MPAA Brags About How Awesome The Movie Business Is; Right After It Claims File Sharing Is Destroying The Industry
from the two-faced dept
You gotta love the MPAA for the sheer Hollywood brashness of two recent press releases, that the Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro decided to compare and call the MPAA on its blatant dishonesty. The first press release, from back in December, was all about how the internet and file trading were killing the industry:Yet our industry faces the relentless challenge of the theft of its creative content, a challenge extracting an increasingly unbearable cost.Now, we already knew that wasn't true, and were among those who pointed out that the industry had just experienced its best year at the box office ever. And, of course, that's what the second press release was about. It was the MPAA bragging about what an awesome year Hollywood had in 2009.
Of course, the MPAA spokesperson that Pegoraro spoke to pulled out the usual claim that while the box office may be doing great, it's the secondary market (DVDs and such) that are suffering from all those nasty internet people. Of course, this is quite ironic, since the MPAA fought about as hard as possible against the very concept of a secondary market, with former MPAA boss Jack Valenti once declaring: "I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone." For the MPAA to now whine that the very secondary market it fought so hard to prevent from existing is now shrinking is the height of ridiculousness.
And, of course, even that claim by the MPAA isn't accurate. It pointed Pegoraro to a report that it claimed supported this claim of file sharing killing the DVD market -- but Pegoraro notes that the report actually notes the decline in sales of DVDs isn't because of file sharing, but because of a better, more efficient rental market. Of course, the MPAA and Hollywood are also trying to stop that new rental market from existing as well (another Boston strangler, huh?) by falsely pointing to a study which it pretends says that Redbox and Netflix are killing jobs in Hollywood -- but which actually notes jobs will grow.
Basically, it looks like Hollywood will repeatedly say the exact opposite of what research shows in its quest to get ever greater protectionist policies out of the US government, even as it's absolutely thriving, despite an economic downturn.
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Filed Under: movie business, mpaa, studies
Companies: mpaa
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Best year ever is deceptive...
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didnt they just implement a law to allow private theaters to search backpacks looking for video cameras, pop corn, candy, and soda.
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Dear God, PLEASE tell me that is true, and that they actually pull stuff OUT of the backpack. I can't tell you the shit I will put in my backpack for the sole reason of them searching for it.
I never had a reason to buy dildos or pocket vaginas before, but now?
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tube of ky - dog buscuits - condoms
tube of ky - cardboard tube - one live hampster
Inflatable love doll - strawberry marmalade - plunger
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- used toilet paper
- urine sample
- used facial tissues (possibly Kleenex brand)
- used chewing gum
- one dead hamster
- moldy bread
- at least one open tube of super glue
- silicone breast inserts
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And I honestly did feel bad sometimes with people that were late to their movie with full ice cream cones that they obviously just bought next door telling them to either throw them out or miss 10 minutes of their movie while finishing their ice cream. It's amazing how many people would just throw the ice cream out.
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I never have heard of a particular law, but know a few who have had to go to court to get it thrown out, but they keep on doing it anyways.
I have never been caught, but it's just insane how much crap they put you through over this, and then whine because they are loosing money selling $15 tickets and 20 oz cokes for $7.50.
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_______________________________
/
| GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY |
| |
_______________________________/
Look, it's a sign. You must obey.
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This and many comments above about searching your bags etc are rather interesting.
Here in Australia, it is not legal for private individuals/organizations to forcibly search your person.
They can refuse you entry if you do not allow them to search your belongings, or ask you to leave if you are already inside and they ask to search your belongings (and forcibly eject you/call the police if you refuse to leave).
However, not allowing them to search your belongings is not a criminal act, it is merely a breach of contract with the remedy limited to ejecting you/not allowing you in, thus you lose the ticket, no refunds. And considering the volume of customers going through into movie cinemas, it is simply not practical (from a cost perspective) to inspect more than a small random sampling of customers. So, put the food/drink in your bag, if they ask to inspect your bag and find these goods in there, chuck em in the bin and proceed inside (never seen anyone refused entry after agreeing to dispose of the goods). I've probably been done once in 20 years, going 5-10 times a year, and that was because I had a bottle of coke (TM) in my coat pocket on the side the usher was standing on with half the bottle sticking out. I stood there and drank the coke (TM) and chucked the empty bottle in the bin then proceeded into the cinema.
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Did you not even read what the MPAA said?
"Ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada rose more than 5.5% from 2008.... Per capita ticket purchases in the U.S. and Canada also increased 4.6% to 4.3 tickets per person"
So, nope, ticket sales are not heading down any more.
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Now, attendance may be up 5.5% from 2008, but that is still less than the attendance in every year from 1999 to 2005, and more than 10% down from 2005; i.e., having increased attendance from last year is fairly meaningless.
