscription model is it is guaranteed money each month and from what I saw with moviepass customers, they were getting stuff at the theater too.

Thats why if I were Amazon, I would scoop up regal, buy them for peanuts and change the paradigm by rolling in their Amazon prime subscription with their theaters. It would also be an avenue to supplant their studios with a vertically integrated product, bypassing the stodgy bookers and middlemen there as well. Hell, they could even show nfl games, older films, anything on their prime catalogue or allow special events curated by locals picking the flicks as well, again, just to get butts in the seats. People would be more apt to go to events like this if they were technically already paying for it.

Thats the future model of theaters and I'm sad Landmark didn't go that route because I think they would have knocked that out of the park.

TCTTS said:

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Many theaters will close, no doubt, but I think the remaining theaters will ultimately better-accommodate the theater-going demand. Fewer theater locations, but screenings that are potentially more crowded, more accommodating, serve better food, etc. There will still be PLENTY of people champing at the bit for the theater experience once this thing is over.

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I don't quite think you are right about that. There has been a lot of opportunity for typical clientele to break the cycle if you will. The longer time people have to find fitting alternatives that are cheaper, the less likely they will return to previous expensive alternatives. I wouldn't count on people returning in similar numbers in the slightest. The subscription model in my opinion is the way to go and if Amazon grows wise to it (I think they were just waiting for the right time to throw their hat in the ring) it will level all competition as competitors realistically can not compete.

Gone are the days of Sony making the rules, gone are the old rules of movie distribution, moviepass provided a window for the future.

If Amazon decides or Disney for that matter, to vertically integrate their future films by giving them a theater in every major metropolitan area, imagine the money saved and earned by no longer having to go through any middleman at all.

Its kind of scary to be honest as they would have complete control over content but I think the end result would be a hell of a lot better than our current setup.

Popcorn at one point was a game changer, air conditioning was at one point a game changer, neighborhood theaters at one point were a game changer, multiplexes at one point were a game changer, luxury boutique theaters with bars were at one point a game changer, the new game changer is subscription based and exclusive content based.

How about a theater that offered free tickets monthly and provided whole foods style cuisine on top of it? Sign me the **** up.

Tibbers said:

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TCTTS said:

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Many theaters will close, no doubt, but I think the remaining theaters will ultimately better-accommodate the theater-going demand. Fewer theater locations, but screenings that are potentially more crowded, more accommodating, serve better food, etc. There will still be PLENTY of people champing at the bit for the theater experience once this thing is over.

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I don't quite think you are right about that.

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"Fewer theaters," "theaters will be more accommodating," and "there will still be plenty of people who enjoy seeing movies in theaters" aren't even remotely controversial statements. There WILL be fewer theaters, theaters WILL change, and there WILL be enough interest to keep the theaters that survive in business. I'm confused as to how any of those aren't "right." Because the only alternative is no theaters whatsoever, and that's just not going to happen.

Quote:

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There has been a lot of opportunity for typical clientele to break the cycle if you will. The longer time people have to find fitting alternatives that are cheaper, the less likely they will return to previous expensive alternatives. I wouldn't count on people returning in similar numbers in the slightest.

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It might take a few weeks or months post-vaccine, but once movies like Top Gun: Maverick, The Batman, etc hit, people aren't staying home for those. I think you're underestimating the desire audiences still have to experience those kinds of blockbusters on the big screen, opening weekend, and be part of the conversation, etc. Sitting at home for eight to twelve months, watching a bunch of not-so-great VOD titles from the couch isn't going to cause the massive paradigm shift you're predicting. Will it affect *certain* people, and will those people expect *certain* titles to be more easily accessible via VOD? No doubt. But theaters are already adjusting, by evidence of the AMC/Universal deal, with Universal movies now able to hit VOD three weeks after they premiere in theaters. Similar studio deals will follow, and before we know it, movies releasing theatrically and then on VOD a few weeks later will become the norm.

Quote:

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The subscription model in my opinion is the way to go and if Amazon grows wise to it (I think they were just waiting for the right time to throw their hat in the ring) it will level all competition as competitors realistically can not compete.

Gone are the days of Sony making the rules, gone are the old rules of movie distribution, moviepass provided a window for the future.

If Amazon decides or Disney for that matter, to vertically integrate their future films by giving them a theater in every major metropolitan area, imagine the money saved and earned by no longer having to go through any middleman at all.

Its kind of scary to be honest as they would have complete control over content but I think the end result would be a hell of a lot better than our current setup.

Popcorn at one point was a game changer, air conditioning was at one point a game changer, neighborhood theaters at one point were a game changer, multiplexes at one point were a game changer, luxury boutique theaters with bars were at one point a game changer, the new game changer is subscription based and exclusive content based.

How about a theater that offered free tickets monthly and provided whole foods style cuisine on top of it? Sign me the **** up.

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I don't doubt that something along these lines will eventual happen, and I'm not in any way saying it won't. Where have I given you that impression that I'm arguing against this? Granted, I don't quite understand why Amazon, specifically, would want to do this, as the upside doesn't seem worth the cost for a company as big as them. But eventually, yes, *a* company will gobble up one of the chains and do some kind of subscription model, and then more will follow.

Overall, I just think a lot of the doom and gloom is a byproduct of us still being stuck in the heart of this mess. But it's the same nonsense as the "New York is dead" talk or "we're never going to shake hands again."