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Hollywood box office suffers least-attended summer movie season in 25 years
Los Angeles Times ^ | August 30, 2017 | Ryan Faughnder

Posted on 08/30/2017 2:55:02 PM PDT by EdnaMode

As Hollywood wraps up the all-important summer box office season this Labor Day weekend, a sobering reality has gripped the industry.

The number of tickets sold in the United States and Canada this summer is projected to fall to the lowest level in a quarter-century.

The results have put the squeeze on the nation’s top theater chains, whose stocks have taken a drubbing. AMC Theatres Chief Executive Adam Aron earlier this month called his company’s most recent quarter “simply a bust.”

Such blunt language reflects some worrisome trends. Domestic box office revenue is expected to total $3.78 billion for the first weekend of May through Labor Day, down nearly 16% from the same period last year, according to comScore. That’s an even worse decline than the 10% drop some studio executives predicted before the summer began.

And the number of actual tickets sold paints a bleaker picture, with total admissions likely to clock in at about 425 million, the lowest level since 1992, according to industry estimates.

No one can fully explain why. Studios, movie theater owners and analysts cited the usual explanations for the summer slump. There are the obvious reasons: Too many bad movies, including sequels, reboots and aging franchises that no one wanted to see. Some point to rising ticket prices, which hit a record high in the second quarter, according to the National Assn. of Theatre Owners. Then there are long-term challenges, including competition from streaming services such as Netflix and the influence of the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. How about all of the above?

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: boxoffice; hollywood; movies; movietheater; movietheaters
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To: EdnaMode
No one can fully explain why

I don't want to give my money to spoiled, self-righteous rich people who call me ignorant, racist and evil simply because I'm a working class white male.

81 posted on 08/30/2017 5:16:51 PM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: Mount Athos

Last one I’ve seen in a theater was the True Grit remake, I guess around 2010?


82 posted on 08/30/2017 5:16:58 PM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: wastedyears

The Miyazaki movies are by far superior to most Hollywood fare. Standard anime is routinely better. My kids, adults now, were raised on anime and I don’t believe they have ever been regular TV viewers. Everything was on-demand.


83 posted on 08/30/2017 5:21:15 PM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists...Socialists...Fascists & AntiFa...Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: EdnaMode
If you can see movies without going to the movie theater, why would you go to the movie theater?

My own pet theory is that Stan Lee killed the movies.

Every summer kids would line up to see a Superman or Batman or Spiderman movie.

But now that there are so many awful superhero movies out there, why bother?

84 posted on 08/30/2017 5:25:02 PM PDT by x
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To: LS
Thanks!

I do like you idea; however, it would have to be something original, very special, and unusual...as in great writing, good acting & directing, and perhaps a true "EPIC" kind of movie as once was made.

I agree with the poster who said that there are still old, great books, that could and probably should be made onto movies. AND NO DAMNED CGI CRAP, NO PEOPLE PORTRAYING PEOPLE OF A DIFFERENT RACE THAN THEY ARE, NO "F BOMBS" AND WORSE, NO GRATUITOUS SEX/VIOLENCE/GORE ETC. !

There are many old movies, that were fantastic, ON ALL LEVELS, which should be used as a jumping off point/teaching tool.

And old plays, novels, factual history that could also be used, not to mention great old radio shows that could be expanded...IF ONLY people could write coherent English prose today.

Oh.....and they need to stop writing scripts that only interest adults who are mentally very backward 11-12 year olds.

Just a thought....Harlan Ellison wrote great short stories and books, some of which were once turned into fantastic T.V. shows, from ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS to the TWILIGHT ZONE and many of which were NEVER turned into anything.

Roald Dahl wrote fantastic ADULT books & short stories, that Hitchcock used for his T.V. show; which is how, as a kid, I became not just a fan of his work ( never read his kids books until I was an adult and read them to my progeny; hadn't even ever heard of him as a children's author, until then )but an avid reader of his work. His short story, " A LEG OF LAMB" is marvelous, BTW.

Jack Finney is another one. The original movie, from his book, THE BODY SNATCHERs was great, all of the remakes not only STANK, but got worse the more times it was remade.

TIME AND AGAIN is out of this world, but the movie that used the idea, but completely changed the whole thing was utter garbage!

And whilst the movie made from MARION'S WALL ( MAXI )was sort of okay...it could have been a GREAT film.

