Good article on the day the movies died. Hat tip, Naveen.
3 comments:
andy v
said...
Article makes me think the big studios really hurt themselves in the short run with the DVD boom of last decade. Windows became so brief that the incentive for the average person to go to the theater is minimal. I find myself saying all the time that I can wait to see that comedy, or that doc on DVD cause it will be there so quickly - and I am at the far end of one spectrum of the movie going audience. How hard would it be just to extend the windows and start telling audiences they need to see these in theaters. Its not stupid people running the studios and in a time like this I think we'll start to see some unusual strategies. I could see James Cameron releasing the next Avatar movie and saying "This will only be shown in 3D in theaters - it will never be released on home video." I don't think there is a big downside for a studio to try that with some movie.
I cancelled HBO a couple years back and I find myself reconsidering that decision all the time because they take forever to release their shows on DVD.
I don't know, maybe its past the point where they can get the theater audience back - if people don't want to go, they don't want to go.
i suppose as a general rule, you try not to alienate your customers who have grown accustomed to getting dvds quickly. and then there is also the issue of piracy, which they are trying to kill by making stuff avail.
i think bottom line - they need to make better movies - and the studios right now aren't designed to be able to think in those terms because good movies depend on execution and execution is unpredictable and hard to manage. so they've resorted to marketing principles, etc.
but then it makes me think of pro sports and there seems to be a pretty good model for how to build good teams - train good coaches, don't overplay stars or hot rookies, take calculated risks, and get lucky sometimes. it works for the NFL. don't see why movies don't rely on movie people. they don't let MBAs coach or GM football teams.
3 comments:
Article makes me think the big studios really hurt themselves in the short run with the DVD boom of last decade. Windows became so brief that the incentive for the average person to go to the theater is minimal. I find myself saying all the time that I can wait to see that comedy, or that doc on DVD cause it will be there so quickly - and I am at the far end of one spectrum of the movie going audience. How hard would it be just to extend the windows and start telling audiences they need to see these in theaters. Its not stupid people running the studios and in a time like this I think we'll start to see some unusual strategies. I could see James Cameron releasing the next Avatar movie and saying "This will only be shown in 3D in theaters - it will never be released on home video." I don't think there is a big downside for a studio to try that with some movie.
I cancelled HBO a couple years back and I find myself reconsidering that decision all the time because they take forever to release their shows on DVD.
I don't know, maybe its past the point where they can get the theater audience back - if people don't want to go, they don't want to go.
not a bad idea.
i suppose as a general rule, you try not to alienate your customers who have grown accustomed to getting dvds quickly. and then there is also the issue of piracy, which they are trying to kill by making stuff avail.
i think bottom line - they need to make better movies - and the studios right now aren't designed to be able to think in those terms because good movies depend on execution and execution is unpredictable and hard to manage. so they've resorted to marketing principles, etc.
but then it makes me think of pro sports and there seems to be a pretty good model for how to build good teams - train good coaches, don't overplay stars or hot rookies, take calculated risks, and get lucky sometimes. it works for the NFL. don't see why movies don't rely on movie people. they don't let MBAs coach or GM football teams.
Great article, but am I the only one who thought Inception was a tad overrated?
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