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

[TalkingHead]

I saw the Mickey 17 trailer in front of Sonic 3 in the theater. Not sure why it was there since it wasn't the target audience.

Mickey 17 is also a bit of an outlier case. I think it was scheduled to be released this month originally and then it got pushed back to May and now it’s March? Point being WB has struggled with how to bring it to market.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Most people that enjoy going to the theaters to see a movie don’t think I saw a trailer the other day….let’s go to the movies even though they had no desire to before…they say let’s see what movies are playing at my local Theater… and if there is anything playing that they have not heard of and are curious about… then they will search out the trailer and see if it interests them may see that movie

I always use my parents as a gauge for “the normies” as you call them… they are in their 70’s and do not follow the latest social media trends… they will do the above…For example… when I was visiting home last Christmas…they mentioned should we see a movie…. Looked to see what was playing and decided to see The Iron Claw which I feel got way less promotion then the movies being discussed here

I can recall this exact scenario hundreds of times over my life, sitting at home bored, someone suggests “let’s go see a movie”, checking the paper (or later computer or phone) to see what’s playing, and picking whatever sounded interesting and started soon at the theater down the street.

I think this is probably very normal, probably an area seriously hurt by streaming and unlimited content at home also, now when we’re bored we turn on one of our half dozen streaming options and search through the hundreds of movies we haven’t watched yet that look interesting.

With the number of movie options at home now there’s a lot more competition for theaters compared to the 3 TV channels we had when I was a kid.

 

[LSLS]

Most people that enjoy going to the theaters to see a movie don’t think I saw a trailer the other day….let’s go to the movies even though they had no desire to before…they say let’s see what movies are playing at my local Theater… and if there is anything playing that they have not heard of and are curious about… then they will search out the trailer and see if it interests them may see that movie

I always use my parents as a gauge for “the normies” as you call them… they are in their 70’s and do not follow the latest social media trends… they will do the above…For example… when I was visiting home last Christmas…they mentioned should we see a movie…. Looked to see what was playing and decided to see The Iron Claw which I feel got way less promotion then the movies being discussed here

We definitely do the opposite. The cost of a random movie is too great for us to say "Hey, lets see what's out right now and go see something." We do that at home now for streaming movies. It was interesting at our kids BJJ class last night, the moms were actually all talking about preferring to stay at home to watch movies where "The snacks don't cost $65" (their words), and they talked about the ability to pause and go to the bathroom as needed. All came up because one family went to see Moana because the kids were really excited to go see it. When I was a kid, we would just look up movies and go. But when I was a kid, $10 got me in with a snack.

 

[Disney Irish]

Yes the info is out there. The point is that not everyone is you or I. You are siding with a losing strategy. A lot of people aren't going to say on some random Tuesdays, "I wonder if there was some movie trailers I missed last week?" Then go on YouTube and seek them out. That's not the norm for the majority of people. I haven't argued that it isn't easy to find the content. Nothing is hard to find with the Internet. I'm saying just because someone might not be that aware of a movie, doesn't mean they live under a rock like you and a few others seem to think. It's the studios job to get the eyes on the content. And getting a handle on that will only improve engagement with films.

You're putting a lot of faith in algorithms. As I said earlier, movies are a huge part of what I interact with. I watch a lot of trailers, trailer breakdowns, movie analysis, general movie news... But m17 never showed up for me. I've watched it a couple times now and guess what, it still hasn't shown up on its own. The point is, it doesn't always work. I don't live under a rock because I didn't see that trailer, it happens. The difference is I went and searched out the new trailers. A lot of people aren't going to do that, it's not important enough in their priorities. And that's fine. Some people just like seeing movies but they don't go searching out trailers to make sure there's not something they missed.

I think you're being naive in thinking that people aren't actually searching for new upcoming movies. But maybe you're right its not as much as some of us think.

