???
Posted on 12/13/2005 11:34:35 AM PST by Millee
Even a much-hyped giant gorilla, a geisha and a schoolboy magician won't be able to create a happy ending at the US box office, as Hollywood ends its most disappointing year in nearly two decades. Plunging movie ticket sales, after a string of uninspiring remakes and movie sequels coupled with an explosion of the DVD and video game markets, are keeping audiences at home and have sent Hollywood into a deep existential crisis. "This industry is facing significant challenges said Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp, a business support and research body.
Ticket sale revenues dropped five percent in the first 11 months of 2005 while the number of Americans going to the cinema fell by 6.2 percent compared with the same period in 2004, according to box office trackers Exhibitor Relations Co Inc.
The result is Tinseltown's most disappointing box office performance in 15 years as audiences, dazzled by their entertainment choices and disappointed by the mediocre films on offer, turned away from the cinema in droves.
Even the late November and December releases of blockbusters "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "King Kong", "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" are unlikely to turn around the downward trend.
"It's not just a slump in box office, but also in sales of DVDs," Kyser told AFP. "This is mainly because of unattractive movies that don't appeal to young male audiences, the cost of movie tickets, parking, the shrinking window a movie's theatrical and DVD releases.
In addition, Hollywood faces a major external threat: runaway production costs, the growing trend of movie producers to shoot in places such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand to cash in on much lower staff and production charges.
"Some studios are doing some moderate lay offs. LA's future is at stake," Kyser said, demonstrating the depth of despair in the nine-billion-dollar a year industry.
Industry movers are battling to isolate the true causes of the slump, crossing their fingers that the big-budget money-spinners up Hollywood's sleeve will help ease the pain.
"Is it the movies? Is it the ticket prices? Is it because home theater and DVD?," pondered Exhibitor Relations Co's chief Paul Dergarabedian."I think is it because all this happening at the same time, it is a combination of facts."
But he was optimistic for the future of the industry, saying that when Hollywood does dish up a good film, audiences still go rushing to see it.
"'Harry Potter' is showing that people still want to go to the movies but still they need a good reason to go," Dergarabedian told AFP.
The fourth film of JK Rowling's cult novels opened on November 18 and has so far raked in 244 million dollars, making it second most successful film of 2005, behind "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith".
"When a good movie strikes, people go to the theatres," said Dergarabedian.
The last in the "Star Wars" series raked in a whopping 380 million dollars in North American box office, "War of the Worlds," starring Tom Cruise took 234 million, the comedy "Wedding Crashers" notched up 208 million in ticket receipts and Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" took 206 million.
But the successes were few and far between in 2005.
Ron Howard's 88-million-dollar biopic "Cinderella Man," starring Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger, took only 61 million dollars, while Ridley Scott's crusade epic "Kingdom of Heaven," which cost 130 million dollars to make, reaped only 47 million at the all-important domestic the box office.
Other fizzlers that did not recoup their budgets included the much-touted sci-fi flop "The Island," which hauled in only 35 million dollars, while Jamie Foxx's military drama "Stealth" bombed with a US and Canadian haul of 31 million dollars. It quickly disappeared from screens.
"Movie goers are very picky and they want the price of the ticket to be worthwhile, the studios had to offer more," said Gitesh Pandya of movie industry tracker Box Office Guru.
"There should be more creativity and new ideas, not just sequels and remake. Let's hope Hollywood listens to the audiences," he added.
Sneak in your own pop and popcorn.
And remakes of remakes.
I wonder if somebody can help me with a question. The press, as in this article, is always talking about "Hollywood" as if it is a single entity affected by total ticket sales.
It's not, it's a bunch of studios, each of which can make money in a bad year for "the industry" or lose money in a good year, depending on its own productions and how they are received.
I can understand theater owners caring about total ticket sales, but why should an individual studio give a hoot?
I never see people talking about total car sales for the year, but rather about how GM or Ford is doing.
I don't get it.
Not surprised the homo's made sure this movie about homosexual cowboys (sorry there's nothing gay about homo's) pushed this particular movie and will be awarded everything. The homo's continue to work to make others think this is just another lifestyle. Instead of what it is, a couple of sickos who needs lots of prayers and deliverance.
Which is why we get movies about fudge-packing cowboys that the rest of the industry squeals and swoons over, while we stay at home and buy DVDs of decades-old movies that were made before Hollywood whored itself out to the neo-fascists of the left.
Who the hell wants to see a movie about the Crusades that glorifies the Muslims and demonizes Christians?
Who the hell wants to see a movie named "Cinderella Man"? That's enough to turn people off before they even know what it's about.
Who wants to see a movie about Alexander the Great as a pansy?
Who wants to see a movie starring a bunch of whining leftists who attack the President for defending our country?
Decided to take the plunge and rent a DVD the other night. Kingdom of Heaven. All I could do was get pi##ed off at that crap.
I wish they could make some good military movies like they used to during WWII. When will they realize that US patriotism will sell?
you know the kind. they put their feet on the back of your seat, talk to their friend/spouse/significant other even though they have every other hour during the day to talk to eachother, choose to open their crinkly wrappers at exactly the wrong time and, of course, answer their cell phones.
I thought the same thing. They are shooting themselves in the foot with this garbage they produce.
I love that one.
I'm embarassed to admit that my friends and I used to sneak in multiple six-packs of beer, then spend the whole movie climbing past people to go take a leak.
I guess I wasn't too smart at 19.
I think we need to add a two dollar $2,00 ticket tax on each ticket to form a new government agency tasked with informing the taxpayers as to the value of going to the movies.
You know, for the children.
Thank you millee, for stating the obvious.
That goes for suicidal lesbian boxers, gay anything and delusional Global Warming fantasies.
Oh yes, also lose the Saudi-funded sandmaggot propaganda films like "Syriana", or whatever that abortion is named.
Extended Special Edition ;)
I think it is more about the sheer VOLUME of movies that are produced.
It is astounding how many films get released each week, considering that most of them are not worth the money spent to watch them.
It is hard to decide which movie to go to, and then to finance more than one.
???
I love it when you talk dirty.
It is the combination of things, mostly though there is plenty of things that keep people entertained. One of which is apparently guys do not have to take girls on dates to get laid now. Sounds crass but it is true. There goes 2 tickets right there.
Exactly! Why on earth would I want to deal with people that annoy me after paying a small fortune to be entertained :)
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