Next Up On Movie Theaters' List To Remain Relevant: 3D Movies
from the well,-it's-a-start dept
It is beginning to look like movie theater owners are finally (finally!) coming to terms with the fact that they can't just sit back and whine about home theaters. Instead, they need to actually compete and offer a better experience, not easily replicated at home. In the last month, we've seen a few different stories suggesting that theater owners at least understand part of this. As we've noted, they're investing in IMAX screens and building luxury theaters. The latest is that they're trying to do a lot more 3D movies where the overall experience is enhanced by seeing it in a big theater. These are all steps in the right direction, and things that need to be done, but it would be nice if they fixed the core problems first: making the theaters comfortable, clean and mostly free from distraction. Also, it appears that all of these stories focus on how the theater owners are looking to increase prices for these "new" types of movie experiences. Considering how overpriced some folks already think movies are, theater owners might want to be careful about how much extra they're charging, or no one will come check out these innovations in the first place.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: 3d movies, movies, social experience, theaters
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And we all know that one eyed movie enthusiasts are the majority of the theater-goer population... I'm sure they won't miss your $12.95.
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She is hoping it is possible though!
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Price problems
Popcorn & Drinks ~$15.
Gas to get to the theater ~$5.
Total $60
And for this I get to watch the movie once. I also have to deal with: Limited choices of snacks/drinks, talking over the dialog, idiots that won't turn off their cell phone, screaming and crying infants/children that should have been left with a sitter, I can't pause or rewind if I need to use the bathroom, parking and traffic, etc.
Or....
Wait 3-9 months and buy the movie on DVD ~$20.
Even if I just watched it once and threw it in the trash I save money and aggravation. Plus, I generally get some nice extras like commentary tracks, behind the scenes videos and such.
Gee, I wonder what is going to happen if the prices keep going up?
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Re: Price problems
There does seem to be a trend towards less mainstream cinema, though; Indian and Chinese films turn up quite frequently, and there's a surprising amount of indie stuff going on general release these days.
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Of course you'd need specialized equipment.
No idea about the price though.
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Try ticket prices in the UK
So with just two adults going to catch a film, you would have to pay ...
£10 x 2 = £20
Popcorn & Drinks = £15
Transit = £5 for each way or petrol = £10
Approx. £40 - £45, which means at least $80 - $95 in the US.
No one will pay for prices even higher than that!
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What about...
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3D isn't going to help theaters
First, there's the uncomfortable factor of having specialized equipment to view. While not a huge downside, eventually it will become a nuisance.
Second, there's the time constraint of forcing one's eyes to focus on objects within a dark room. People will begin to complain of headaches and this will definitely hit the media stream as "OMG! Look what 3D can do to your health! It's an American crisis!"
Third, there's the 10% of viewers who, due to their eyes, can't view 3D successfully, thus alienating this market instantly.
The movie industry needs to be more flexible, not restrictive. What you failed to tell people is that many movie studios are going 3D with future releases, including George "I'm so damn greedy" Lucas who is working on 3D versions of his franchise.
What bugs me about this is that not once does the industry say this is best for the consumer. In every bit of news I've read, it's always (and I mean ALWAYS) published with the fact it's a competition against home theaters.
How can the consumer win with this? By default, we've already lost. Oh, did I mention ticket prices will increase for this? Yes, this will most likely drive every consumer to the theater for sure, especially when gas is about to hit $4 a gallon!
I do believe the theater industry is in need of a restructure to help draw in consumers, but this isn't the answer and will last short term.
What will drive consumers back to the theater? Dropping prices, for starters. Does a large popcorn really cost $5 for them to make?
Oh, right. They have to adjust this price because the damn media industry forces unheard of prices for theaters to show the movie to begin with.
The final nail in the coffin to theaters is how the movie industry releases new movies to DVDs much faster than ever before.
Why go when it's going to be out in 3 months?
I've waited. So have many other consumers.
So far, I've yet to see any reason why I would return and 3D isn't going to be it.
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Re: 3D isn't going to help theaters
There is no eyestrain viewing stereoscopic 3D in a theater, if that was a fact then they movie makers would not be considering these options, this includes the big guys like Disney.
