what got me thinking of this is seeing how nearly all of the threads in this section are for things that are typically watched at home online or on television like anime, television shows and cartoons etc rather than upcoming blockbusters.

The MCU is just an example to open this discussion up of the kind of nerd friendly (that’s us) cgi spectacle cinema that makes huge money at the box office and prior to about roughly four or five months ago seemed invincible and evergreen in terms of its capacity to dominate the market.

It’s been argued many times that the cinema/box office business model was always a bit broken with its overpriced tickets and pop corn but it seemed to have avoided the fate of the music industry and survived things like internet piracy and home streaming so it is sad that it seems to be falling hard now however bloated it was.

Even if the thought of us all getting in close proximity to each other in a large cinema currently makes us all feel a bit anxious people will always need to be entertained by things we consider to be large shared experiences but can the cinema, big box office draw and Hollywood studio business model survive this current situation?

Would watching an Avengers team up against an enemy really epic like for example Galactus in about five years time feel like a bit of a letdown and anticlimactic if we all had to watch it at home on Disney plus rather at a cinema on a larger screen where some people are getting enthusiastic and dressing up.

This thread is not here for people to indirectly discuss the different governments responses to this situation or whether you consider it a hoax or not as I’m sure if you attempt to do that you will be breaking the site rules and the mods will quite rightly be on your case.

 

Well, I don't disagree that the whole thing has stopped a lot of stuff dead. Some studios will have their aspirations dampened, if not outright killed, by this. However it could also provide an opportunity for them to cool off and take a breath. Perhaps it will help new ideas and concepts to take root and create a new zeitgeist.

Either way, all things end.

 

Of course creativity in general will endure as it is one of the most comforting things in life to know that great creativity whether it be films, art, music, literature etc has endured all sorts wars, despots, catastrophes and it certainly will continue throughout this crisis one way or another.

I was talking more about a specific type of creativity that is under threat and whether it can survive or not.

People are always going to want fantasy, science fiction, crime, action and stories about the wish fulfilment of people gain extraordinary powers even if people are getting a little fatigued with what MCU, DC and Star Wars are putting out currently.

If the box office doesn’t recover from this I could see it as a similar situation for Hollywood as to what happened for the music industry as to when people stopped buying music and it lost the lions share of its cash. Sure some big artists still do well like your Rihanna’s and Taylor Swifts of this world but big stadium giants with their guitar shaped swimming pools and expensive coke/hookers habit are gone and the mid level musicians also need regular jobs or to tour their buts off to make a living.

A big part of these films appeal is scale and spectacle and that isn’t cheap to create so if things go south financially the business model will need to change dramatically.

 

Honestly I think the MCU will be fine. The Infinity Saga ended with Endgame and FFH last year. The unexpected delay will help the next saga and phase of the MCU stand more apart from what came before. We have closure for the MCU right now with the exception of FFH’s post credits scene anyway.

It would’ve truly been a cruel twist of fate if this all happened after Infinity War and AMATW, though. Meaning we’d have to endure potentially more than a year of waiting for the resolution of the Infinity Saga. If that had happened, I would’ve hoped that the first twenty minutes up until the TimeSkip of Endgame would’ve been done, as I would’ve released that as an exclusive bit to give fans something. Let fans really sit on what Thanos did and also give them an unhappy closure on what happened.

Then, whenever the 2018 pandemic ended, release Endgame with those 20 minutes in it still. The catharsis of everyone returning to the theaters would’ve printed the movie $3 billion alone, but the movie itself would’ve made this thing a $6 billion movie.

I’m just thinking is all. But like I said, thankfully that’s not the case. We got closure and a few hints to what is to come. The MCU will have more time between one Saga and the next, and I think that will help.

 

Personally, I love that Universal won the battle with Trolls: World Tour and shook things up. I think it's ridiculous that AMC (financially suffering here in the States before the pandemic) is wanting to pull their movies because they want to put them in the home and in the theater at the same time.

Don't get me wrong, I get why the theaters are upset, but they're not looking at the big picture. This could work out for everyone if a plan is designed correctly.

Families would much rather pay $20-30 for a rental they can watch at home, in comfort, with their own food and options. Pause? Yep. Rewind or fast-forward? Yep. Watch it again before the 48 hours is up? Yep. Unless you have an unlimited plan at your theater, that's another potential $20.00 per person!

I think companies/studios will become more adaptable because of this situation, rather than close down and hide away. They might for a while, but not forever. Netflix has proven you can pay ridiculous sums for movies, not release them theatrically (save for a handful, by comparison) and still be a success. Netflix is still making big bucks and people don't even have to leave their homes or look away from their screens.

