Head Of Two Studios Says Movie Business Is Dead

JonDouglas

JonDouglas

Senior Member
Location
New England
From NPR:

Barry Diller made his name in the film industry as the chairman and CEO of two Hollywood studios, Paramount Pictures and what was then 20th Century Fox. Now, he is declaring the industry dead.​
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"The movie business is over," Diller said in an exclusive interview with NPR on the sidelines of the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, a media and technology conference in Idaho. "The movie business as before is finished and will never come back."​
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Yes, that has to do with a substantial decline in ticket sales and the closure of movie theaters during the coronavirus pandemic. But Diller, the chairman and senior executive of IAC, a company that owns Internet properties, said, "It is much more than that."​
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According to Diller, who ran Paramount and Fox several decades ago, streaming has altered the film industry in substantial ways, including the quality of movies now being made.​
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More at Source.​
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I guess movies have been dead to me for decades. I haven't been in a movie theater in 35 years or more, having found real life more entertaining.
 

I see Barry Diller, crying publically more for himself rather than expressing true genuine sentiment over the claim revolving around a now dead movie industry.

As for the last time we were at a movie... 35-40 years for us (anyhow), and neither hubby or I miss it. When a trip to the movie theatre started running us $15 and $20 a flick, we threw the towel in.
 
A trip to the theater used to be Fun and AFFORDABLE. The prices at the concession stand have gone beyond ludicrous, price of admission laughable and inconsiderate actions of some other guests downright rude. So, the wife and I use DVDs or affordable streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. We can pause the program to use the facilities, get snacks that are reasonably priced and no rude guests to contend with - win, win, win. Don...
 
That industry started to die a slow death when their prices got so high that most people couldn't afford to go to the movies and bring their children and buy snacks. A few times a year is what most people could handle, if that.

When I was growing up, we went to the movies every week. A matinee (2 movies and a cartoon) for $.25 and popcorn, a drink, and candy for another $.25. Now, I know that those prices would be ridiculous now. But those prices shouldn't have gone up as high as they did.
Children (ages 2-12)$10.69
Adults (ages 13 & up)$13.69
Seniors (ages 60+)$12.69
Now think of parents taking three or four children to the movies. Close to $100 for one trip to the show including snacks.

Actors should not be paid millions of dollars for one movie, for instance.
 
This can be viewed a couple ways. Movies for theater release were fading long before Covid hit. Ticket and snack prices made it virtually impossible to do a decent and inexpensive night out.
Plus now with streaming services, why go out when you can sit at home, in your comfy jammies and bunny slippers, microwave popcorn, and a toddy, with a room full of friends for next to nothing.
I know what I would choose. We may not see the huge budget, glitzy movies with top dollar stars who are not willing to take less than top dollar. But still good movies
 
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Aunt Marg said:
I see Barry Diller, crying publically more for himself rather than expressing true genuine sentiment over the claim revolving around a now dead movie industry.

As for the last time we were at a movie... 35-40 years for us (anyhow), and neither hubby or I miss it. When a trip to the movie theatre started running us $15 and $20 a flick, we threw the towel in.
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When I was a kid, a quarter would get you into the Sat. afternoon matinee and a box of popcorn. Back then, the Sat. matinee was pretty much a ritual for many of us so we had to do chores to earn our allowance. One of my more odious chores was cleaning the ashes and "clinkers" out of the old coal furnace and carrying them out to the alley where the city picked them up (for later application on icy streets). So, the value of going to a movie has gone from "whatever it takes" to below zero for this old goat. Now, I wouldn't go even if someone else bought the ticket.
 
I hadn't been in a theater is years. Going to movies together with my son while he was growing up was something we did every week-end. Sometimes his father went too but more of the time it was just my son and me. Those times are my best memories.

I hadn't been to a movie since Days of Thunder came out. That was the last one I saw in a theater. Then I moved here in 2018 and the movie theater here is a vintage one. Everything is old about it, even the seats. I have gone to three movies here and every time there was just a handful of people in there. They could have stayed opened during the past year because it was easy to social distance. Plus it is just around the corner from me. I will be going back. A small business in my area that I want to stay open. I would not care if the movies were old ones, just the fun of going there.
 
The last movie I went to was "Downton Abbey" in 2019 and then only because AARP was giving away free tickets. I don't even remember which movie I went to before that, it had been so long. I don't miss it at all. The prices have gotten out of hand and I prefer to watch them at home.
 
JonDouglas said:
When I was a kid, a quarter would get you into the Sat. afternoon matinee and a box of popcorn. Back then, the Sat. matinee was pretty much a ritual for many of us so we had to do chores to earn our allowance. One of my more odious chores was cleaning the ashes and "clinkers" out of the old coal furnace and carrying them out to the alley where the city picked them up (for later application on icy streets). So, the value of going to a movie has gone from "whatever it takes" to below zero for this old goat. Now, I wouldn't go even if someone else bought the ticket.
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I can't remember what a Saturday matinee cost back in my day, but it wasn't much, I seem to remember leaving the house with $1.50 or $2.00, and that was enough to gain entry into the theatre and even buy myself a pop and a serving of popcorn.