Yes there are a certain few that cannot view 3D that is why there are theaters that show the same exact movies without the 3D on non-DLP projectors.
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Re: 3D isn't going to help theaters
In fact, the experience is something I look forward to repeating (the legitimate 3D movies mind you, not the horribly converted ones that are actually 2D) with friends of mine.
I saw Boston Aquarium's Deep Sea 3D...I kept automatically trying to swat the jellyfish out of my face. Mildly embarrassing. It was getting all up in my grill.
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One step, but a small one
However, that's only a small fraction of why the cinemas have lost their customers - the rest are related to high prices and noisy crowds as well as a poor selection of movies. The average multiplex plays the same movies as the next one while some movies don't get played at all, meaning the selection isn't there - e.g. There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men didn't play in certain areas while Meet The Spartans was everywhere. Talk about alienating part of your potential audience!
At home, I can play a movie in comfort with no annoying people talking and texting while the movie's on, get to eat the snacks I want, watch the movie I want and not have to sit through 30 minutes of ads and "you're a dirty pirate" propaganda before it starts - and all at a reasonable price.
When the cinema experience matches that, it'll improve the attendance. Until then, 3D is a gimmick that's not guaranteed to work any better than the last 3D craze in the 80s for long-term success. However, it will cost the industry a lot in new equipment, raising prices again.
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Just Stop Ripping Us Off
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It's the experience that stinks!
Mostly, it is the other people in the theater that drove us away.
Obviously, I'm not in their target audience.
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3D shutter glasses are about $100 apiece, and movies are currently pretty limited.
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I do go to IMAX
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Movie Selection
If I want to see a good looking movie, I have to go way out of my way to drive to a city that has a theatre in it thats not playing the same stupid trash as every other theatre around it.
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Movie Night
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Don't increase prices, improve the experience.
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Not a fan of the 3D
I actually wanted to go watch a movie in the theater until I found out it was only being offered in 3D. Needless to say, some people will flock and others will be deterred. In the end I do not think 3D will attract more people to the theater; the movie going population will stay about the same.
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Find a 2nd reviune stream leave the ticket price alone
http://www.chunkys.com/
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The real reason for 3D movies?
Certainly 3D is a great way to see a movie (even better for concerts) but the driving force economically is that 3D projection is copy-proof.
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movie theaters relevant?
I have a big screen and surround sound, yet still for big-bang special effects laden productions, I'd be willing at times to fork over some extra dough. What really has curtailed my desire to see movies in theaters are the morons who talk/laugh/joke through the whole thing; let ring/talk on their cell phones; laser pointers; kicking seats; bratty loud/screaming kids...need I go on?
If theaters want my money, they'd better be far more proactive in making the experience a good one - that means empowering ushers etc. to remove self-indulgent assholes who ruin it for the rest of us.
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This thread is about 3D, which I love. Having said the above, the ONLY flicks I go out of my way to see are the 3D ones. And I see maybe one a year. I just U2 3D, and I am not a fan of U2. But it was great because, being a musician, I could see much more than what one would see on a flat screen. Plus, it made the music more exciting. So these types of concert 3D films are welcome. May help to boost lost CD revenue, too?
I say bring on the 3D!
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My $0.02
The Main Problems as I see it are :
1. Ticket Prices are way too high
2. The Commercials (Ads) shown before the movie must be stopped.
3. Food (Concession) prices are ridiculous.
Now,#'s 1 and 3 are directly caused by Greedy Hollywood because essentially all the revenue from ticket sales goes strait to Hollywood, the theaters don't get to keep any of it.
So, in order to make any money the theaters inflate the price of Food and that's where their income comes from.
I don't know where the revenue for the pre-roll ads goes to but my thoughts about it are this; People put up with Advertising (Commercials) on public access TV because they don't pay to receive it, The Ads are the payment, but we pay (through the nose) to see a movie in a theater and thusly, there shouldn't be any ads.
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About the whole camcording issue
I'll assume you've never been to a p2p site or used p2p software. If you have, you'll notice that most movies and TV shows usually come with descriptions in their titles such as "DIVX" and "HDTV" and even "XVID".
In plain English, these terms mean that the copy which is available to download was made from a high-definition source, either broadcast on HD-TV or copied from a HD master source. These copies may even have Dolby or THX surround sound!
