CinematicFusion
Well-Known Member
Great episode
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Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs
- Thread starter Disney Analyst
- Start date
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
I’m almost 50, we have a half dozen subscription services, and cable, and YouTube is my primary source of video content also.
I’d rather watch some random guy service a watch or dig a pond than watch a fake reality tv shows 27th season.
Heppenheimer
Well-Known Member
That's the way it was when I worked at a movie theater in the 90s. Only difference is that if the film didn't have legs, it would end up at Blockbuster as soon as possible.
EDIT: I wonder what the age cut-off would be where a person wouldn't understand that second sentence?
Tha Realest
Well-Known Member
My Self Reliance is my comfort watching lately.
My kids watch YT far more than any other streaming service.
Heppenheimer
Well-Known Member
If you're just dismissing all of it as "Culture War", then you're missing the point of much of the better criticism.
Tha Realest
Well-Known Member
I believe the theatrical window compression is twofold: get most ROI on the theatrical marketing effort/visibility, and to continue to make D+ a necessary app.
The Digital->Blu-Ray->streaming process is like clockwork now. Once they’ve given up on theatrical, you can see a film be released digitally for $20-$25 dollars within a few weeks. Then, a week or two later, Blu-ray’s are out. Then, a week or so after that, it’s on D+ or Max. Comically, Black Adam’s Blu-ray didn’t even have any bonus features- they just wanted go get it out the door.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
Outrage and targeted hate sells. It makes us feel perversely good about ourselves.
Victimization also sells. Telling folks that the big meanies have intentionally made their lives miserable and that they’re the virtuous ones almost always works, especially when it is providing a counter to reckoning with actual historical victimization that might force unpleasant introspection.
Almost all this stuff is thinly veiled identity politics. If that’s the basis of the argument you want to make, fine, but in that case I want to hear some concrete suggestions for solutions.
I am universally unimpressed with the quality of the “angry YouTube guy” arguments. The only film analysts I love on Twitter are Red Letter Media, and even they can be wrong sometimes. If you feel they have a particularly good argument, articulate it here, don’t expect folks to watch long videos.
If you think the outrage network or its toxic fallout is limited to America, welp… *gestures to Europe and Australia*
YouTube is a radicalizing force. We’ve known this for a while - it’s been heavily researched. Stupid online arguments about seemingly inconsequential media can be tremendously impactful - much of our current national and even global mess was born in an online fight over video games.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
For instance…
DisneyHead123
Well-Known Member
When I'm with my extended family we usually try to do a movie day to pass the time, but we almost have to bribe the kids to go. It helps if they like the IP, but popcorn and candy are a must. Last time I was home with a group of five cousins, three of them wanted noise canceling headphones for at least part of the movie. Screens have also gotten bigger and bigger which can be scary for kids. Not to mention this generation of kids seems to be more sensory sensitive on average. I think theaters really need to rethink the experience for children if they want a generation of young kids who clamor for a trip to the movies.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
What makes you think I was referring to the better criticism anyway? I too have been critical of some of Disney’s recent films. All of us supposed apologists have.
erasure fan1
Well-Known Member
I agree, there are plenty of idiots on YouTube just shouting nonsense because of the it's cool to hate Disney mentality. But there's plenty of them that break things down very well. The problem now, is even the channels that have been historically pro Disney, are saying the same things we are about Disneys content over the last year or so. Like this video from John Campea.
This is where I take issue as well. I get there's a lot of hate channels, and I'm guessing there's idiots who see the click bait preview image and title and take it as gospel. But I'm really not sure what ones are powerful? And the media outlets are very much a wash, if anything most mainstream media sites are pro Disney.
I have watched much of the criticisms from certain YouTubers… and I find most of it to be “culture war” biased stuff… including critical drinker he just can sound more articulate…he still has biases to a certain side… I prefer watching someone like Dan Murrell… he is truly unbiased… he gives honest reviews…. He may not have the subscribers of those other YouTubers… but click hate sells… there is a reason so many are doing it with the same talking points
DisneyHead123
Well-Known Member
That could be, although I think they need to include actual shows on it. Maybe older seasons and cool stuff like holiday specials only go on D+, but I think they need a way to get people watching in the first place.
In general or from Disney? I was just saying in another post that it would cool to see a "Disney Dreams Come True" kinda reality show on D+. Maybe someone gets to shop the entire Disney bridal line and choose whatever they want, someone gets a behind the scenes tour of the park, someone spends a day with an Imagineer, etc.
The fact that they tried it once does make me wonder if it can work. That said, my take is that they kinda have to make it work, because they don't have the breadth of content of a platform like Netflix (see the graph in that article) and they're currently trying to cut production budgets. I just don't see what they're going to offer that's going to allow them to keep pushing the subscription price up and up.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Speaking of Dan, his latest box office video summarizing the last several weeks was a great watch and brings up and elaborates on many of the points referenced in this thread. His profitability calculations are inherently suspect due to the guesswork involved and the lack of reported information on all the various revenue outlets, but the overall conclusions are clear and concise.
Bottom line, Disney had a rough year. Some people online capitalized on that for their own benefit, but there was a clear disinterest from both mainstream critics and the general public for much of Disney's output and that was ultimately reflected at the box office.
As Dan put it, the failures of The Marvels and Wish were the end result of an overall decline in quality and interest, not that these specific titles had anything outright wrong with them (though poor reviews didn't help).
CinematicFusion
Well-Known Member
But to be fair they do have a point just like Red Letter Media (who also has 1.5 million subscribers) When Last Jedi was such a colossal disappointment, Red Letter Media did an exceptional job of describing why.
People are upset with Disney's recent issue with quality control. Their stories from Willow to Wish have been average to terrible.
So Disney is fueling guys like Red Letter Media with plenty of ammunition to attack them.
Add that most kids watch youtube, my kids included, and it can spell disaster for Disney.
Everyone watches these critiques.
I mean, they are fun to watch and many have solid points as you know.
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Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Asking the question again in this thread where it's more relevant, what happens if Frozen 3 underperforms?
I think It would completely undermine Iger's whole business strategy and confidence in the brand.
I would never expect such a thing to happen a couple years ago, but now I feel anything is possible.
I think It would completely undermine Iger's whole business strategy and confidence in the brand.
I would never expect such a thing to happen a couple years ago, but now I feel anything is possible.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
My guess?
Because there tends to be an instinctual resistance to minority characters - or those not in traditional roles - being represented more than you would find them statistically on the street.
And I’m all for more varied material…it’s interesting
But here’s a tip: don’t redo old stories with different races “just cause”…because it looks judgement
And don’t replace luke Skywalker with a 90 lb 20 year old…who coincidentally hasn’t worked since…proving what a bad idea it was.
Make new stories and new characters and expand “the world”:..not swap it out for money
It’s not working
I agree… I think Dan box office analysis is some of the most insightful online
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Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
If it looks “judgmental,” that’s because of what the viewer is bringing to the material.
Luke Skywalker wasn’t “swapped.”
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
I said they aren’t always right, and that’s one of their biggest misses. That said, they don’t play the political games most other YouTube critics do, so they don’t need or want “ammunition.”