Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs

[BuddyThomas]

Oscars: Full List of Nominations

'Oppenheimer' leads the noms with a total of 13, followed by 'Poor Things' with 11, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' with 10 and 'Barbie' with eight. They will compete for best picture with 'American Fiction,' 'Anatomy of a Fall,' 'The Holdovers,' 'Maestro,' 'Past Lives' and 'The Zone of Interest.'

www.hollywoodreporter.com

The most shocking snubs and surprises of the 2024 Oscar nominations

From "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie to America Ferrera and Sterling K. Brown — check out the biggest snubs and surprises from the 2024 Oscar nominations.

ew.com

 

[DKampy]

Oscars: Full List of Nominations

'Oppenheimer' leads the noms with a total of 13, followed by 'Poor Things' with 11, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' with 10 and 'Barbie' with eight. They will compete for best picture with 'American Fiction,' 'Anatomy of a Fall,' 'The Holdovers,' 'Maestro,' 'Past Lives' and 'The Zone of Interest.'

www.hollywoodreporter.com

The most shocking snubs and surprises of the 2024 Oscar nominations

From "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie to America Ferrera and Sterling K. Brown — check out the biggest snubs and surprises from the 2024 Oscar nominations.

ew.com

Of any nomination I was most surprised surprised Greta Gerwig did not get a Director nomination

 

[BuddyThomas]

Of any nomination I was most surprised surprised Greta Gerwig did not get a Director nomination

I know, right? Do they think that movie directed itself? Also, Margot Robbie was campaigning like crazy, and her snub is also pretty surprising.

 

[Communicora]

Sad when a once great filmmaker loses his mind.

Oliver Stone Says Ryan Gosling Is “Wasting His Time” Making Films Like ‘Barbie’ That Contribute To “Infantilization Of Hollywood”; Says He “Fell Asleep” Watching ‘John Wick’

Oliver Stone has a lot of opinions about the current film industry and says movies like Barbie are contributing to the "infantilization of Hollywood."

deadline.com

To be fair, he’s been out to lunch for well over a decade (and probably before then too if we’re being honest).

He made a statement about the quotes from an old interview

https://x.com/TheOliverStone/status/1749613529248813190?s=20

 

[DKampy]

He made a statement about the quotes from an old interview

https://x.com/TheOliverStone/status/1749613529248813190?s=20

I am glad he explained himself, but he should not have said anything in the first place.., having not seen the film yet… I am a believer any genre and title can be great… you just need the talent behind it

 

[_caleb]

I think, in general, what are effectively re-releases are always going to be a hard sell. The constant stream of new, shiny releases both in the theater and on streaming more or less make sure that we (at least adults) live in the cult of the new. So if someone has seen a thing once, they've consumed it, and don't have a reason to see it again. (Cue TP2000 and how he just watched The Miracle Worker again last night and thoroughly enjoyed it ) This only tends to differ when it comes to massive cultural phenomena, well-timed seasonal releases, and kids stuff. I have a massive BD/DVD collection at home, but it's often hard to pull something out and watch it (unless I'm specifically showing a movie to someone who hasn't seen it before) because so much time is spent on new things instead. Likewise, I wouldn't mind seeing Soul in theaters or the Dolby re-release of Across the Spider-Verse, but there's just too much that I haven't seen yet. Which is too bad really, I think we get a lot more understanding out of a second exposure to most things.

The other two upcoming Pixar releases skew a little more kid-friendly, so maybe more people might show up for those. Maybe. But I don't know how much kids express a desire to go to the movies these days just for the experience of being at the movies.

I agree.

Streaming has changed the game when it comes to the content we consume. The long tail is getting longer because unlike box office, where there's only room for so many films at a time, streaming platforms have unlimited shelf space. So consumers (most of whom do not follow box office closely and have no idea what's playing in cinemas) come to Netflix and Disney+ looking for content to consume. They don't know how old it is, how well it did at the box office when it was released, what awards it won, or what critics said about it. They just know the algorithm recommended it as something they might like.

Look how many streaming platforms don't rely on customer reviews anymore.