But I'll just say that there are many ways now that people get information about upcoming movies, and its not all via traditional trailer ads in feeds anymore. There is a reason why many studios such as Disney are partnering with game companies like Epic Games now, and its not just to add in their characters into the games. Its to get access to the under 30 crowd and their eyeballs and directly advertise to them.

So it is possible that you aren't in the same algorithms as the rest of us, but I guarantee you that studios are targeting the demographics they want. Some of us just might be aged out of those demographics and aren't in the same content streams where those ads are playing.

 

[MagicMouseFan]

I can recall this exact scenario hundreds of times over my life, sitting at home bored, someone suggests “let’s go see a movie”, checking the paper (or later computer or phone) to see what’s playing, and picking whatever sounded interesting and started soon at the theater down the street.

I think this is probably very normal, probably an area seriously hurt by streaming and unlimited content at home also, now when we’re bored we turn on one of our half dozen streaming options and search through the hundreds of movies we haven’t watched yet that look interesting.

With the number of movie options at home now there’s a lot more competition for theaters compared to the 3 TV channels we had when I was a kid.

YouTube has taken over with my kids, it’s all they watch. I’m in the hotel room with one of them right now, and she’s glued to YouTube, watching videos from the people she follows.

 

[brideck]

I think you're being naive in thinking that people aren't actually searching for new upcoming movies. But maybe you're right its not as much as some of us think.

It really just probably depends on what people's viewing habits are. People who watch 99% of their movies through streaming will never have a need to look at trailers. Any movies they're going to watch will eventually come to their service, where their algorithm will present those to them complete with an insufferable, auto-playing, built-in preview, and if a thing looks "good enough," it'll get watched.

But someone who goes to the theater even once a month? Yeah, they should probably be seeking out trailers to make sure that the thing they're dropping $15 on is what they really want and not just the one popular thing they've heard of.

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

Kids of a certain age range really have no interest or attention span for movies anymore. They would rather watch a 5 min youtube video of a youtuber talking about a movie than actually watching it

 

[brideck]

Kids of a certain age range really have no interest or attention span for movies anymore. They would rather watch a 5 min youtube video of a youtuber talking about a movie than actually watching it

It's almost as if an attention span needs to be fostered and developed, and the defaults in our society no longer do that.

 

[easyrowrdw]

I saw the Mickey 17 trailer in front of Sonic 3 in the theater. Not sure why it was there since it wasn't the target audience.

Interesting. When we saw Sonic 3 the previews were Stitch (which was only like 20 seconds), Dogman, Superman, and Mission Impossible. Mission was only preview I’d seen previously.

 

[erasure fan1]

Most people that enjoy going to the theaters to see a movie don’t think I saw a trailer the other day….let’s go to the movies even though they had no desire to before…

But if they haven't seen a trailer/ad for the movie, how would they have desire to see it? Of course if you don't know a film exists or haven't seen anything about it you probably aren't going to want to see it. That's why they do trailers in the first place. I think for a very large amount of people, marketing can make all the difference in the world. You can't desire to see something you don't know anything about.

I think you're being naive in thinking that people aren't actually searching for new upcoming movies. But maybe you're right its not as much as some of us think.

That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying not everyone has the same desire to search them out, especially the average casual movie goer. And again, I'm not saying this is some great epidemic that no one is seeing trailers. But that there is more to it than just "you are living under a rock."

So it is possible that you aren't in the same algorithms as the rest of us, but I guarantee you that studios are targeting the demographics they want.

Oh I guarantee I'm in the proper algorithms. I used M17 as an example since it was being discussed here. The point being if the film wasn't hitting my feeds....that could be happening to many others. Again showing that it's not just living under a rock. I'm far from living under a rock and I did exactly what you said people should do, I found it on my own. But there's a lot of people who aren't that concerned. If they see something, great! If not, great! It's no skin off their nose. If it's good maybe word of mouth will get them.

