Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
There wasn’t just HBO. There were several different options, just like now there is Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Apple, etc. each with their own incomplete slate of programming.
Same stuff, different packages.
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Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs
- Thread starter Disney Analyst
- Start date
Same stuff, different packages.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
The major difference in my opinion, which you sort of glossed over, is back then with cable it was more "appointment television", you had to wait until what you wanted to watch came on HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, TMC, etc. Now everything is available at your fingertips with almost no wait.
In my opinion its also no coincidence that ticket sales started to go down when DVR and OnDemand became more widely available in the early-mid 2000s.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
This is why some of us have been banging that drum for awhile now that theatrical is not going to come back in any major way anytime soon if ever.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
This weekend's box office is of note because Kung Fu Panda surpassed Elemental at the overseas box office as of yesterday. More countries will report in their box office by Tuesday, but the Sunday first-pass data shows this...
But what really fascinates me is that Kung Fu Panda did that with a production budget less than half of what Disney spends! Where does all that Disney/Pixar money go? And why does Burbank/Emeryville keep doing it, over and over again?
Movie Comparison: Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) vs. Elemental (2023) vs. Wish (2023)
Domestic box office comparison between Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) and Elemental (2023) and Wish (2023)
www.the-numbers.com
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Here's the first pass at weekend box office, gang! It will be updated more accurately tomorrow afternoon.
The First Omen dropped 600 theaters this weekend. Now in 400 theaters, and seems to be headed to a $20 Million domestic box office by the time it leaves theaters in mid May.
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www.the-numbers.com
The First Omen dropped 600 theaters this weekend. Now in 400 theaters, and seems to be headed to a $20 Million domestic box office by the time it leaves theaters in mid May.
The Numbers - Weekend Box Office Chart for August 2, 2024
Weekend Domestic Box Office Chart for the weekend of August 2, 2024
www.the-numbers.com
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
On a visually impressive film that has garnered appreciably more positive critical responses and higher audience scores than Kung Fu Panda 4.
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TalkingHead
Well-Known Member
Box office isn’t helped by the service fees created by reserved seating. To see a movie at a multiplex here is $14.00, but to get the ticket in advance to avoid an undesirable seat means a $2.20 service fee, plus tax, so the total for one ticket is $17.11. That’s a lot to risk on a movie if you’re on the fence about seeing it. Not to mention PLF up-charges which are even more ridiculous. $23 for a ticket to see Challengers in Dolby? Most people are gonna shake their heads and say get real.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Sure.
But as this is the box office thread, how much are "positive critical responses" and "audience scores" worth at the corporate deposit window at the Burbank branch of Bank of America?
And going forward, how can Disney monetize those two rather ethereal things into actual box office profit?
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Not to mention that inflation for groceries, gas, electricity, clothing, etc. is all up by double digits the past few years.
I can easily see how the average American family would pause and wait for a movie that is really worth it. Like a Barbie or a Super Mario Bros. or something.
What's interesting is how Disney and Pixar family films are often not making the cut in those kitchen table budget decisions.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
I really don’t care. Given that I actually watch the films you keep posting about (a radical concept, I know!), my main concern is how well made they are and how enjoyable they are to view.But as this is the box office thread, how much are "positive critical responses" and "audience scores" worth at the corporate deposit window at the Burbank branch of Bank of America?
I am not sure which theater chain you visit…. But my local Marcus theaters have never utilize such practices… and I go to the theater weekly
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I'm not much of a movie person. Never have been, I usually go just to be sociable or because I was forced by family. Although I do have a small and highly curated batch of favorites I watch every year or two on BluRay.
But as a lifelong Disney fan, especially their theme parks, my main concern is how profitable their movies are. Especially when they cost hundreds of millions of dollar apiece, then fall flat on their faces at the box office. Meanwhile, there's still no night parade at any American Disney theme park, there is no new ride under construction at any American Disney theme park, and they keep cutting showmanship and little extras at all American Disney theme parks.
That's my main concern; how much longer can Disney keep dumping hundreds of millions down the drain on these movies? And how much longer can the parks keep propping the entire company up without any real investment?
Most of those movies that have opened that big over the last decade have been apart of a proven franchise… sure The Fall Guy is loosely based on an old 80’s tv show… but I would guess most people under 40(maybe under 50) have not even heard of it.,. It has not really held up in the pop culture zeitgeist
For all intense and purposes it is an original property…and most original films don’t open higher than 30 million… even the first John Wick only opened to 14 million… I am still waiting on what kind of legs it has…as the A- cinema score suggest it could have good legs
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LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
And as a lifelong Disney fan, you should know that Walt very rarely skimped on quality in order to ensure a higher profit margin. I’m very happy that Pixar isn’t churning out Kung Fu Panda-level films, even if they would be more profitable.
TalkingHead
Well-Known Member
Really? AMC, Regal, Cinepolis, Epic, CMX, all the chains in Florida do service fees if you order tickets in advance without visiting the box office kiosks on site.
Well I guess I am glad the chain in my state exists here
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I can confirm the same thing happens at the Del Mar Cinepolis, 3,000 miles away from Florida.
It's a $2.20 service charge on top of the $20+ movie ticket price. I bought seven tickets for Barbie there last summer, and it was almost $200 for the seven of us. Before we even got to the snack bar.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
That's a valid point. But here's the thing... when Walt was churning out quality films, he was still expanding and lavishing money on Disneyland. Nearly every single year that Walt was alive, Disneyland got new rides and shows and lands. It continued after he died too.
And it wasn't a Walt thing, or even a Card Walker or Ron Miller thing. Eisner lavished new rides and shows and lands and entirely new theme parks while movies came and went, some bombed and some were hits. Iger had a few good years too, notably his DCA 2.0 rethink on that failed park.
But now? The parks are stagnant and woefully under-capacity and under-invested in. No new park capacity is under construction on either coast. There isn't a single night parade in the entire USA. Hyperion Theatre is abandoned, Tomorrowland is abandoned, Wonders of Life is abandoned, DAK, DHS, Magic Kingdom, DCA, etc., etc.
But they still dump $200 Million on movies that can barely break even if they don't outright bomb?!?
Something isn't right there. And it's not at all sustainable. Either the whole thing collapses, or it undergoes massive change and a complete rethink of their business model.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
It’s not like they were building ride after ride a few years ago when their films were routinely bringing in a billion each. Your understanding of the company’s finances, and how each division impacts the other, doesn’t seem very sound to me.That's a valid point. But here's the thing... when Walt was churning out quality films, he was still expanding and lavishing money on Disneyland. Nearly every single year that Walt was alive, Disneyland got new rides and shows and lands. It continued after he died too.
And it wasn't a Walt thing, or even a Card Walker or Ron Miller thing. Eisner lavished new rides and shows and lands and entirely new theme parks while movies came and went, some bombed and some were hits. Iger had a few good years too, notably his DCA 2.0 rethink on that failed park.
But now? The parks are stagnant and woefully under-capacity and under-invested in. No new park capacity is under construction on either coast. There isn't a single night parade in the entire USA. Hyperion Theatre is abandoned, Tomorrowland is abandoned, Wonders of Life is abandoned, DAK, DHS, Magic Kingdom, DCA, etc., etc.
But they still dump $200 Million on movies that can barely break even if they don't outright bomb?!?
Something isn't right there. And it's not at all sustainable. Either the whole thing collapses, or it undergoes massive change and a complete rethink of their business model.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Cineplex in Canada does this too