Board 8 > Reports of Movie Theaters' Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/box-office-godzilla-vs-kong-sets-pandemic-record-1234943885/

Twice as high as industry expectations!

Godzilla vs. Kong muscled its way to a pandemic-era box office record, giving Hollywood studios and theater owners alike hope that people are ready to return to the movies after a year of watching Netflix at home.

The tentpole, from Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment, generated $32 million over the weekend and $48.5 million in its first five days of release. That exceeded the industrys expectations and easily marked the biggest debut since coronavirus hit. Prior to this weekend, Wonder Woman 1984 had the biggest three-day start with $16.7 million, followed by Tom and Jerry with $14 million.

Godzilla vs. Kong played in 3,064 North American cinemas, the widest theater count since the pandemic began. The turnout among ticket buyers was especially impressive because the film is also available to HBO Max subscribers for no extra fee. Without providing any specific statistics or metrics, the studio said Godzilla vs. Kong had a larger viewing audience than any other film or show on HBO Max since launch. In Canada, where 80% of the market is still closed, Godzilla vs. Kong was released simultaneously on premium video-on-demand and made $3 million through various digital platforms.

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At home viewing is something Id love to see more of having watched Snyders JL and Godzilla vs Kong from the comfort of my own place the same day they came out. Who needs theaters anymore tbh

I'm glad that it's doing well, I'm glad that people are getting to the movies even with HBO Max.

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I never really got why people thought theaters wouldn't rebound.

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I hope even after they fully rebound they can keep this same day at home viewing experience. I doubt they will, but its been so great being able to watch them free on HBO Max. Shame Disney+ wants like $30 per new movie when HBO Max does it at no extra charge

mnkboy907 posted...

I never really got why people thought theaters wouldn't rebound.

I figured that the only circumstance in which theaters wouldn't rebound would be one where we'd be worrying about a lot more than just that.

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I went to more movies in the Theaters last year then any year since 2006.
Having giant rooms basically (or literally) to yourself was pretty neat.

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People are anxious to get out and do things that feel familiar. Theaters should get a nice short term bounce back but I would hardly take that as a sign they can thrive in the future.

Leafeon13N posted...

People are anxious to get out and do things that feel familiar. Theaters should get a nice short term bounce back but I would hardly take that as a sign they can thrive in the future.

This is a smart take.

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swordz9 posted...

At home viewing is something Id love to see more of having watched Snyders JL and Godzilla vs Kong from the comfort of my own place the same day they came out. Who needs theaters anymore tbh

Anyone who likes big budget movies. It might be nice and convenient to watch a movie from home on release date but what you pay each month for the service will not pay the cost of those movies. If the theaters don't make a return we could see an end to movies like Godzilla vs Kong.

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ChichiriMuyo posted...

Anyone who likes big budget movies. It might be nice and convenient to watch a movie from home on release date but what you pay each month for the service will not pay the cost of those movies. If the theaters don't make a return we could see an end to movies like Godzilla vs Kong.

I mean, the the HBO Max model is obviously not sustainable. But the Disney+ pay for early access model could be if people really buy into the idea.


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swordz9 posted...

I hope even after they fully rebound they can keep this same day at home viewing experience. I doubt they will, but its been so great being able to watch them free on HBO Max. Shame Disney+ wants like $30 per new movie when HBO Max does it at no extra charge

WB has already made deals with theaters for 2022 that gives them exclusive screening for 45 days before it goes onto streaming so RIP that

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ChichiriMuyo posted...

If the theaters don't make a return we could see an end to movies like Godzilla vs Kong.

Finally.

Maybe the mainstream will start to enjoy things like Marriage Story and Whiplash more than super hero films. Time to go back to the 70s and earlier.

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ChichiriMuyo posted...

If the theaters don't make a return we could see an end to movies like Godzilla vs Kong.

Is that a bad thing?

The elitists have arrived

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Hey, I would love to see to see stand alone adult dramas return in popularity too, but I want that on the big screen! If we have to use tentpole movies to subsidize that, so be it!

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TomNook posted...

Finally.

Maybe the mainstream will start to enjoy things like Marriage Story and Whiplash more than super hero films. Time to go back to the 70s and earlier.

grossest post I've read today, and that's saying something!

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Leafeon13N posted...

People are anxious to get out and do things that feel familiar. Theaters should get a nice short term bounce back but I would hardly take that as a sign they can thrive in the future.

If this is anywhere close to the ultimate size of the bounce back, North American theaters (already an incredibly low-margin business in good times and before the industry-wide shake-up of theatrical windows) are well and truly fucked in the medium and long term.

Also, tentpoles won't come anywhere close to dying anytime soon both because they're the biggest draws (movie-wise) for streaming services and because they've been Hollywood's way to break into huge but somewhat unpredictable developing markets, most particularly China.

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colliding posted...

grossest post I've read today, and that's saying something!

There are a lot of good movies when the story is driven by dialogue, instead of special effects!

Not that I don't enjoy special effect based movies when they are good. That's not the point I'm making. But the trend of those being the only kinds of movies that the most casual fans know is not a good one, because it leads to an industry that focuses heavily on them while de-prioritizing other types.

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