In further plain English, why the **** would anyone download (or even share) a crappy, jittery, horrible-audio camcorded movie when they can have an HD copy?
(For all the marketing types out there, this is called supply and demand: if there is no demand for camcorded movies, there will be no need for people to supply or create it.)
In further, further plain English, the "camcorder menace" is a LOT, LOT less than the "screener menace". Where do you think these HD copies come from? Yep, people who screen the movies for awards, people who get advanced copies for review, people who know people in the industry, etc.
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Your level of compassion is amazing. You truly are a wonderful human being!
I've never been to an IMAX movie, but I was skeptical of digital projectors too. I don't go to the movies all that much, but the last film I went to see was at a theater that uses only digital projectors. I have to say that the image was sharper and clearer than any other film I can remember seeing in the theater.
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Digital projection will be better than 35mm film in most theatres and chains where projection is regarded as one of those annoyances of the business. In the few theatres where film handling is taken seriously and projectors receive regular maintenance, 35mm can provide a clear, scratch-free presentation for hundreds of showings, despite what the pro-digital hypesters may say.
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I hate going to the movies!
It's not like this anymore. I know why - parents. My kids at school do this same thing. We watch a movie in class (pertaining to our work, of course) and my kids sit and talk all the way through it. They yell at the screen, they participate in the story, they repeat lines the character's said for emphasis, they laugh absurdly loud at unfunny parts . . . and I blame their parents. Who taught them that it is ok to ruin someone's $30 movie (a couple with snacks and drinks) by talking all the way through it? Why do they think this is an acceptable way to act?
We went and saw Iron Man tonight - the 11pm showing on a Monday night. We were the only ones in the theatre until the movie started and then people showed up (late of course). 3 people came and sat behind us, and immediately started talking TO the movie. Commenting on everything, saying "get it" when Robert Downey banged some chick, saying "oh shit!" when something blew up - it was great. THEN, the girl with them decided to answer her phone and TALK ON IT while the movie was playing. A fairly open theatre with no one in it and we have THESE people sitting directly behind us. I looked back a few times, I even went outside to complain and of course the manager came in, stood there for awhile and left (and of course they were silent while he was there). 3 more girls showed up to meet them, and then they proceeded to LOUDLY fill them in on what they missed - 20 minutes into the movie!!!
This is why we never go to movies.
I used to love to go to the movies. When I knew I was being loud, even in high school, the minute someone looked back at me I shut up. When I went to the movie I went to actually WATCH the movie, not socialize, not talk on the phone, not text, not to make out - it was a weird concept but I actually wanted to WATCH THE MOVIE!!!
People used to get kicked out of theaters if they were loud. All it took was someone to complain and you were gone. Now, someone comes in, stands there acting important and leaves. Even when we left and asked for our money back no one apologized, no one made them leave - they got to just stay and watch them movie. I even said, "thanks you guys are awesome" as we were walking out and the guy said, "have a good night!" I hate him.
I am going to open a movie theater. It will be just for people who enjoyed the good old days when people actually watched movies. I WILL kick people out, I WILL NOT refund anyone's money if they get kicked out and I will make movie going a PLEASANT experience once again.
Or maybe, I should start a company called "the movie police." Theaters can hire us to come in and watch the movie with the crowd and the minute we see someone's phone, hear someone loudly talking - we police them right outta there. That is genius!
Is there something we can do about this? Will theaters even listen? Does anyone agree with me? Am I alone on this? Do people actually ENJOY watching movies with these RUDE people? I feel like I am the only one that feels this way - does anyone else feel my pain?
Ugh, we OF COURSE got two free passes for walking out tonight but I won't use them because I am never going to the movies again.
I'm so sad, we saw 30 minutes of Iron Man and now have to wait for it to go on video :( I hate those rude kids and I hope that one day someone is talking during their movie when they get older and they remember me!!!
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Re: I hate going to the movies!
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3D
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Vindicated with 3D
You are a true visionary and Hollywood salutes your efforts in stereoscopic film. Thank you for your insights and you have been vindicated by the success of "Avatar" in 3D as the highest grossing film of all time.
Best regards,
Hollywood
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