Chris Nolan Saving Movie Theaters

Not sure where to put this so I might as well put it here. David Fincher's current assessment of Hollywood: https://nofilmschool.com/fincher-movie-seasons

PS I think fincher is one of the most important directors working today. Really high standard of craftsmanship and very diverse body of work.

Some notable quotes:

Unless you’re making a tentpole movie that has a Happy Meal component to it, no one’s interested...

Look, the only reason we have these kinds of conversations is because of the lack of imagination on behalf of the people who have behaviourally modified the audience’s expectations...

There’s really only two seasons for movies. There’s ‘spandex summer’ and there’s ‘affliction winter.' You’re making your movie for one of two seasons. And if you miss, you’ll fall into one of those other two seasons, which are nominally dumping grounds...

I’m not really just a jaded ****. I’m an informed, jaded ****.
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I feel like everything interesting from here on out will be streaming...
 
NorBro said:
I actually like the overall experience, but just for some reason never did go much after growing up (maybe 10 times in the last 25 years).
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I would go at least once a week in normal times, often more. During a film fest of course you end up seeing two or three films a day. Movies are no longer going to be a habit now that we've gone cold turkey for so long.

I just got some emails boasting about being "back" from the major cinema chain in Australia re-opening (where they've had very strict lockdown since the early days and are now going days without a single covid case in some cities) whereas I went to one of the few cinemas still open in LA in Irvine last night, but it too closes now on Thursday till who knows when.

JB
 
Three reasons that got a few votes
1. Afraid of getting juju fruit stuck in my teeth and hair.
2. Afraid I’ll make out with cousin because it is so dark.
3.”popcorn “ the chimpanzee escaped from local zoo, not taking any chances.
 
lambert said:
Three reasons that got a few votes
1. Afraid of getting juju fruit stuck in my teeth and hair.
2. Afraid I’ll make out with cousin because it is so dark.
3.”popcorn “ the chimpanzee escaped from local zoo, not taking any chances.
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These are all valid points.
 
Everything changes. Part of the success of Texas chainsaw massacre was playing the movie in adult movie houses. In 82 as a teenager in Paris I went looking for an American fast food restaurant (largest in world now). We found one , it was the concession stand for six adult movie screens. We got our food and left. Within six months all but one of those restaurants in France were shut down. I wonder what painful changes will have to happen to protect the “brand” of the in person movie experience so it doesn’t become relegated (not a bad thing) like the adult movie screens of the 70s and early 80s.
 
John Brawley said:
I would go at least once a week in normal times, often more. During a film fest of course you end up seeing two or three films a day. Movies are no longer going to be a habit now that we've gone cold turkey for so long.
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Oh, I dunno. Everyone says that people's habits will change. I think it truly depends on if the habits were carried on by momentum or if they inherently provided joy.

My first child was born 5 years ago, and I've been to the cinema exactly once since then - to be royally disappointed by the pale shadow of A New Hope remake that was The Force Awakens.

But before I became a dad, I had Moviepass and used to go 2-3x/week.

If my kids stumbled upon a Zoltar machine and grew up and moved out overnight, I'd be back in the cinema tomorrow, probably for a double feature. Then I might go down to the river, fashion a pipe out of an apple and go skinny-dipping. Sigh.

So, my take is that the cultural shifts that were in progress before covid will continue or perhaps accelerate. But the things that people love - bars and broadway and flying to other countries - will come roaring back once it's safe.

But, of course, movies have way more media competition now that at any time previous, and the interesting stuff that's getting made is increasingly online and not in theaters, so...
 
As I had mentioned earlier, the current movie theater system is largely due to the US Department of Justice using the anti-trust laws to separate the film studios from their own theaters. The former system was a natural outcome from the early days of film, going as far back as the Lumiere Brothers. The second (the US vs. the Paramount Pictures, 1948) was anti-free market, setting up an artificial distribution system. Now, one can argue the natural progression of the system, given the advent of television and the consequential adjustment of the production/distribution system forced by the competition. I believe that the separation did lead to the merger of the movie-TV production business, because that gave the studios more control over the distribution. Additionally, the DOJ did consent to the networks/studios owning more of their affiliates, eventually making the US TV/broadcasting a far bigger market (~ $200B) that the US movie biz (~ $10B).

Additionally, given that most households have a 4K TV at home and can invest into a relatively inexpensive sound system, there advantages of a film projector have long vanished. What drives - or drove, should I say - audiences into movie theaters was the exclusivity of a product.

Here's someone who has to put his money where his mouth is.

Loeb thinks theaters’ prominence in the entertainment ecosystem will be diminished after a COVID-19 vaccine is developed. Cineworld has already announced that it is temporarily closing its U.K. locations and the U.S. venues it operates under its Regal Cinemas division. Thus, many analysts believe that other theater chains are on the brink of bankruptcy if moviegoing doesn’t come back in a big way soon. Loeb thinks moviegoing will survive, but it will be fundamentally altered.

“People still use their AOL accounts and Yahoo email and there’s still some Yellow Pages, those big bricks of paper, that get shipped around,” he said. “I don’t think theaters will go away overnight, but it will be much more of a novelty experience in order to really distribute things. I think the world’s going to go largely toward online distribution.”
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https://variety.com/2020/film/news/dan-loeb-disney-streaming-spending-1234796386/
 
Three more reasons I’m hesitant to go to movies.
1.My emotional support parrot “Ned the pirate” not allowed because AMC said the constant “blow me down” and “shiver my timbers bitches “ throughout the screening was disturbing the patrons. Like constantly trying to figure out why the older Leo DiCaprio creeps everyone out doesn’t downgrade the cinema experience.
2.No longer able to solicit patrons for a multi level marketing company selling artificial cheese of month club.
3.Adam Sandler is sending me “inappropriate “ subliminal messages and management refuses to do anything about it except telling me not to dress so provocatively.
As long as theatres have these draconian rules I see very little hope for industry.
 