Honestly? Disney should release one new Marvel movie on the Disney+ platform and look at the numbers. If it doesn't work, then they can go back to their original method. If it does, though... Oh, man.

Honestly, the future is home streaming/rentals. Indie films are released that way, what makes the big names so special? (I know, someone will snark money, fame, and power... But really, it's a valid question.)

I think the landscape is about to change in ways none of us expected. I do think drive-ins will make a comeback. I think movies will still end up in theaters, but I think the home is the future.

Look at how many wait for video and skip the theater. Look at how many can't get to the theater.
Those are two groups who would benefit greatly from this new normal.

 

The Marvel series isn't a big deal to me, but it's probably fair to say they've kept a lot of cinemas in business. I find these movies play better on the big screen than at home. Among other reasons, they are shot for the big screen and mixed for the big screen. The trouble is that cinema is an ecosystem, and they need more than just tentpoles to prop them up, so they could be in trouble, we'll have to see how it goes.

Why should they look at the big picture if it involves them going extinct? How does that work out for everyone?

If you want to watch a film at home, that's fine, everything ends up on the small screen eventually. Is it so unreasonable to have to wait a few more weeks? There are plenty of movies made for the small screen, and a whole century of cinema to catch up on. No one should feel they are starved for content in this day and age (Covid effect on production aside). The big budgets of theatrical releases are supported by big theatrical grosses. Movies like Endgame would never have been made for straight to video.

 

As you just said, everything ends up on the small screen eventually.

It's not unreasonable to wait, but Universal proved there's a market for new release movies at home. A financially successful market.

Theaters already offer a package deal where you watch x amount of a company's movies (Lionsgate comes to mind because they're really good at doing this multiple times) and you get to take home the digital copies when they become available. (You have to watch four or five movies and then you get all of those movies, digitally when they come to video.) That's already one method in place, but theaters could do a Netflix type of thing where they're released theatrically two weeks before hitting streaming and run them concurrently.

After the lockdown, people will be scrambling to get out of the house for fresh air and a new experience, so the initial boom will hit theaters like a bomb and they'll do well...but all good things must come to an end and they'll hit another lull. (Mind you, this is all after the country gets the green light to reopen theaters and people get past their initial fears of infection.)

Imagine how many households never attend the theater because of their large number of kids. Imagine how many physically disabled people can't go. Imagine how many people are imprisoned by their panic disorders and can't leave the house. All of those people ARE part of the audience and would love to watch a movie. All of those people would throw money at the screen to participate. Piracy isn't as prevalent among those types as people would have you believe. They are willing to pay and do their part. (Not all, but most.)

I was glad to throw $20.00 at Universal for Trolls. My family enjoyed the first one, the second one deserved our money, and it ended up being a great experience. My three-year-old was able to enjoy a movie with us without panicking. He doesn't do well in dark theaters, he freaked out in his one and only time we took him. It was overwhelming for him. This experience? He loved it. I'd gladly rent new movies and go to the theater. I'll also buy when they come out on video. There are a lot of people who have that mindset.

It works out for everyone if the theaters and the studios are willing to work with one another.

 

I'll just throw Black Widow on the 40 foot 8K screen I have in my house and turn up the volume on the 20 speakers I've placed in my living room.

 

You laugh, but people are getting outrageous with their home theater setups. With 70"+ screens in 4k and Dolby Vision audio/video setups, it can be a better experience than the theater. And most theaters are still 7.1 Dolby Digital (not bad) and okay screens. You have to go to the larger cities to find the truly premium theater experiences, and not everyone has a theater that does exactly that.

Laugh all you want, but home theater is making a massive resurgence. Even Roku is getting into it with wireless speaker modules. Vizio makes 5.1.4. Atmos soundbar systems, and so on. People are serious about the home experience...

 

Well that's unfortunate for them, but it's not like they don't have other options, and it's not unreasonable to to wait, you said that yourself.

Imagine how many people will never attend the theater when there aren't any left.

 

Not for me. I just rebought every MCU film I needed in 4K and am watching the whole series from the beginning in release order. This break has given me time to sit down and do that.

 

Regarding the momentum of the MCU, I'm all for a little Marvel break. I actually feel like they probably should have taken a 1-2 year break after Endgame. They're not currently building up to anything big, so it's not like pushing Black Widow and Eternals back breaks the momentum of the buildup. This would have been much worse if this had happened between Infinity War and Endgame. Besides that, I'm really only looking forward to Guradians 3 and (somewhat) Doctor Strange 2 in the MCU's future. I'm sure the rest will be great, but I can't say I'm really hyped for them. As long as those two aren't postponed too long, it won't bug me.

