Theatrical Future/PVOD Thread

[Nick]

Considering what the first movie grossed, what expectations were for the sequel's grosses (not great), and the money ALREADY spent on marketing that Universal would have lost since the release date was so close before the shutdown, this was ultimately the best decision. Universal probably got a bigger cut doing it this way so the difference was marginal and the movie still stands to make money with a traditional sale price and rentals. Considering Universal was amongst the only studios bring in that kind of coin last month, the experiment was successful.. whether the film has already turned a profit or not.

The first film had overseas profits to get to about $350M WW, though.

Is that $100M domestic returns for Trolls 2 or Worldwide? I’m honestly asking as I forgot. Either way, I think Universal make the majority of their profit from this film from merchandising.

 

[awhen]

The first film had overseas profits to get to about $350M WW, though.

Is that $100M domestic returns for Trolls 2 or Worldwide? I’m honestly asking as I forgot. Either way, I think Universal make the majority of their profit from this film from merchandising.

Only released to US and U.K. I believe.

 

[Legacy]

Box Office Mojo has Trolls 2 making $1.9m so far, with only Russia and Singapore as the foreign markets.

EDIT -

The Numbers has a better breakdown. It’s opened in 5 markets so far (Russia, Singapore, UK, Germany, Korea). They’re reporting $2.6m international so far.

Trolls: World Tour (2020) - Financial Information

Financial analysis of Trolls: World Tour (2020) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability.

www.the-numbers.com

2x EDIT -

It’s also open in fewer than 150 theaters in Korea and Singapore.

 

[Nick]

Box Office Mojo has Trolls 2 making $1.9m so far, with only Russia and Singapore as the foreign markets.

It will likely start playing in theaters that open up anytime soon.

 

[WAJAS]

For the serious moviegoer, the large theater chains closing seems crazy, but I would say they are going to get the better end of the bargain. The highest quality cinemas do not tend to be at AMC or Regal, but instead at local theaters, smaller chains, and museums. These are theaters whos major business already comes from movies that are long past their release dates or have non-standard releases, so I do not see them closing anytime soon. Ultimately, those small-business theaters will now be able to attract a larger audience by opening second screens for modern releases that go straight to VOD for those serious moviegoers.

Now, my major concern is actually the increasing power of the distributor on who is allowed to screen a movie. Disney has shown that they do not play well with the local theaters as they pull back their catalog, including Fox, into the vault. My above scenario only works if distributors actually allow their film to be shown in these local theaters when the movies go straight to VOD.

 

[quinnmac000]

Box Office Mojo has Trolls 2 making $1.9m so far, with only Russia and Singapore as the foreign markets.

EDIT -

The Numbers has a better breakdown. It’s opened in 5 markets so far (Russia, Singapore, UK, Germany, Korea). They’re reporting $2.6m international so far.

Trolls: World Tour (2020) - Financial Information

Financial analysis of Trolls: World Tour (2020) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability.

www.the-numbers.com

2x EDIT -

It’s also open in fewer than 150 theaters in Korea and Singapore.

Korea's numbers are Box office online but it was released on demand as well so the numbers may be higher as i know a lot watched it at home.

 

[OLSinFLA]

For the serious moviegoer, the large theater chains closing seems crazy, but I would say they are going to get the better end of the bargain. The highest quality cinemas do not tend to be at AMC or Regal, but instead at local theaters, smaller chains, and museums. These are theaters whos major business already comes from movies that are long past their release dates or have non-standard releases, so I do not see them closing anytime soon. Ultimately, those small-business theaters will now be able to attract a larger audience by opening second screens for modern releases that go straight to VOD for those serious moviegoers.

Now, my major concern is actually the increasing power of the distributor on who is allowed to screen a movie. Disney has shown that they do not play well with the local theaters as they pull back their catalog, including Fox, into the vault. My above scenario only works if distributors actually allow their film to be shown in these local theaters when the movies go straight to VOD.

Independentr theaters are the likely target of movie studios, should they decide to get into the business. again

 

[quinnmac000]

Less Than 10% of Americans Would Currently Go to Concerts, Theaters or Sports Events, New Poll Says

Screen Engine/ASI poll shows that people want to go back to the movies, but only when it is safe

www.thewrap.com

 

[Nick]

Less Than 10% of Americans Would Currently Go to Concerts, Theaters or Sports Events, New Poll Says

Screen Engine/ASI poll shows that people want to go back to the movies, but only when it is safe

www.thewrap.com

I'm not sure what your point is since the poll shows that people WANT to go to the movies. They just don't want to go until it's safe. Just like with almost everything else in the world right now.

 

[Legacy]

So, if Amazon buys AMC, what’s the likelihood of same day theater/Amazon Prime streaming releases?

