Mike's Musings: A Few Random Thoughts...
I have a lot to say at the moment, and very little of it is connected. Bear with me, please...
I have a giant movie collection. I've lost a definite count, but I think I have at least 1200 movies (some are in combo packs). As I'm still living at home and have acquired them while jobless, how did I afford them (with my parents help...thanks, guys!)? Simple. Discounts.
Putting it simply, it's often more cost effective to just buy the movie rather than rent it. For example. I was curious about the movie "Firestorm" for years, and I looked it up on Amazon.com. It costs 9.98 from Amazon (plus shipping). But the independent buyers sold it for $3.82. So, including shipping and handling, that's 7.81. Less than the price of a movie ticket. Either I could have ordered it from Netflix, in the place a movie I wanted and most likely can't get for cheap, and wait a week (which is the average time it takes to send a movie in and get the next one to my front door), or just order it and watch it whenever I want.
Amazon isn't the only one that has good deals. Superstores like Best Buy and Target certainly have their wildly overpriced movies (not all of which are new releases), but tucked into corners are some good deals. Ten bucks for a Blu Ray steelbook of "The Departed?" Half that for a Blu Ray copy of "Frailty?" And I've seen better ones. I got three Stanley Kubrick movies on a Blu Ray combo for 12 bucks. Normally in this kind of pack, they're usually crappy ones that no one remembers (and for good reason). Not here. The movies were all classics: "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange," and "The Shining." Anyone who wouldn't have snapped that up probably has no knowledge of movies whatsoever.
Plus there are stores that sell used DVDs, often at a steal. This is where you have to be careful. If they repair the movies, then go nuts. If not, like in a Blockbuster liquidation, then be prepared for skipping or paying for it out of pocket (and waiting a long time). But if they're clean, the variety is often huge and the prices are usually insanely low.
The point is, while Netflix is certainly a must-have for movie lovers, often times bargain movies are a better deal.
Another thought...
Hollywood and the MPAA have been bitching about piracy and the lack of consumers going to the theaters. The ideas that theaters are going the way of the dodo is saddening to me, since I have so many fond memories of watching movies in the theaters. Plus piracy is taking money away from movies that would have "honestly" earned them.
Hollywood has no one to blame but themselves. In an attempt to decrease risk, Hollywood has put all of its energy into remakes, franchises and superheroes. Sure, some of them make big money, but remember that movie ticket prices have skyrocketed. It's all about boosting their egos about the big opening weekend. It's not enough to make a movie that has to have long lasting power. It has to have a big opening weekend (see "Man of Steel" for an example of this).
While piracy is illegal and it should be, I don't feel sorry for them in the slightest. If you're a teenager, or any moviegoer, going to the theater, paying 10 to 15 bucks for a ticket (and an equal amount for snacks) and spending two hours is a pretty big commitment. People don't want to go if it's going to suck, and seeing it online, in low quality, gives a preview of what the movie is really like (trailers can rarely be trusted for this sort of thing). I've seen movies online, and even on Netflix, the quality is questionable (and it's downright awful in pirated sites). If they see it online and decide they like it, they'll go see it. James Berardinelli pointed out that this could be a powerful marketing tool, but Hollywood refuses to think outside the box and use it. Instead, they go after teenagers who are merely curious while ignoring large companies that make money off of this sort of thing.
Theaters aren't all innocent either. They know that the theater experience is declining. Rude customers, bad lighting and increasingly small screens do little to enamor audiences for the theater experience. Complaining about rude customers is an exercise in futility. They can't afford to turn anyone away.
Making movies is a big risk. When you spend $100 million on a product, you want to make sure that you're getting a return on your investment. But word of mouth is a powerful tool that used to be the lifeblood of the film industry. Now with all these marketing blitzes it's become a thing of the past. But here's the thing. There's only so many times you can raise the price of a ticket before people just stop going. If you make a good movie that people want to see, they'll come in droves. Without fail.
Which brings me to the globalization of the film industry...
The quest for reaching foreign audiences has concerned me for a while. Not because I'm xenophobic but because they take away all our reasons to see the movies in the first place. Take "Independence Day" for an example. It dominated the box office and made a killing. Why? Because it told a story with interesting characters. Take the "Man of Steel" for example. That movie did about half as well as expected because there were no characters and no story. People came because of the marketing, but didn't come back because there wasn't anything to revisit.
This is also why we have seen so few tearjerkers, dramas and other non-special effects movies. There's no money in it. But here's the thing: they're not that expensive to make. Make a few good, small budget movies and they can see a big payout when it all comes together. Making $300 million after spending $90 million on five movies sounds a lot better than seeing $200 million after spending $500 million on one movie, doesn't it?