 

[DKampy]

"The snacks don't cost $65" (their words), and they talked about the ability to pause and go to the bathroom as needed. All came up because one family went to see Moana because the kids were really excited to go see it. When I was a kid, we would just look up movies and go. But when I was a kid, $10 got me in with a snack.

This where my Wife’s purse comes in handy…. We very rarely buy anything at concessions at the theater…. We don’t eat many snacks in the theater, but we usually sneak in a bottle of water/ soda… I understand how it can get expensive for a whole family, but movies is one of the cheapest form of entertainment for just the 2?of us

Actually funny story related to that…. When I was vacationing in Hawaii over the summer… I ran into a local who goes to the movies(Regal)all the time as it was one of the sleepier islands with not much going on for locals… anyway he had mentioned he sneaks in a charcuterie board and a bottle of wine through his backpack.., I was trying to envision how he does that…. Does he have a whole place setting or a little table or what

 

[Ripken10]

I think you're being naive in thinking that people aren't actually searching for new upcoming movies. But maybe you're right its not as much as some of us think.

But I'll just say that there are many ways now that people get information about upcoming movies, and its not all via traditional trailer ads in feeds anymore. There is a reason why many studios such as Disney are partnering with game companies like Epic Games now, and its not just to add in their characters into the games. Its to get access to the under 30 crowd and their eyeballs and directly advertise to them.

So it is possible that you aren't in the same algorithms as the rest of us, but I guarantee you that studios are targeting the demographics they want. Some of us just might be aged out of those demographics and aren't in the same content streams where those ads are playing.

I certainly know a number of people who say they never trailers anymore due to the streaming era (sure anecdotal, but I think it is a larger slice of pie then some realize). There is certainly a segment of the population that doesn't live on google. As I said, I have heard it far more times then I can count the number of people that tell me they don't see commericials (or in turn trailers) any more. Sure there is still ways to target people, but I don't think the same percentage of people are getting eyes on this info as it used to. I know a lot of the old sites I used to follow that would have the latest trailers on have disappeared. Now I have to search for them on youtube, and while I do, I know a lot of people that don't. Typically I use youtube with a targeted search (search "superman Legacy trailer" and will occasionally hit a new trailer that comes up as a suggestion), but I think their is a percentage of people that used to see trailers who have not replaced the old ways with new ways.

I think this is part of the puzzle for bringing people back to theaters too. The percentage of eyes on the trailers have dropped with the change of the era. Again it surprises me to hear how many people don't know when the next (marvel, sonic, etc) is coming out.

 

[erasure fan1]

I think this is part of the puzzle for bringing people back to theaters too. The percentage of eyes on the trailers have dropped with the change of the era. Again it surprises me to hear how many people don't know when the next (marvel, sonic, etc) is coming out.

That's what I've been saying as well. I was surprised by how many people where I work hadn't seen the superman trailer a week after it dropped. There seems to be a fairly large group that if it doesn't come across their feed, or see it in ads, aren't going to seek it out.

 

[DKampy]

That's what I've been saying as well. I was surprised by how many people where I work hadn't seen the superman trailer a week after it dropped. There seems to be a fairly large group that if it doesn't come across their feed, or see it in ads, aren't going to seek it out.

Yet Superman is still in the top 5 most viewed trailers of all time…. It’s still quite a ways off… we still have over 1/2 a year till it’s released… the full promotional push is not in force yet…even in the past most people would not be aware of a film this far out….I remember when the first Phantom Menace trailer was released unless you were a super Star Wars fan… most people I knew did not realize that a new trailer was released

 

[Disney Irish]

But if they haven't seen a trailer/ad for the movie, how would they have desire to see it? Of course if you don't know a film exists or haven't seen anything about it you probably aren't going to want to see it. That's why they do trailers in the first place. I think for a very large amount of people, marketing can make all the difference in the world. You can't desire to see something you don't know anything about.

That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying not everyone has the same desire to search them out, especially the average casual movie goer. And again, I'm not saying this is some great epidemic that no one is seeing trailers. But that there is more to it than just "you are living under a rock."