All of us (the gang) from the neighbourhood would assemble as one and away we'd go. Always had a good time and it made for an entertaining afternoon.
 
We still try to go to a movie once a month, if something that appears to be of our liking is playing or at least looks to be interesting. I have noticed big declines in attendance. I can also enjoy staying home and streaming a movie on one of he movie streaming services. More convenient.
 
Aunt Marg said:
I can't remember what a Saturday matinee cost back in my day, but it wasn't much, I seem to remember leaving the house with $1.50 or $2.00, and that was enough to gain entry into the theatre and even buy myself a pop and a serving of popcorn.

All of us (the gang) from the neighbourhood would assemble as one and away we'd go. Always had a good time and it made for an entertaining afternoon.
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Ha, same thing here. The neighborhood group, boys and girls, would head uptown together and then sit separately in the theater. We were at that age where girls were goody-goody-two-shoes and boys smelled and had cooties. That we sometimes had baby snakes and frogs in our pockets didn't help matinee relationships but then, that being liked by a girl was icky stuff. :ROFLMAO:
 
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JonDouglas said:
Ha, same thing here. The neighborhood group, boys and girls, would head uptown together and then sit separately in the theater. We were at that age where girls were goody-goody-two-shoes and boys smelled and had cooties. That we sometimes had baby snakes and frogs in our pockets didn't help matinee relationships but then, that was icky stuff. :ROFLMAO:
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ROFLMAO!

Us neighbourhood girls would amass as one and skip and play hopscotch, etc... girly stuff, no boys allowed, but surprisingly we used to tolerate each other well when it came to going to the movie theatre or spending a couple of hours at the lanes (bowling).

Now there's another pastime I remember we used to partake in when I was younger, bowling, and I seem to recall a couple of dollars in ones pocket afforded one a set of shoes, which were passed to you over the counter by the lane owners, and a couple of hours of rolling balls down the gutters lane, and even a bag of chips or chocolate bar with a bottle of pop. We used to have a ball (pardon the pun), and I remember going bowling regularly, but by the mid to late 80's, prices jumped and spending an afternoon or evening at the lanes was no longer the cheap pastime it once was when I was a kid.

Now, at my age, I get more pleasure out of spending time at home, and when we get-together with family over the course of summer, partaking in a little bocce ball, which never fails to rekindle long and forgotten memories of spending time at the lanes.
 
Aunt Marg said:
ROFLMAO!

Us neighbourhood girls would amass as one and skip and play hopscotch, etc... girly stuff, no boys allowed, but surprisingly we used to tolerate each other well when it came to going to the movie theatre or spending a couple of hours at the lanes (bowling).

Now there's another pastime I remember we used to partake in when I was younger, bowling, and I seem to recall a couple of dollars in ones pocket afforded one a set of shoes, which were passed to you over the counter by the lane owners, and a couple of hours of rolling balls down the gutters lane, and even a bag of chips or chocolate bar with a bottle of pop. We used to have a ball (pardon the pun), and I remember going bowling regularly, but by the mid to late 80's, prices jumped and spending an afternoon or evening at the lanes was no longer the cheap pastime it once was when I was a kid.

Now, at my age, I get more pleasure out of spending time at home, and when we get-together with family over the course of summer, partaking in a little bocce ball, which never fails to rekindle long and forgotten memories of spending time at the lanes.
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Hmmm. I remember a few of us going bowling when we had enough chores money saved up. I loved bowling back then and won the 8th grade championship. The prize was a year's supply of Dr. Pepper. We had so many cases of the stuff in the cellar (not a true basement) that we couldn't give it all away. Winning had to be the result of competition having a bad day because I wasn't all that good.
 
JonDouglas said:
Hmmm. I remember a few of us going bowling when we had enough chores money saved up. I loved bowling back then and won the 8th grade championship. The prize was a year's supply of Dr. Pepper. We had so many cases of the stuff in the cellar (not a true basement) that we couldn't give it all away. Winning had to be the result of competition having a bad day because I wasn't all that good.
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LOL!

The elementary school I attended had a wonderful winter program that was open and available to all interested. It was based on learning, so for whoever was interested in taking something up that they hadn't done before or were interested in learning something new, there was skiing, bowling, swimming, crafts, along with a host of other options and activities.

One year I signed up for bowling, and being that it was through the school, all of the courses offered were at a cut rate, so enrollment was cheap, and I don't recall ever eating as many chocolate bars as I did that year when visiting the lanes. Mr. Big chocolate bars they were, and aside from consuming one while bowling, I never left the lanes without another in hand.

To this day it still brings a smile to my face when I pass the candy section at a store and see those Mr. Big chocolate bars sitting in the showcase!
 
Jeweltea said:
When I was first married in the late 70s, we went to movies several times a month although we didn't have much money. It didn't seem that expensive.
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It definitely never used to be expensive (back in the day), because I was in my single digits when I started going to the movie theatre, and mom and dad didn't have much money, but I don't ever recall not being able to go due to a lack of funds.
 

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