I'm completely fine with watching stuff at home. Occasionally it's fun to go to the theater and see a big spectacle movie on the big screen. But on the other hand, I'm getting a bit tired of the whole experience. For big movies like Endgame, I have to show up an hour or so early to get good seats (my theater doesn't have reserved seating). I have to organize a group of friends with differing schedules. If they don't show up early too (which they never do), I have the embarrassing job of trying to hold onto seats for them until they show up. Then I have to sit through 30 minutes of trailers and car ads. Then people laugh and cheer excessively at the movie, and I miss half the dialog.

I do like going to the theater occasionally, but I would be more than happy to just watch stuff by myself in the comfort of my own home, even at the expense of not seeing all the cool effects on a big screen. If the story and filmmaking are good, it shouldn't really matter where I see it. If I only enjoy something because I'm seeing it in on a big screen filled with excited fans, I say it's not a very good movie. It's like going to an art museum. It would be neat to see the Mona Lisa in-person, but you can still equally enjoy it and judge its technical qualities by looking at a high-quality photo on your computer.

My main (entertainment-related) concern with the virus is filming movies. There's nothing to watch if there's nothing being filmed (aside from animated stuff). I hope they're able to resume filming soon and continue filming. And I really don't want to see studios try and film actors individually on greenscreens, and then composite the footage together. I want to see actors on sets, interacting with each other. I'm a bit worried that will become a new trend for filmmaking, especially since greenscreen is used so heavily nowadays anyway.

 

It's not just unfortunate, that's actually kind of cold. Just sayin'. There aren't a lot of options for those people, this system as it currently is, works. I only agreed with you for the sake of conversation, I don't actually really believe it's reasonable to wait when there are legit options to be had. Universal is on the cusp of something great, AMC's terrified they'll be left behind, and for good reason.

Drive-ins nearly died, but they're seeing a massive resurgence because of current problems. They are also the better deal because you can get an entire carload of people in to see a movie for one price. People are sick and tired of paying a carload's worth for one person. Regal has the best unlimited package available, $20.00 a month for a person to see as many movies as they possibly can...but it's one person. One. That's why theaters aren't sustainable. People would probably spend more on concessions (which is where theaters make their real money) if they weren't spending a digital copy's worth on a single person just to get in the building. You can have one or the other, not both, without people balking.

AMC's program? Same price, three movies a week. So, when they cry about the situation and Universal coming up with another plan, they don't get a bit of my sympathy.

None of the theaters do past a certain point. Drive-ins are the only ones who truly deserve my money.

 

I'm hyped for The Eternals because it's a new IP and based on a Kirby series and of course, the next Spider-Man. Oh, and Black Panther 2 as I'm hoping it ends up being the next Winter Soldier.

 

Honestly I don’t think the MCU will lose much of it lets Black Widow debut as a VOD. It’s an interquel rather than a mainline movie (as far as we know) and let the next saga/phase have a breath before gearing up again.

 

I'm glad every single person who can afford to spend 7 dollars on a movie ticket can also afford to outfit their homes with state of the art speakers and again, 2 story tall screens. Why do we go to movie theaters at all when we can get the exact same experience at home?

I'll certainly miss the sticky floors and noisy patrons, which of course are literally the only reasons I would go to a movie theater when I can get the exact cinematic experience in my house.

 

Not much to lose, yes.

What's 500 million dollars between friends?

 

Short answer:
I for one am looking forward to proper re-openings of cinemas. It's so much more different than watching at home.
In regards to the MCU, I kind of don't really have that big of an enthusiasm at the moment. But nevertheless, I want there to be films (be it an indie or blockbuster) to be back soon.

Yes.

Live action filming is so screwed if the current situation isn't improving.

 

If Black Widow cost them $500 million then someone was snorting a lot of cocaine.

 

I miss going to the movies. But at the same time I like watching movies at the comfort of home. As much as I like the cinematic experience, going there is a little annoying. I like cheaper priced snacks or whatever I want to eat or drink, I can pause the movie whenever I want to do something else, and most importantly I choose the time I prefer to watch.

As far as the hype goes, I actually glad the hype is down and not spending ever 2 or 3 weeks going there instead of doing something else. I don't know about you, but sometimes this process can get a little exhausting, especially when you force yourself to watch them to avoid online spoilers ruining your experience.