 

[Nick]

So, if Amazon buys AMC, what’s the likelihood of same day theater/Amazon Prime streaming releases?

Probably pretty high.

If it’s gonna happen, I think the smart play would be to finally give the Prime Video app an update (it’s extremely outdated and hard to navigate) and add an AMC section where it would show all movies currently on PVOD and there would be an in-app option to purchase A-List so you could watch the releases.

I think there’s a potential court battle to be had though over Amazon buying AMC. Amazon is just as much of a studio as the legacy studios, but they aren’t allowed to legally buy chains like AMC bc of conflict of interest issues.

 

[quinnmac000]

Probably pretty high.

If it’s gonna happen, I think the smart play would be to finally give the Prime Video app an update (it’s extremely outdated and hard to navigate) and add an AMC section where it would show all movies currently on PVOD and there would be an in-app option to purchase A-List so you could watch the releases.

I think there’s a potential court battle to be had though over Amazon buying AMC. Amazon is just as much of a studio as the legacy studios, but they aren’t allowed to legally buy chains like AMC bc of conflict of interest issues.

Not anymore...DOJ is already trying to rescind that rule and that rule only applies to Paramount, Universal and Warner. Disney and all the new studios are exempt.

 

[Nick]

Not anymore...DOJ is already trying to rescind that rule and that rule only applies to Paramount, Universal and Warner. Disney and all the new studios are exempt.

That may be, but if I’m literally any other Studio besides Amazon, I’d be fighting this.

If a deal were to happen though, at that point, the floodgates are opened and I think Apple, Comcast, and AT&T are likely all going to be having their eyes on Regal and Cinemark.

Hell, I think Apple may make it hard on Amazon to buy AMC and potentially try and grab it for themselves.

 

[tielo]

I hate going to the cinema as movies here have Dutch subtitles and for whatever reason I need to read them and it's terrible, distracts from the scene and makes me tired to the point I can't finish the movie. Before the release of a movie there is a lot of investment for promotion, if I could see a movie at home, with OPTIONAL subtitles, I would do that in a hart beat.

 

[MrBlonde]

With the DoJ previously trying to walk back the rule, I don't think it'll get too much of a legal battle from them in that regard.

To be honest, if they do buy them it's getting concerning for me personally how many dollars are flowing through Amazon owned companies. It's not like Amazon buying Whole Foods significantly improve those stores or reduced prices.

Plenty of companies should have an interest in this transaction but most bow out for various reasons in my opinion:

1. AT&T has way too much debt and are trying not to choke on it.
2. Comcast is focusing more on getting dollars at home w/ cable, internet, or digital purchasing such as on Fandango (where they already get a cut), on demand videos and their newly acquired Vudu.
3. Apple is interesting as a suitor: they like providing the means to content and doing it well with glossy PR. However, they're trying to make their streaming service work. I could see them going big and buying a Disney vs. trying to get hundreds of theaters up to a standard indicate of the Apple brand.
4. Other studios are trying to survive at the moment so I think they're out.

 

[OLSinFLA]

Not anymore...DOJ is already trying to rescind that rule and that rule only applies to Paramount, Universal and Warner. Disney and all the new studios are exempt.

That is incorrect. It has never been illegal for theaters to own movie studios (a common misconception of the Paramount decree). They were forced to sell their theaters because they were found in violation of an agreement made in 1940. (The court considered a ban but in an implicit nod to ever-shifting context, the justices concluded that forcing studios to divest themselves of theaters was the more appropriate remedy. The 7-1 decision stopped short of forever making 
it illegal for studios to own cinemas. "We see no 
reason to place a ban on this type of ownership," wrote Justice William Douglas.) What the 1940 agreement (that the studios were found to have violated) did the following:
The Big Five studios could no longer block-book short film subjects along with feature films (known as one-shot, or full force, block booking);
The Big Five studios could continue to block-book features, but the block size would be limited to five films;
Blind buying (buying of films by theater districts without seeing films beforehand) would be outlawed and replaced with "trade showing," special screenings every two weeks at which representatives of all 31 theater districts in the United States could see films before theatres decided to book a film; and
The creation of an administration board to enforce these requirements.

 

[rhino4evr]

Just thought I’d say that Trolls 2 wasn’t a very good movie.

 

[rageofthegods]

*Shrug*

I liked it. Had a good message and some clever social commentary about pop music and appropriation.

 

[rhino4evr]

People that listen to rock or metal music aren't "evil".

 

[rageofthegods]

I agree that was a little frustrating, and the plot could stand to be cut down a little (there's just a bit too much happening), but I wasn't too bothered by it. Totally get if someone else was more peeved about that though, it's an annoying trope.