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David Bloom is a contributor to Deadline.
Frequent moviegoing has plummeted among entertainment options for Americans during the past three years, according to results of an annual survey by the public relations giant Edelman. The study, which looks at attitudes and preferences of U.S. and UK entertainment consumers and the impact of social media, was presented today at the Soho House in West Hollywood. It shows that TV remains the most-used source of entertainment (45% of Americans frequently turn to it for entertainment, and 58% in the UK), while the Internet continues to creep up in usage (34% of U.S., 27% of UK). The real loser, however, was “cinema/movies,” which now rate as a “frequent source of entertainment” among just 3% of U.S. consumers, down from 28% in the survey just two years ago.
“It confirms some of what we’ve been seeing with declining movie attendance, which had a 16-year low in 2011”, said Gail Becker, Edelman’s chair for the Western Region, Canada and Latin America. “But I think the bigger change is in the perceived value of entertainment content.” All categories of entertainment “moved up together in both countries”, she added. “It signifies how this entertainment ecosystem is lifting all boats”. Becker was referring to other survey findings that showed a huge uptick — in most cases doubling — in the value audiences put on six categories of entertainment: music, film, cable TV, satellite TV, social networks and games.
The survey results also show that bad entertainment products are swiftly and widely punished with negative comments on social media sites. That reality puts a greater premium than ever on creating really good content, because the bad stuff won’t survive long, said members of a panel discussing the survey results. “You can’t market your way out of a bad product anymore,” said Jonathan Anastas, VP Global Brand Marketing for Activision, the world’s largest game company. “People are spending more time on fewer brands. You have to have a great product and figure out how to activate those triggers in people (to get them engaged and watching). It’s a combination of top down and bottom up.”
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If it isn’t at Arclight, I don’t go.
The real problem is with the exhibitors: inadequate projection, no policing of people who talk and text, etc. More times now than not, the experience for me is punctuated by talkers, babies, texters, etc.
while cost and quality is are issues, my biggest turn off from movies is that people treat the theater like their living room. it doesn’t matter how many film clips they show trying to get people not to talk or use their phones during a film, they still do it. i’m not going to try to nail down a baby-sitter so my wife and i can drop $30+ on a movie that we can’t hear half of and what we do hear is garbage anyway. which is a shame, we used to see a movie almost every week.
Its not rocket science $10 to $14 bucks a ticket Popcorn at $8 box a box, Soda at $5 bucks a glass. So its going to cost a family of 4 $80 dollars to see a movie??? It used to be a cheap date night out for a guy/girl now its $50 bucks. In a bad economy movies always did great cause they were the best deal for entertainment, now they are so expensive that in this economy people cant go as much. The studios and the theaters are in a dangerous cycle, they charge more because less people are going and less people are going because they are charging more. AND charging more for 3D is just BS.
Quality is a big issue, but it’s not the only reason. I think Americans have reevaluated the importance of their time. They can cook dinner and watch two episodes of “Breaking Bad” in the time it takes to watch “Battleship.”
I agree with Nate…. After the first few weeks drop the prices. I bet you’ll see a god deal more people over the long term for the same film. Great idea Nate!
And what’s the story with these commercials?
Correct me if I am wrong but the commercials are PAYING the theater for the privilege of me seeing it before I even get to the previews yes?
And yet the popcorn is STILL 8 or 9 bucks for a small bag?????
You know…. I can see the same commercials at home on cable and they already annoy me at home. I go to the theater to GET AWAY from the commercials (Though I do understand the need for product placement in films these days at least in the FILM the product knows its place and stays in the background where it belongs)
So, no. I’m waiting to see Bond in November thanks. Everything else can wait til the DVD lands in my local Redbox for a buck twenty five
Sorry. Get a handle on the pricing and maybe I’ll make time to come back
Am I the only one who thinks the screening of Tv-style commercials before a movie is a factor? Major turn-off to have commercials blasted at you after you’ve paid $12 or more admission.
I think there should be set prices for different types of films. Indie films should not cost $14 dollars. Small films also. I personally don’t think any film should cost this much. I understand the technology is much more expensive but if the product is crap, it’s not fair to the consumer.