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http://blog.sceneclips.com/the-business/movie-theater-attendence
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So you are telling us that despite economy going down the drain, pirates taking over everything from Somalia to StarTrek and ticket prices going up, we should still ignore the fact that there was a considerable increase in movie attendance? That's not to count the fact that more people can have a 50" TV in their living room than 10 years ago and PS2/3, Wii and Xbox has invaded just about every living room.
Poor bastards, how will they ever survive if their revenue and attendance keeps on going up in the face of increasing competition.
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http://www.bea.gov/briefrm/gdp.htm
You will note that the downturn was at its worst by the end of 2008 and the economy has improved steadily since then. The fact that attendance has improved with the upturn in the economy is no great surprise.
I have no idea what you are talking about with respect to "anti-piracy" mouthpiece. Since I am neither anti-piracy or pro-piracy, the statement is irrelevant. However, you have done a nice job of making an ass of yourself.
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As for theater attendance, it may have been up in 2009 but it's still considerably down from the highs seen in the early-mid 00's.
With inflation factored in, "Avatar" isn't even in the top 10 highest grossing films of all time, despite having the benefit of IMAX/3D ticket surcharges and a much higher number of screens available to it in foreign territories.
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Just wait for it to go to one of the low cost theaters 2 months after release.
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i sell the MPAA its crack pipes
also i told them to make pop and popcorn 17$ or more so we cna keep corn farmers in business longer
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yo ho and a bottle of ACTA
can't wait to see the affects of this on the americans , i htink the rest of the world should just sit aorund a few dozen years and see how you pound your ownpeople into the dust
HAHA
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I am enjoying this ...
They also have no real plan, continue to change course mid stream, implement things that are self defeating long term to make a short term profit, dont think about their long term viability, use intimidation to get people to buy their product, dont listen to what the consumer wants, continue to try finding a magic fix instead of taking risks and making tough descisions, dont do any financial analysis other than to show its "those pirates that are at fault", continue looking for scapegoats, and are generally fraking up everything they touch.
Its a good thing for sure. As long as they are dishonest with others and themselves, they will never get their act together, and eventually fail.
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Uh, no, it doesn't. Not even close.
The MPAA clearly stated that the "cost" of file sharing was "unbearable."
That's provably false.
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Makes you wonder where the hell the bank's making its other money, doesn't it? But more importantly: why customers are being shafted to produce even more of it.
*dons ski mask
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air port terrorist security strip searches are next
get naked i want to see you have no cameras grandma
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umm
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Re: umm
There may be issues involving contractual agreements they have with the theaters, but that has nothing to do with governmental regulation.
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The theaters protect themselves through the contractual agreements they have with the movie companies. Which is what would prevent the movie companies from releasing first-run stuff directly to the consumer: the theaters would have stipulated this to protect themselves. This would cut both ways, though -- certainly the theaters cannot do anything they want to with the movies they show. They are likely contractually restricted to showing them in their own facilities.
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People go to the theaters for the experience more than the movie. Aside from folks willing to fork over the bucks for a home theater setup, you can't replicate the experience in your home. Avatar would not have been a blockbuster if it wasn't shown on a huge screen in 3D with surround sound.
But as to the prices of the concessions, that's because almost all of the ticket price you pay goes to the movie company, not the theater. The theater makes its money on the concessions.
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dont ya love these folks?
500?
Direct to DVD
RELEASE TO TV ONLY
MOVIES..
How many Theaters could a person afford to goto last year?
IF you afford more then 1 per month, You are rich.
Out of the ones you saw..
how many did you LIKE?
How many were OK?
HOW MANY WERE Ehhh!
How many were CRAP?
The DVD releases were OLD crap/TV SERIES and SifiTV movies..
The NEW movies are almost ALL remakes. (still waiting for BEN) I wont even TOUCH 3D and paying 3 times the price to watch..
Thinking about $1B in sales for 1 movie..at $30 tickets..
Even at $10 tickets..its only 100,000,000 SALES world wide. Which is 1/3 the USA population.
AND on $30 tickets??? for 3D? IS NOTHING.
If you cant get 10% of the world to watch a movie at $10 Each???
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High Price of Popcorn
However, they didn't say you couldn't share it.
So, bring the entire neighborhood with empty bags (no law on bags) and keep refilling and refilling and refilling. On the way out, sell the full bucket for half price.
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When they go past 3
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Good point about secondary markets...
- RP
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MPAA - relevance in the new century
The world would be a better place without them.
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Cinema is OVERPRICED!!
LOWER PRICES!! I can eat a meal at a restaurant for those prices.
Only see the big ones like avatar, maybe just me, but the 3d version hurt my eyes and forced my focus points. 2d was way more relaxing and you can focus on any point in the amazing 3d environment.
The stuff that floated out of the screen was blurry and annoying as I instinctively tried to look at it but its blurry nature hurt my brain.
Never buy the food, sneak it in. the food is way overpriced.
They check my bag, but they never check my girlfriends handbag!! :D
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