As I type this we only have an estimate for the domestic box office for the weekend, but it is telling a horrible story. The total North American box office for this weekend is estimated to be $50,336,771. Compare this to the weekend of March 16th, from 2019. Total box office for that 2019 weekend was $132,499,969
As Culture Casino covers in the video below, those numbers haven't been seen since 1997, and of course since they are not adjusting for inflation, those numbers were much better for 1997.
And this is not a singular bad week. Last weekend total box office was $54,904,384. The weekend before that, the weekend of February 28th, total box office was $53,657,775. Contrast that with a weekend in 2020, just before the lockdowns took over. The weekend of February 14th, 2020, total box office was $156,086,643. Sonic the Hedgehog, which debuted that weekend, pulled in $58,018,348. Even the previous weekend when Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) debuted was nearly $100 million with Birds of Prey bringing in just over $33 million.
The movie theater business cannot survive on the movies that Hollywood is producing. They need more than one big opening a year, and I'm not sure Hollywood will have one big release this year. It wasn't Captain America 4, It probably won't be Thunderbolts. DC's upcoming Superman film has a chance, but the initial test screenings were so poorly received that reshoots were ordered, and that is NEVER a good sign. Disney's Snow White staring Rachel Zegler is tracking for a horrible open. It has a small chance if parents, who aren't paying attention, take kids in droves. No one believes that will happen.
This is the Culture Casino video Box Office COLLAPSE: 2025’s Worst Weekend DOOMS Theaters!
It's not just the lack of movies. It's the other people who will be there, and the location in the mall. People are loud, rude, and violent. The mall isn't safe after dark. The experience at home is pretty good, with big screens and decent sound systems, and all the perks of home making up for any deficiencies.
ReplyDeleteI used to go every week, sometimes more than once. The movie theater was a special place, even when they weren't technically very special. The cost and inconvenience have gotten out of hand though.
Some things are worth seeing on the really big screen, with an engaged audience. Most things aren't.
nick
I know. I used to go to the movies at least twice a month, and go to matinees so I even saw movies that I expected to not like all that much. And when matinees were cheap you go take a chance on a movie that sounded interesting but had no budget.
DeleteThe smart phone pretty much destroyed the movie-going experience, but that isn't all.
Before 2016 and Hollywood developed terminal TDS they could make good movies. Since 2017 there have been about 5 movies that (I can think of off the top of my head) that are worth seeing. Top Gun: Maverick. Oppenheimer (though it was too long). I would mention Godzilla Minus One, but we're talking about Hollywood.
I miss theaters.
ReplyDeleteThey haven't quite disappeared, but they probably will soon, thanks mostly to Woke Hollywood
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