Oh I guarantee I'm in the proper algorithms. I used M17 as an example since it was being discussed here. The point being if the film wasn't hitting my feeds....that could be happening to many others. Again showing that it's not just living under a rock. I'm far from living under a rock and I did exactly what you said people should do, I found it on my own. But there's a lot of people who aren't that concerned. If they see something, great! If not, great! It's no skin off their nose. If it's good maybe word of mouth will get them.

I think it should be noted that this all spawned from a comment about a poster who by their own admission doesn't go to the movies very often and doesn't for the most part even seek out information about any modern movies even though they come discuss the box office here about those same movies they've never even heard of before. So lets not get things confused when talking about people living under a rock, that poster is not the average person you're talking about, they actively avoid information and doesn't search anything out.

 

[TalkingHead]

I remember when the first Phantom Menace trailer was released unless you were a super Star Wars fan… most people I knew did not realize that a new trailer was released

It didn’t take long for the trailer’s existence to attract general public attention. Word got around which movie that trailer was attached to, and new stories circulated about people paying to see Meet Joe Black just so they could see the trailer. Probably was the first trailer posted online that went viral despite slow download speeds.

 

[BrianLo]

Over Christmas both my nephews (around 30 years old)

I appreciate that you consider millennials to be “kids” and the younger generation.

I think they were referring to two generations down. Millennials are the highest uptake of podcasts though, but we are the bridge generation between tech and non-tech natives. Consumption habits are extremely generation dependent. Hence me being on an old-school forum, largely the purview of Gen X. We both represent somewhat the extremes of the age cohorting here.

 

[brideck]

I think they were referring to two generations down. Millennials are the highest uptake of podcasts though, but we are the bridge generation between tech and non-tech natives. Consumption habits are extremely generation dependent. Hence me being on an old-school forum, largely the purview of Gen X. We both represent somewhat the extremes of the age cohorting here.

Podcasts are also kind of the ultimate in not needing to be paying attention the entire time. As with any audio-only media, it's really easy to be able to drop your focus for a few minutes at a time and then snap back to it when something sounds interesting or when you're done with whatever has distracted you. This goes hand in hand with the millennial movie/TV reviewers on my local NPR who will say stuff like, "It's the perfect show to have on in the background while you're doing other things." To which I would ask, are you even really watching a show at that point?

But yes, Gen X here and forums/Usenet/etc. are the ultimate in online communication. Subreddits and Discords where interesting, focused discussions are allowed to occur also serve nicely in my experience.

 

[erasure fan1]

Yet Superman is still in the top 5 most viewed trailers of all time…. It’s still quite a ways off… we still have over 1/2 a year till it’s released… the full promotional push is not in force yet…even in the past most people would not be aware of a film this far out….I remember when the first Phantom Menace trailer was released unless you were a super Star Wars fan… most people I knew did not realize that a new trailer was released

I get all that. The point was, and always has been, that there's a a much larger group that isn't seeking these things out. As I said, if they see it, great, if not, great. Odds are Superman will get it's time. It's an extremely important film for the dcu. Again, it wasn't about the total viewership of Supermans trailer and that somehow that failed. I just wouldn't call those people who didn't seek it out, under a rock, it's just not that important to them.

 

[DKampy]

I get all that. The point was, and always has been, that there's a a much larger group that isn't seeking these things out. As I said, if they see it, great, if not, great. Odds are Superman will get its time. It's an extremely important film for the dcu. Again, it wasn't about the total viewership of Supermans trailer and that somehow that failed. I just wouldn't call those people who didn't seek it out, under a rock, it's just not that important to them.

I believe the under the rock statement was in regards to that martini loving dog…. Who has no interest in movies past the 70’s and has not even heard of most of the movies beyond Disney even just before their release date by his own admission…. But somehow seems to feel he is an expert in box office analysis