DLD said:
Additionally, given that most households have a 4K TV at home and can invest into a relatively inexpensive sound system, there advantages of a film projector have long vanished. What drives - or drove, should I say - audiences into movie theaters was the exclusivity of a product.
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No, i think you’re forgetting that it’s about going out. Socialising.

Dates.

Shared experiences with friends. No one invites their mates around to watch a movie at their house in 4K.

Kids getting away from their parents to fool around in a dark room.

It’s not about doing something you can replicate at home no matter what the tech is (which we’ve had for some time)

JB
 
Socializing has changed too...people used to do the same thing at malls and bowling alleys and skating rinks...and that seems to barely exist anymore besides maybe in small towns where that's all there is to do.

Most of us here grew up with this attraction. Just seeing the new trailers was exciting and something to look forward to.

But when you're born with a phone in your hand, going to sit in front of another screen might just not feel the same like it does for many of us.

Generations researchers have probably made a lot of progress because of TikTok and learning about Z.
 
John Brawley said:
No, i think you’re forgetting that it’s about going out. Socialising.

Dates.

JB
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Let's rank the opportunities.

#1) Bed, (preferably with fluffy pillows)

#2) A multi sectional sofa, with fluffy pillows.

#3) A sofa.

#4) A drive-in (Cadillac Escalade, extended cab, captain's seats)

#5) A drive-in (any compact car with a non-compact companion)

#6) No date. I am watching the Packers anyway and prefer not to be interrupted in my despair.
 
dunno, guys... the youngs love marvel. it's an event. an outing.

and the thing about taking your date to a movie is it's just formal enough to be considered stepping out on the town, yet broke kids can basically afford it.

which is probably partly why horror movies are thriving theatrically.

I think that non-event and non-immersive experience films suffer from competition with home screens and it's questionable if there's enough audience left to sustain the theaters.

plus the lack of well-financed and well-produced genre films is probably preventing the next generation of cinephiles from ever developing. whereas the golden age of tv rolls on and on and on
 
The Chinese allegedly launched a 6G satellite into space last Friday. 6G promises to be so fast, one can watch the entire "War and Peace" miniseries in less than a millisecond.

Meanwhile, while 5G may be slowly dripping out stateside, it's really made for the video streaming. Roll onto the back seat of your Porsche Cayman S or Can-Am with a 5G connected device and watch pretty much anything you want (especially if you speak Chinese or Russian).
 
John Brawley said:
No, i think you’re forgetting that it’s about going out. Socialising.

Dates.

Shared experiences with friends. No one invites their mates around to watch a movie at their house in 4K.

Kids getting away from their parents to fool around in a dark room.

It’s not about doing something you can replicate at home no matter what the tech is (which we’ve had for some time)

JB
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You're right about all of that, and I agree to a degree. There were countless times I went to the movies in Jr. High and High School and I couldn't tell you one second of what happened on screen from the time the lights dimmed 'till they came back on. But like a lot of other things, there are multiple aspects of the same act.

Not a perfect parallel, but take driving for example. There is a utilitarian aspect to it as well as enjoyment. You can go jump in your car and drive to work. You just need to get there on time and then back home when you're done. But you can go jump in the same vehicle and go hit the curvy, twisty turns around a mountain road for pure enjoyment and thrill. Same act: driving a car, but for different reasons.

Now back to the movies. Yes, sometimes you do just wanna go out, or in the case of being a teenager, go someplace to make out, but sometimes you do just want to watch the movie(I said my example wasn't perfect, because I don't want that to seem like it is "just" utilitarian, because it makes it seem like just watching a movie isn't enjoyable or pleasurable), but with the technology we have today, the act of watching it at home, mimics the actual movie watching experience a lot closer and can even surpass it on some levels at home, now. There are plenty of people(message boards full of them, in fact) who spend five and six figures to achieve incredible home movie watching experiences.

And as some others have stated, there is just so much good and unique content out there there that isn't available in theaters and wouldn't be even without the pandemic. Hell, I sat in my recliner and enjoyed the heck out of your show, The Great, on my 120" 4K projector at home. I'm starting to divert here, but it goes back to something I've said numerous times before, about the quality of the series that are available now, that match and surpass the production quality of so many theatrical movies and are able to delve so much deeper in than you ever can with just a two hour movie or even a series of movies.

So I guess what I'm saying is that, yes there are other aspects of "going to the movies" than just watching the movie, but I don't know if that's gonna be enough to "save" theaters. I hope they don't go away. But there are just less reasons(or needs) to go to a theater today, than in the past.
 
Failed ideas that will probably be revisited .
1. The tingler- can’t remember specific or if this is correct name but in the 50s someone used a slight electric shock to audiences.
2. Early 70s earthquake movie did something with sound vibration? to recreate a completely accurate feeling of being in an actual earthquake.
3. John waters movie that issued scratch and sniff cards.
Not sure any of these ideas would bring any people into theatres. Not when you have very interesting experience in Orlando and other places with the Star Wars experience.
 
A long time ago there was a demonstration theater in Chicago that had smellovision along with temperaturevision and humitdityvision. They would change all three remarkably quickly as the scenes changed from a cold rainy day in the forest to a smelly city dumpster to the a hot ocean beach. It was impressive.
 
Paul F great info. I think they have/had issues with being able to evacuate the scents/smells which I’m guessing is very difficult and also the problem of many people having extreme sensitivity to perfumes/ smells these days. I’d certainly love to try something like what you’re describing.
 
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