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Barry Diller believes the movie business is dead.

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    Barry Diller believes the movie business is dead.

    Interesting article.

    https://www.npr.org/2021/07/08/10140...siness-is-dead

    Enjoy.

    #2
    I can't say that I disagree. Although I am not young anymore. The quote from the article - "They ain't movies. They are some weird algorithmic process that has created things that last 100 minutes or so." makes sense to me. I watched "Tenet" the other night and it just seemed like a bunch of scenes put together, like a music band that was created by the recording studio. But it looked very good.
    Last edited by Bassman2003; 07-08-2021, 07:07 PM.

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      #3
      Originally posted by Bassman2003 View Post
      I can't that I disagree. Although I am not young anymore. The quote from the article - "They ain't movies. They are some weird algorithmic process that has created things that last 100 minutes or so." makes sense to me. I watched "Tenet" the other night and it just seemed like a bunch of scenes put together, like a music band that was created by the recording studio. But it looked very good.
      I could be wrong (and haven't seen Tenet) - but I'm pretty sure that Tenet is exactly an example of the OPPOSITE of what Barry Diller is talking about. Because Tenet was made by an auteur director and it was designed and released as a cultural event, more in the mold of pre-streaming Hollywood. The fact that it wasn't a good movie is a separate issue. What Diller is talking about is, as he says, "semantics" and what we mean when we call something a movie:

      "These streaming services have been making something that they call 'movies,' " he said. "They ain't movies. They are some weird algorithmic process that has created things that last 100 minutes or so."

      For Diller, this is about seismic change and nostalgia, but it is also about semantics. The definition of "movie," he said, "is in such transition that it doesn't mean anything right now.
      Whereas see where he gives a description of what movies used to be, and how it applies to Tenet:

      "There used to be a whole run-up," Diller said, remembering how much time, energy and money studios invested in distribution and publicity campaigns.

      The goal, he said, was to generate sustained excitement and enthusiasm for new movies. "That's finished," he said.
      I mean, Nolan was literally hoping that Tenet would save theatrical cinema as we know it.
      www.AbeFilms.com

      All men are brothers

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        #4
        That is probably more of an example of how out of touch I might be since I had never heard of it until my wife suggested we watch it So the run up did not reach me. How would one action movie save theatrical cinema anyway?

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          #5
          Originally posted by Bassman2003 View Post
          That is probably more of an example of how out of touch I might be since I had never heard of it until my wife suggested we watch it So the run up did not reach me. How would one action movie save theatrical cinema anyway?
          It was the pandemic. Nolan wanted Tenet to be the first blockbuster to reopen American and worldwide cinemas, bring the crowds flocking, put theater chains back in the black, and remind everyone why we love movie theaters so much. But it didn't quite work out that way
          www.AbeFilms.com

          All men are brothers

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            #6
            I take it the man in the black hat and the long black coat made a visit and offered Mr. Diller a pill and a metal cup of warm sour milk.
            Last edited by Paul F; 07-08-2021, 08:28 PM.
            Awarded Best Clear Com Chatter, 2001, PBS Television

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              #7
              Also worth noting is that Diller is in internet ventures and Broadway now. He has only to gain by undermining the movie business
              www.AbeFilms.com

              All men are brothers

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                #8
                True, there is always a motivation. I do see some truth in his opinions though. My hope is that budgets actually go down due to this shift and allow more types of projects to be made. This cycle of mega spendy productions that need a sure thing mega hit to earn it back has decreased the circle size to almost a few types of movies. I see "Game of Thrones" as an example of the decline of a cinema focused world. The production level was very high and was immensely popular. The series went on for ten years and nobody seem to care it was not in a theater. All for the (monthly) cost of, or in some cases below one movie ticket.

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                  #9
                  I don't know if the movie business is finally dead or not, but journalism sure appears to be on it's last gasps now. That article is so poorly written. That's the best quotes the writer could get from Diller? The article mostly consists of one-sentence paragraphs that seem to arranged in random order. Pathetic. I used to expect more from NPR.
                  Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                  HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                  http://www.dougjensen.com/

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                    #10
                    So true!

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                      #11
                      The coldest of cold takes...

                      I wonder if news agencies are contractually obligated to write drivel like this every time another aging movie exec/director/critic complains about the "death of cinema" or some variation.

                      Yes, streaming services (like Amazon in particular) have goals that aren't exactly aligned with "make great films." But if you're using those services as metrics of where cinema is today you're really limiting the scope of your inquiry. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement, but articles and statements like this do nothing to advance any sort of real dialogue or discourse.

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                        #12
                        And this, my dvxuser friends, is where we find ourselves (at least here in the states) with nearly any "discourse". Nothing advances, it just provokes and get clicks for advertisers.

                        Originally posted by drboffa View Post
                        The coldest of cold takes...

                        I wonder if news agencies are contractually obligated to write drivel like this every time another aging movie exec/director/critic complains about the "death of cinema" or some variation.

                        Yes, streaming services (like Amazon in particular) have goals that aren't exactly aligned with "make great films." But if you're using those services as metrics of where cinema is today you're really limiting the scope of your inquiry. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement, but articles and statements like this do nothing to advance any sort of real dialogue or discourse.

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                          #13
                          Mr. Burns is right. And wrong. The content is there. The content will recover. And the old - by which I mean, post-WWII - film distribution system is on its last legs. The studios aren't interested in it. Something will replace it. What exactly we don't know.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Bassman2003 View Post
                            True, there is always a motivation. I do see some truth in his opinions though. My hope is that budgets actually go down due to this shift and allow more types of projects to be made. This cycle of mega spendy productions that need a sure thing mega hit to earn it back has decreased the circle size to almost a few types of movies. I see "Game of Thrones" as an example of the decline of a cinema focused world. The production level was very high and was immensely popular. The series went on for ten years and nobody seem to care it was not in a theater. All for the (monthly) cost of, or in some cases below one movie ticket.
                            I sort of feel like the loss Diller is mourning is not so much the movies themselves as the trappings that surround them. The red carpet gala premieres, the saturation advertising, the happy meal toy tie-ins. (All of which still happen for Marvel MCUs and tentpoles.)

                            As lots of dvxusers have pointed out, great movies are still being made (eg Mank). But I agree that the move to streaming bodes ill for the health and future of the feature film format and its position in the cultural landscape. I mean, look at the collapse of Oscar ratings.
                            www.AbeFilms.com

                            All men are brothers

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                              #15
                              The "modern" distribution system had two parts, pre- and post-Jaws. Pre was a crawl out. There were still premiers in LA and/or New York but a typical film opened only in major US cities, where it sold enough tickets to finance advertising in smaller towns across the USA. The success of Jaws made the first weekend gross a hot topic. The sad thing is that movie theaters updated to digital and now those pristine digital screens are void of audiences.

                              BTW, looking at the BO totals - only F9 (not Grumman F9 Cougar) is over $100M in the US ($140M) so far. Black Widow did $80M on its opening weekend. And things will get worse for the theaters as the Europeans catch on to the streamers.

                              https://rm.coe.int/trends-in-the-vod...ion/1680a1511a

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