I have a giant movie collection. I've lost a definite count, but I think I have at least 1200 movies (some are in combo packs). As I'm still living at home and have acquired them while jobless, how did I afford them (with my parents help...thanks, guys!)? Simple. Discounts.
Putting it simply, it's often more cost effective to just buy the movie rather than rent it. For example. I was curious about the movie "Firestorm" for years, and I looked it up on Amazon.com. It costs 9.98 from Amazon (plus shipping). But the independent buyers sold it for $3.82. So, including shipping and handling, that's 7.81. Less than the price of a movie ticket. Either I could have ordered it from Netflix, in the place a movie I wanted and most likely can't get for cheap, and wait a week (which is the average time it takes to send a movie in and get the next one to my front door), or just order it and watch it whenever I want.
Amazon isn't the only one that has good deals. Superstores like Best Buy and Target certainly have their wildly overpriced movies (not all of which are new releases), but tucked into corners are some good deals. Ten bucks for a Blu Ray steelbook of "The Departed?" Half that for a Blu Ray copy of "Frailty?" And I've seen better ones. I got three Stanley Kubrick movies on a Blu Ray combo for 12 bucks. Normally in this kind of pack, they're usually crappy ones that no one remembers (and for good reason). Not here. The movies were all classics: "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange," and "The Shining." Anyone who wouldn't have snapped that up probably has no knowledge of movies whatsoever.
Plus there are stores that sell used DVDs, often at a steal. This is where you have to be careful. If they repair the movies, then go nuts. If not, like in a Blockbuster liquidation, then be prepared for skipping or paying for it out of pocket (and waiting a long time). But if they're clean, the variety is often huge and the prices are usually insanely low.
The point is, while Netflix is certainly a must-have for movie lovers, often times bargain movies are a better deal.
Another thought...
Hollywood and the MPAA have been bitching about piracy and the lack of consumers going to the theaters. The ideas that theaters are going the way of the dodo is saddening to me, since I have so many fond memories of watching movies in the theaters. Plus piracy is taking money away from movies that would have "honestly" earned them.
Hollywood has no one to blame but themselves. In an attempt to decrease risk, Hollywood has put all of its energy into remakes, franchises and superheroes. Sure, some of them make big money, but remember that movie ticket prices have skyrocketed. It's all about boosting their egos about the big opening weekend. It's not enough to make a movie that has to have long lasting power. It has to have a big opening weekend (see "Man of Steel" for an example of this).
While piracy is illegal and it should be, I don't feel sorry for them in the slightest. If you're a teenager, or any moviegoer, going to the theater, paying 10 to 15 bucks for a ticket (and an equal amount for snacks) and spending two hours is a pretty big commitment. People don't want to go if it's going to suck, and seeing it online, in low quality, gives a preview of what the movie is really like (trailers can rarely be trusted for this sort of thing). I've seen movies online, and even on Netflix, the quality is questionable (and it's downright awful in pirated sites). If they see it online and decide they like it, they'll go see it. James Berardinelli pointed out that this could be a powerful marketing tool, but Hollywood refuses to think outside the box and use it. Instead, they go after teenagers who are merely curious while ignoring large companies that make money off of this sort of thing.
Theaters aren't all innocent either. They know that the theater experience is declining. Rude customers, bad lighting and increasingly small screens do little to enamor audiences for the theater experience. Complaining about rude customers is an exercise in futility. They can't afford to turn anyone away.
Making movies is a big risk. When you spend $100 million on a product, you want to make sure that you're getting a return on your investment. But word of mouth is a powerful tool that used to be the lifeblood of the film industry. Now with all these marketing blitzes it's become a thing of the past. But here's the thing. There's only so many times you can raise the price of a ticket before people just stop going. If you make a good movie that people want to see, they'll come in droves. Without fail.
Which brings me to the globalization of the film industry...
The quest for reaching foreign audiences has concerned me for a while. Not because I'm xenophobic but because they take away all our reasons to see the movies in the first place. Take "Independence Day" for an example. It dominated the box office and made a killing. Why? Because it told a story with interesting characters. Take the "Man of Steel" for example. That movie did about half as well as expected because there were no characters and no story. People came because of the marketing, but didn't come back because there wasn't anything to revisit.
This is also why we have seen so few tearjerkers, dramas and other non-special effects movies. There's no money in it. But here's the thing: they're not that expensive to make. Make a few good, small budget movies and they can see a big payout when it all comes together. Making $300 million after spending $90 million on five movies sounds a lot better than seeing $200 million after spending $500 million on one movie, doesn't it?
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