Respect, Pure and Simple

One thing that is evident in our society is that there are giant chasms in certain industries between producer and consumer. The business of exhibition is one of these industries. I have been lucky enough to travel in my line of work and have witnessed various cultural and business dynamics which has taught me a lot. In many trips to the Los Angeles area I have witnessed first-hand the difference of perception of those who control the business of movies and those who are the perceived customers.

?In talking to the studios and their upper management, you come away after a prolonged exposure that there are some key cultural differences. They perceive themselves as the best and the brightest and have literally used the term “less evolved” in describing most of their audience. I witnessed that first hand and was shocked. I once did some consulting work for an aspiring Los Angeles producer/doctor that so badly wanted to be a perceived player that he embraced the culture and dispensed with all his upbringing in order to see himself as someone substantive in the world of the movie studios . One August morning they found him dead in the pool house of a major Hollywood producer, overdosed on a toxic cocktail of 4 drugs. Later that year that major Hollywood producer was found dead, again the victim of an overdose. It was then that I fully understood the concept of us and them when it came to their business. They felt that? the rules really did not apply to them,.There were rules most of the population had to follow then there was Hollywood.

?Sex tapes were released, Hollywood’s top stars followed a religion, whose founder taught that man descended from clams, stars were arrested, and so on. The idea of movie stars faded away in light of the revelations? brought to the surface. The general population started turning away from Hollywood, often in revulsion and the magic of the movies that was promoted by Hollywood began to die. The days of John Wayne faded from the imagination of the movie going public.

There began to be a slow revelation within Hollywood that things had changed and they had a choice; reflect on their potential audience and serve it effectively, or do the same old same old and find another audience. At the same time Hollywood started to be romanced by the lure of easy Chinese money and accessible Chinese box office. They shifted corporate focus into that marketplace further distancing them from their core audience. Streaming proved to be for a moment seductive. Hollywood repeatedly stumbled.

?Here Is the rub, many are claiming that audiences have abandoned movie theaters. This is far from the truth. The studios have during the past decade abandoned audiences. In no uncertain terms have audiences ever abandoned movie going. You have a movie released in the theaters that is perceived as being highly entertaining and audiences flock to it. They just need to have something to watch. What totally baffles me is that the studios are more than aware that the highest return for a feature length movie in all financial realms is when a proper ecosystem is established. But they ignored it or have to adhere to the financial report put forward by Wall Street. I have yelled about it, others have yelled about it and more importantly the numbers that this approach produces does not lie.

?The Harvard Kennedy School released a study that found that independent movies are on their way to making a bigger impact on box office, even more so then it did pre-pandemic.? Theaters across the country have huge screen capacity that needs to be put to work. Seats have to be filled, popcorn has to be sold. The Fithian Group and others are looking to create a pipeline to harness some of that demand. They have a pretty interesting idea on how to approach this market. I think in many ways we are seeing the rise of smaller studio after smaller studio.

?Also coming out of this study, audiences, especially younger moviegoers are actively seeking original innovative entertainment and increasingly are manifesting their distaste for what they think are movies being produced corporately. This demographic is crucial in re-establishing a culture of movie going and within increasing their patronage lies the ability to actually seriously re-start the business. When I was a burgeoning moviegoer that was the prime demographic, slowly this group of core moviegoers were alienated by the studios and their intent in creating inauthentic tentpoles. They sought refuge in video gaming but are now craving a far more social pastime.

?Also this study makes a firm assertion that the market for independent movies is not being met and that at best a fraction of the present uncultivated demand is being addressed . Today the theatrical market makes up? 22% of the independent movie market. For independents, per movie viewership in theaters has fallen 90% over the past two decades. I would make the statement that this is due to profound neglect and frankly abusive practices..

?One of the recommendations made by the study is something I deeply believe, “Beyond its intrinsic benefits of shared experience and building community, theatrical release is also proven to enhance the visibility and value of independent films in the streaming market.” For some reason the studio either as a result of bandwidth issues or mandated strategy have continually dropped the ball in building a proper ecosystem.

?From my crystal ball I see the relationship between independent producers and the theater bookers getting pretty chummy. There is light at the end of the tunnel, they just have to do the work. Keep an eye on the Fithian group and other efforts that are taking shape. Insist on diversity of product and further building diverse audiences.?

Rebuild moviegoing by respecting and serving the audience, all the audiences. Rob Arthur John Sullivan Domenico Del Priore Gianluca Chakra Steve Winn Kevin Mitchell Laura Peralta-Jones Tony Franks Shawn Dawes Chuck Goldwater Patrick von Sychowski John Fithian Jackie Brenneman Patrick Corcoran