This has led to a resurgence in popularity of older and more obscure content. It becomes more a matter of "what does this platform have that I might like?" than "what has the studio produced lately?"

 

[TalkingHead]

Hot take: All of Us Strangers is a richer, more satisfying film than Poor Things. Crazy that it didn’t get a single acting/writing nom.

 

[brideck]

This has led to a resurgence in popularity of older and more obscure content. It becomes more a matter of "what does this platform have that I might like?" than "what has the studio produced lately?"

This is somehow both true and yet not at the same time when you listen to some people talk about their streaming services. How many people have canceled a given subscription because "there was nothing new to watch" or sign up for a service for a month to watch all of the "new" stuff, cancel, then come back 6 months later to do the same? Clearly the people saying that are not enjoying the long-tail, library content. I suppose this phenomenon is more or less reflected in each service's respective churn rate.

 

[Disney Irish]

This is somehow both true and yet not at the same time when you listen to some people talk about their streaming services. How many people have canceled a given subscription because "there was nothing new to watch" or sign up for a service for a month to watch all of the "new" stuff, cancel, then come back 6 months later to do the same? Clearly the people saying that are not enjoying the long-tail, library content. I suppose this phenomenon is more or less reflected in each service's respective churn rate.

Suits' resurgence on Netflix would like to talk to you....

Personal opinions on this site do not reflect the rest of the market. Netflix and D+ have the lowest churn rates in the industry, despite some posters insistence here that claim otherwise.

 

[_caleb]

This is somehow both true and yet not at the same time when you listen to some people talk about their streaming services. How many people have canceled a given subscription because "there was nothing new to watch" or sign up for a service for a month to watch all of the "new" stuff, cancel, then come back 6 months later to do the same? Clearly the people saying that are not enjoying the long-tail, library content. I suppose this phenomenon is more or less reflected in each service's respective churn rate.

Yes, I agree. I think they're finding the key is how well the algorithms can predict what a viewer will watch and also how the interface gets people to actually click on/play that content. Churn will probably be the biggest battle in streaming, especially as the smaller streaming platforms begin to bundle and partner. Live sports/news will likely be key to combating churn, and Disney owns some key players in both of those areas.

 

[Communicora]

Suits' resurgence on Netflix would like to talk to you....

Maybe, but would have happened without the strike?

 

[Disney Irish]

Maybe, but would have happened without the strike?

Netflix has been king of the old series rewatch for a long time. So no I don't think it was just due to the strike.

 

[_caleb]

Netflix has been king of the old series rewatch for a long time. So no I don't think it was just due to the strike.

Yep! They've made a lot of money buying cheap (old) content, polishing up the series descriptions and thumbnail images, and linking them through recommendations to well-watched content of similar feel/tone/actors/premises.

I've definitely seen it with true crime documentaries!

 

[Disney Irish]

Yep! They've made a lot of money buying cheap (old) content, polishing up the series descriptions and thumbnail images, and linking them through recommendations to well-watched content of similar feel/tone/actors/premises.

I've definitely seen it with true crime documentaries!

If Friends hadn't been pulled off by WBD for Max I truly believe it'd still be in the top ten charts weekly for Netflix.

 

[brideck]

Suits' resurgence on Netflix would like to talk to you....

Personal opinions on this site do not reflect the rest of the market. Netflix and D+ have the lowest churn rates in the industry, despite some posters insistence here that claim otherwise.

Oh, I'm aware of the handful of success stories in this space, but even those are still largely fueled by the recommendation engine and word of mouth/social media more or less as if they were a new release. I won't be surprised when more shows with high episode counts get pushed and become popular -- lots of episodes equal hooking your viewers for even longer. But for every one of those, there are literal hundreds of unwatched/unloved shows on these services.

And I wasn't just speaking about people on this forum when it comes to people running out of "new" content. I'd estimate that at least 10-20% of the people I know in real life talk about streaming services in this way, too.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Hot take: All of Us Strangers is a richer, more satisfying film than Poor Things. Crazy that it didn’t get a single acting/writing nom.