Sadly, now even Brit "actors" and "actresses" mumble and the younger ones, for the most part, can't act at all. OTOH...the American ones are even worse.

85 posted on 08/30/2017 5:25:12 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: freedumb2003

Yeah, the Star Wars series peaked at Empire Strikes Back.


86 posted on 08/30/2017 5:25:24 PM PDT by EdnaMode
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To: pabianice

From IMBD: “Two young brothers are drawn into an intergalactic adventure when their house is hurled through the depths of space by the magical board game “

So it’s Jumanji in space? Good enough, I’ll pull it up and watch.


87 posted on 08/30/2017 5:25:38 PM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: who knows what evil?
Last time I checked; my wife and I are part of ‘everybody’. Anime makes us barf.

What have you watched? What about it makes you barf?

88 posted on 08/30/2017 5:27:08 PM PDT by wastedyears (Anime is real.)
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To: Wuli

Social media has made it worse for Hollywood. Before, celebs could only really get political at award shows. Now it’s all the time.


89 posted on 08/30/2017 5:29:04 PM PDT by EdnaMode
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To: wastedyears

I don’t care for any animated movies. Saw enough of those when my kids were growing up.


90 posted on 08/30/2017 5:29:32 PM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: Caipirabob
A Silent Voice / The Shape of Voice / Koe no Katachi is a fanTASTIC movie. Main plot is a deaf girl starts school but gets mercilessly bullied due to not being able to hear. That gets turned around on the male main character, then it goes forward a couple years down the line, and the male MC starts on a path towards redemption.

The page on My Anime List for the movie.

It was absolutely worth the time.

91 posted on 08/30/2017 5:42:02 PM PDT by wastedyears (Anime is real.)
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To: Rebelbase
I don’t care for any animated movies. Saw enough of those when my kids were growing up.

This is Japanese animation I'm talking about. That along with manga (Japanese comics) is probably their biggest cultural export.

But there's older animated movies that are quite good. Don Bluth comes to mind.

92 posted on 08/30/2017 5:44:36 PM PDT by wastedyears (Anime is real.)
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To: wastedyears
your name (all lowercase) is another fantastic anime film that was released with an English dub in April. It is now the #1 grossing anime film of all time ($354M+) and is now ranked #7 for any animated film.
93 posted on 08/30/2017 5:51:21 PM PDT by Gideon7
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To: EdnaMode
No one can fully explain why. Studios, movie theater owners and analysts cited the usual explanations for the summer slump. There are the obvious reasons: Too many bad movies, including sequels, reboots and aging franchises that no one wanted to see. Some point to rising ticket prices, which hit a record high in the second quarter, according to the National Assn. of Theatre Owners. Then there are long-term challenges, including competition from streaming services such as Netflix and the influence of the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. How about all of the above?

Change a few words, and this could be print newspaper people explaining why circulation is down. Or Sears explaining why more stores are closing. Look up, movie people; the future is ahead of you.

94 posted on 08/30/2017 6:03:11 PM PDT by Bernard (If we could tax Stupid, Congress could balance the budget)
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To: EdnaMode

Not very good businessmen(or businesswomen/things) or they would tailor their products to their customers ... just sayin, fundamentals fools!


95 posted on 08/30/2017 6:06:03 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (Start using cash and checks or the elite class and bankers will make "cashless" the norm.)
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To: EdnaMode
No one can fully explain why.

The business is controlled by elite (and hyper) Democrat Party partisans. The actors who those partisans hire constantly push their political propaganda. 2016 was a huge upset to the usual propaganda, hence the backlash against the elites continues.
96 posted on 08/30/2017 6:07:23 PM PDT by af_vet_1981 (The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began.)
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To: EdnaMode

“No one can fully explain why.”

Have they consulted with Captain Obvious?


97 posted on 08/30/2017 6:07:25 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (Start using cash and checks or the elite class and bankers will make "cashless" the norm.)
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To: gaijin

I think you about covered the whole movie theater experience.


98 posted on 08/30/2017 6:12:33 PM PDT by Crucial
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To: Vince Ferrer

Imagine if they hadn’t made Dunkirk.


99 posted on 08/30/2017 6:13:39 PM PDT by henkster (Ask your favorite liberal to take the "Snowflake Challenge.")
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To: RetiredTexasVet

LOL, they should. :D


100 posted on 08/30/2017 6:14:09 PM PDT by EdnaMode
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