First off, how are ya? I hope you are all doing well. I have been up against it, but some days I duck punches, and some days I kiss mats. Main thing is I am still in the ring. That said, I wanted to bring you a surprising, but more first world statistic related to the pandemic that is not steeped in darkness or pessimism, but is fascinating nonetheless.
At the very beginning of this mess, sociologists pointed out that some things to shut down, may not return, or at least, to the extent we were previously used to. We were told habits may change, and that in the future, we may reminisce about “remember when we used to do, X, Y, Z, and so on. Most of us probably blew that talk off. But now we see that the movie industry we are used to is completely different, and one huge casualty of this could be the theaters themselves.
A world with no movie theaters? Unlikely. A world where movie theaters are fewer and more concentrated in urban areas? Perhaps very possible.
Suddenly, 2022 is looking eerily similar to 2021. Hollywood is again largely losing its annual season of superficial self-congratulation, but it is also seeing the movie business’s best form of advertisement undercut in a year when films desperately need it. And that could have far-reaching effects on the types of movies that get made.
“The movie business is this gigantic rock, and we’re close to seeing that rock crumble,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and a former executive editor of The Hollywood Reporter. “People have gotten out of the habit of seeing movies on a big screen. Award season is the best single tub-thumping phenomenon for anything in the world. How many years can you go without that?”
The gist of this story is that it appears the so called “prestige” films, some call them art films, or thinkers, or the oft-used, “critically acclaimed” will either not be made, or more probably, not be released into the theatres. It is widely assumed that if it is not a melange of CGI and fantasy it will not attract the average movie-goer. This may well prove true. The well-received “West Side Story” is sitting at 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which is of course excellent, but is struggling mightily at the box office. And finally, the statistic that sat me upright-
According to a recent study, 49% of pre-pandemic moviegoers are no longer buying tickets. Eight percent say they will never return. Those numbers are a death knell for the midbudget movies that rely on positive word-of-mouth and well-publicized accolades to get patrons into seats.
That is a wow number. Basically half of the movie-going public just isn’t in the theaters anymore. Of course, Covid-19 is blamed. But I would be remiss if I did not delve into something else to consider. In my opinion, most movies in theaters lack quality. Not most movies. Most movies in theaters.
Currently we have 19 movies in our Hulu que, mostly originals, that are fun, fresh, energetic, and character driven. Glenn Close and Mila Kunis did a project about addiction called “Four Good Days” which I am very interested to see. We see inventive comedies like “Palm Springs” and I am looking forward to screening “Stardust” which is about David Bowie, one of my favorite performers.
The key thing is they meet the “chill” test. What do I mean by that? You may be familiar with this phrase: “Netflix and Chill.” You know, you had a long week, and you want to unwind with a glass of wine and just watch something fun. Or thoughtful. Or romantic. Or quirky. Many don’t want to watch, in their own home, non-stop flying or action, or comic book dialogue.
So there are different types of moviegoers. We used to frequent theaters, however, as the movies became less and less about characters, and diverged from true cinema, even before the pandemic we reduced our visits drastically. We still watch 3-5 films a week at home if time is available, but we don’t enjoy the theater experience.
The streaming films tend to be more in the realm of cinema, not action, superhero, insert-your tired-cliche-here types. This story says that we can expect the further decline of cinema and increase, in theaters, of more of the Marvel, DC, and, “I can’t believe movies like this get green-lit” comedies. In fact, most of the worst films I have ever seen were in 2019.
And it seemed, consecutively.
But this stat is not necessarily a bad thing. If I know IFCFilms or Vertical, or Lionsgate is going to be streaming, then so be it. If big budget green screen is your thing, have at it. Mostly I think the market shift has been accelerated by Covid, not dictated by it.
And personally, another reason I wanted to post this because I wanted to see some good picks in the comments for movies I may have missed. Because while we saw some absolute chewed gum garbage in 2019, we did also see a few gems, such as Emma Stone and Olivia Colman’s “The Favourite”, “If Beale Street Could Talk”, and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.”
Clearly this could be an endless discussion, so you tell me, is it the pandemic? Bad movie making? Both? What do you look for in a good film, and what is the most important part of the movie watching experience. The going?
Or the chilling?
-ROC
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