I refuse to go to a 3D film, they are awful, they still have not mastered it and I always get a headache.
Something has to give so that moviegoers keep going to the movies. I would like to keep going but I am not going to pay for films that I can see on my flatscreen at home on Netflix.
Most movie theaters suck nowadays. The multiplex barnyards that pass as “movie theaters” are depressingly noisy, filthy, and unappealing. Most of the nicer single screen movie houses are gone, at least here in San Francisco, having been turned into condos, gyms, or closed and left for dead. When you go to a multiplex with 20 screens you never know how big the screen and/or theater will actually be (unless it’s IMAX), and most of the time they’re too small and not worth the ticket price.
The span between theatrical and video release has shrunk to an average of 5 months. That’s short enough to encourage me to be patient and wait for BluRay on many films. For what I pay for 2 or 3 tickets & concessions I can afford 2 new release Bluray films.
By the time I buy a video or watch on streaming I’ve heard if a film is actually good or just had a cool trailer. I don’t need to run the kids to mom and dad’s to watch a film at home. I have a big ass flatscreen with a great picture and surround sound. All that’s missing when I watch at home is the twits who text on their cell phones during the movie.
I’d pay $50 a ticket if you could promise me the following:
1. No one talking the whole movie
2. No one texting the whole movie
3. A clean theater
4. A nice digital projector w/ great big speakers that work.
5. Toss in a small popcorn/candy + drink.
Compared to seeing a concert, show, or sporting event. That sounds like a deal.
Since I do a lot of research & make a point of searching out quality films, I don’t agree that cinema today is lacking in quality.
Its the patrons who are lacking.
The process of watching movies at home over the last 35 years has ruined the cinematic experience. People bring their horrid behavior to the theater & expect others to accept it without question.
I won’t.
I was a weekly moviegoer up until five years ago. Talking loudly like you’re at home. Ruining the chance to be enveloped by a story because of texting & CALLING others with cell phones. Running in and out of the theater & screaming at your friends.
Before more theaters get sold to the Chinese, how about bringing back ushers, cleaning the theater after each show, and making sure the air conditioning & sound are at acceptable levels.
When I have issues at a theater I like, I politely write the theater manager and attempt to describe the issues I’ve encountered (because you can never find anyone in management at the theater) and I never receive a response. Sorry, but you’ve then alienated me as a customer & I won’t return.
Sorry that was verbose. But that’s the honest truth from my perspective.
Quality is subjective. To me, I strongly disagree with your assertion that the cinema hasn’t seen a significant decline in quality. I am very cheap, and I am an introvert. Nevertheless, the main reason why I rarely go to the movies anymore is because most movies are not appealing to me.
If it is true that more movies are now being made for a the international audience that is less picky about quality (and from where I’m watching, that looks to be the case), then why not lower the prices for the domestic audience, which will invite a wider viewership here at home? If domestic income isn’t your main revenue source anymore, then cut us some slack and build your audience back up.
The movie-going experience needs a reset, and it starts with lowering prices so more people can afford to see more movies regularly.
I don’t have the time or the money to go to the theater. But when I do, it’s usually the art house theater here in the midwest (Ann Arbor, MI). I go to the cineplex to see the Hollywood movies, and at both theater types, you best believe I use my ‘student discount’, it shaves $1 off the price, but it’s still a dollar. The movies here are $9-10.50 a pop. For a single person who is very selective, I can afford it… but for a family, that adds up and sometimes, it’s just better to wait until the film comes out on DVD/Blu-ray so you don’t deal with the audience crap at the theaters.
Beside the fact the current run of movies are boring and expensive – another reason I quit going to the theater is the audiences have just gotten ill-mannered and rude. I have not seen a movie in a quiet theater since the 80s! People are continuously talking through the movie like they’re in their living rooms, texting, crying babies, small kids climbing over the seats with their parents ignoring them, etc. I feel like Heston looking up and seeing the chimp on the horse – IT’S A MAD HOUSE!
The solution is to move to small rural out of the way towns where the ticket prices would be cheaper.