Cinemas: It's time to compete.
Discussion
Telegraph: Movies to get to pay-tv in just a month
Independent cinemas are worried about moves by the major studios to release films to Pay-TV services on a shorter cycle then ever. DVD sales are falling and the traditional staggered route from cinema to DVD rental to DVD sales to TV broadcast is not delivering the maximised profits it once did. So studios, whose only care is to get the maximum revenue per title, are looking at other strategies - ones that cut out the cinema altogether, or reduce its traditional advantage, that of being FIRST, to just four weeks.
So where does this leave the Cinemas? In my opinion they have been able to relax, safe in the knowledge that film fans will not want to wait six months or a year to see a movie and will therefore stump up the loot to sit in their foul smelling fleapits with dodgy sound and picture quality and an army of mouthy chavs texting through the main feature.
But with less reason than ever before to visit the Cinema will film fans just wait a month to see the picture on their 50" 3D TV screens with high quality 5.1 surround sound in the comfort of their own homes or can they be persuaded that a night out at the flicks still offers something you can't get at home?
Dear Cinemas and Cinema owners: It is time to compete. Yes you need your teenager market and you will still need to cater to them (to be honest I'd suggest removing the back row and just putting down some wipe clean mattresses) but perhaps you will now also need to attract back young families and maybe even, for some films, the more adult set.
Independent cinemas are worried about moves by the major studios to release films to Pay-TV services on a shorter cycle then ever. DVD sales are falling and the traditional staggered route from cinema to DVD rental to DVD sales to TV broadcast is not delivering the maximised profits it once did. So studios, whose only care is to get the maximum revenue per title, are looking at other strategies - ones that cut out the cinema altogether, or reduce its traditional advantage, that of being FIRST, to just four weeks.
So where does this leave the Cinemas? In my opinion they have been able to relax, safe in the knowledge that film fans will not want to wait six months or a year to see a movie and will therefore stump up the loot to sit in their foul smelling fleapits with dodgy sound and picture quality and an army of mouthy chavs texting through the main feature.
But with less reason than ever before to visit the Cinema will film fans just wait a month to see the picture on their 50" 3D TV screens with high quality 5.1 surround sound in the comfort of their own homes or can they be persuaded that a night out at the flicks still offers something you can't get at home?
Dear Cinemas and Cinema owners: It is time to compete. Yes you need your teenager market and you will still need to cater to them (to be honest I'd suggest removing the back row and just putting down some wipe clean mattresses) but perhaps you will now also need to attract back young families and maybe even, for some films, the more adult set.
The thing is I would pay for a good night at the flicks IF it was a pleasant experience. Often it simply isn't as good as it should be.
I know that London has some truly upmarket "film club" style cinemas that offer the sort of thing I'd want but, sadly, there isn't the demand for such things nationally it would appear. Our local chain cinema does offer "Adult" screenings of some movies - but this doesn't equate.
I know that London has some truly upmarket "film club" style cinemas that offer the sort of thing I'd want but, sadly, there isn't the demand for such things nationally it would appear. Our local chain cinema does offer "Adult" screenings of some movies - but this doesn't equate.
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