Dammit, I liked movie theaters. I went multiple times a year to movies and bought generously of the concession stands, too. I’d even shell out for promotional items, because I knew that every little bit helps and I enjoyed my local Regal Theater. But the writing’s on the wall:
Disney is restructuring its media and entertainment divisions, as streaming becomes the most important facet of the company’s media business.
On Monday, the company revealed that in order to further accelerate its direct-to-consumer strategy, it would be centralizing its media businesses into a single organization that will be responsible for content distribution, ad sales and Disney+.
(Via @IMAO_) Oh, sure, this move by the Mouse has been a long time coming. But we could have still gotten a few more years of respite. God damn all half-assed PRC bio-containment safety protocols…
Oh, don’t count theaters out.
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Multiplexes? Yeah, they’re probably through .. but those had a short shelf life regardless.
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No, there’s still going to be some spectacle best seen on the big screen .. and some that’s best seen with friends or in groups. (or .. venues for dating)
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Both of these trends, combined with streaming services as a back-end, are why the day of the multiplex is likely over – there’s really no reason to *only* release the next Marvel whatsit into theaters for X months – but there will be a market, one day, for “a place to see Marvel on the big screen” .. and Disney knows it.
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That said .. the theater operators are going to get more .. diverse .. in their offerings. First-run (“Same day as streaming, better seats/screens/sound/snacks”) or classics (“See ‘Empire Strikes Back’ on the big screen” / “See ‘North by Northwest’ the way your parents did”) or ethnic (“Bollywood latest releases” / “Anime night” ) .. and this doesn’t fit well in a multiplex .. but (other than the first-run bit) there’s probably a theater in your town that’s been doing something similar for years now.
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Mew
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p.s. This, by the way, would be a good long-form blog topic, a look at the economics of running a 1- or 2- screen local theater vs. a multiplex .. and what the dawn of the Age Of Streaming does to both. (hint: this cat thinks he’s got it right, that local theaters have the stronger hand, but …)
As I recall, the production companies and distributors have been trying very hard to kill those smaller operations.
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In my experience, individuals and organizations don’t reevaluate and reverse course in the midst of panic.
Ironically, the future – I suspect – will involve a repeal of the 1940s Hollywood Anti-Trust Laws, that’s the laws that prevent studios and production companies (i.e. Disney) from owning theaters.
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I also don’t think the possibilities, with a fast internet connection, a digital library, and *good* digital projector, have been fully exploited yet ..
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Imagine Moe and some of his baronial cohort renting a theater and watching “Black Shield of Falworth” – with their families – one rainy November evening… or Moe’s kids renting a theater and watching “Akira” or “Spirited Away” or “Laputa” as a spring get-away.
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Now, apply that to a group of 19-year-olds and .. extract money.
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Mew