There was a thread a few weeks ago discussing the decline of theatres. The one, and only, suggestion from theater owners was to have a 90 day minimum theatre time before films moved to streaming/physical media.
At the time that idea seemed silly to me. Usually if I want to see a film, it’s opening weekend I see it. Maybe the second week, but usually before the second weekend.
But this film is leaving theaters less than a week after release? I saw Mickey 17 was announced to be leaving before being in theaters for 2 weeks.
I guess I understand the complaint from theatre owners now. Maybe 90 days is too long but shit you gotta draw a line somewhere. You gotta give films a chance if you want theatres to stay open.
So many films post pandemic have their “Exclusively in theaters” taglines, but for how long?
Movies used to be a lot cheaper to make. Taxi Driver cost about $1.5 million back in 1976. Faster Pussycat Kill Kill was made for about $45,000.
Quick lesson. The old model was to open a major movie in a prestige theater [ie Radio City Music Hall] where it would run for as long as it was profitable. After that it would go to smaller houses, and eventually become a double bill. People waited on line for years to see ‘The Exorcist’ because it was only showing at a few places.
Jaws was the first summer blockbuster. The studio planned to open it up in a lot of theaters on the same day. The plan worked. About the same time, the VCR started becoming popular. Thise two things changed the way movies got distributed forever.
Studios didn’t own the streaming or broadcast TV channels then. Now they make more money by selling the property through channels they own and control.
![[UPDATE] "The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie" will reportedly be pulled from theaters this Wednesday](https://lemm.ee/pictrs/image/8b5b628a-b8ed-4f51-9231-397caf2b3a24.jpeg){kind=link}
There was a thread a few weeks ago discussing the decline of theatres. The one, and only, suggestion from theater owners was to have a 90 day minimum theatre time before films moved to streaming/physical media.
At the time that idea seemed silly to me. Usually if I want to see a film, it’s opening weekend I see it. Maybe the second week, but usually before the second weekend.
But this film is leaving theaters less than a week after release? I saw Mickey 17 was announced to be leaving before being in theaters for 2 weeks.
I guess I understand the complaint from theatre owners now. Maybe 90 days is too long but shit you gotta draw a line somewhere. You gotta give films a chance if you want theatres to stay open.
So many films post pandemic have their “Exclusively in theaters” taglines, but for how long?
When Star Wars first came out it ran in the theaters for two years.
Gone With The Wind ran at one theater in Georgia until 1969.
Sure, but they didn’t pump out that many movies back then.
Movies used to be a lot cheaper to make. Taxi Driver cost about $1.5 million back in 1976. Faster Pussycat Kill Kill was made for about $45,000.
Quick lesson. The old model was to open a major movie in a prestige theater [ie Radio City Music Hall] where it would run for as long as it was profitable. After that it would go to smaller houses, and eventually become a double bill. People waited on line for years to see ‘The Exorcist’ because it was only showing at a few places.
Jaws was the first summer blockbuster. The studio planned to open it up in a lot of theaters on the same day. The plan worked. About the same time, the VCR started becoming popular. Thise two things changed the way movies got distributed forever.
Studios didn’t own the streaming or broadcast TV channels then. Now they make more money by selling the property through channels they own and control.
I wonder how many prints they wore out.
Good question.
I just imagine all of the theatrical prints ending up at that theater to die in their projectors.