I've been looking at the various "Snubs and surprises" articles today, and USA today and a few others agree with you about All of Us Strangers. They write:

Like “Color Purple,” this is another case of “what exactly went wrong?” Andrew Haigh’s gorgeous tearjerker should’ve been a shoo-in for multiple nominations, including best adapted screenplay and best actor (Andrew Scott), as well as nods for its phenomenal supporting cast of Paul Mescal, Claire Foy and Jamie Bell. Although the film has been on the festival circuit for months, its drawn-out theatrical release hasn’t helped in generating word of mouth. The marketing also pushed a steamy romance over the delicate family drama it really is, which may have confused viewers going in.

From Margot Robbie to Leonardo DiCaprio, these are biggest Oscar snubs of 2024

Where's "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig? No "Saltburn" or "Color Purple" in best picture? All the stars and movies snubbed for 2024 Oscar nominations.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Disney Irish]

Oh, I'm aware of the handful of success stories in this space, but even those are still largely fueled by the recommendation engine and word of mouth/social media more or less as if they were a new release. I won't be surprised when more shows with high episode counts get pushed and become popular -- lots of episodes equal hooking your viewers for even longer. But for every one of those, there are literal hundreds of unwatched/unloved shows on these services.

And I wasn't just speaking about people on this forum when it comes to people running out of "new" content. I'd estimate that at least 10-20% of the people I know in real life talk about streaming services in this way, too.

I think you discount the amount of people that use streaming to watch their favorite shows on repeat, its not just a handful of shows. Friends is one of the most watched shows on repeat, it was constantly in the top ten on Netflix before it left for Max where it remains in the top ten. That isn't fueled by recommendations, that is Hundreds of Millions of minutes monthly being sought out and watched on repeat.

Its not the only one, and this doesn't even talk about series used as a babysitter like Bluey or Cocomelon. Grey's Anatomy, Big Bang Theory along with spin-off Young Sheldon, House, Suits (as I mentioned previously), NCIS, and others, are all finding new life on repeat on Netflix, D+/Hulu, and various other streaming platforms.

Sure there are people that only look for new content and get bored quickly when there is nothing new and so cancel. For more than 50% of subs that remain subscribed to Netflix and D+/Hulu monthly, they remain sub'd in order to constantly watch their favorite show on repeat that is off the air.

 

[TP2000]

People are the number one reason why I actively avoid theaters. Very few people know how to properly act in public anymore, it isn't worth the wasted money.

Good news is, there is no one at the theater so you have showings all to yourself.

Might I interest you in a showing of Soul?

Soul has been playing in theaters that are often entirely empty; not a single person in them. Yesterday, Soul averaged $14 per theater. If you assume that these are all cheap matinees at only $7 per ticket, and Soul has only two showings per day in each theater, that's an average of only one person sitting in each theater for Soul. If there was a comparatively busy theater that had six or seven people in it somewhere and "only" 90 empty seats, that means there were four or five theaters elsewhere that were entirely empty.

This is rough for Pixar. But if your goal is to have an entire 100 seat movie theater all to yourself, go see Soul ASAP!

Here's Google Trends for the 3 Pixar releases + Wish + Poor Things:
(ETA: Fixed my issues with searching for Soul)

View attachment 764417

Red = Soul
Green = Luca
Purple = Turning Red
Yellow = Wish
Blue = Poor Things

None of the Pixar 3 have seen any recent rise over the last few weeks, indicating that there's no knowledge/buzz about them coming to theaters at all right now.

So, looking at that graph, it would seem Soul had the most interest from potential audiences of the three Pixar films being re-released in 2024. And Turning Red and Luca had even less audience interest in them than Soul? Is that why they released Soul first, as it was seen as the most popular?

That would seem to suggest demand next month for Turning Red and Luca will be even less than Soul. Right?

If so... yikes.

 

[CinematicFusion]

Artful Dodger is solid series on Hulu.

The Artful Dodger is an Australian television series produced by Sony Pictures Television's Curio Picturesand Beach Road Pictures for streaming service Disney+

 

[Disney Irish]

Artful Dodger is solid series on Hulu.

The Artful Dodger is an Australian television series produced by Sony Pictures Television's Curio Picturesand Beach Road Pictures for streaming service Disney+

I watched it, hope it gets a season 2.