Tobor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,051
Richmond, VA
They won't.

Assume you released Black Widow today on VOD for $40 a pop. You'd have to sell 25 million copies/views to make a billion.

Are 25 million people willing to pay $40 for a movie right now? How many will just pirate it and go along with their day?

Let's ask another question. Let's say every theater in the country is open again by November, with all the crazy plexiglass and TSA style check ins, and people taking temperatures at the door. You think Black Widow makes a billion in theaters under those conditions?
 

Soap

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,525
MCU and their bigger animated films aren't going to skip the cinema. I can see a lot of the R rated stuff they got from Fox going VoD since I imagine that will probably increase sales on some franchises. Hell, wven where Marvel is concerned I could see Blade doing very, very well going straight to streaming.
 
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Serene

Serene

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Member
Oct 25, 2017
52,600
Let's ask another question. Let's say every theater in the country is open again by November, with all the crazy plexiglass and TSA style check ins, and people taking temperatures at the door. You think Black Widow makes a billion in theaters under those conditions?

I don't.

I also don't think they release the movie under those circumstances.

There's a reason they pushed it all the way to November.
 

Xando

Member
Oct 28, 2017
27,736
are you really comparing a $40 individual VOD to people watching something with a Netflix subscription they already pay for
They already have the base infrastructure with Disney + so they can have these VODs reach at same revenue as in theatres with half the viewers.
 
Apr 4, 2019
2,915
Greater Toronto Area
They won't.

Assume you released Black Widow today on VOD for $40 a pop. You'd have to sell 25 million copies/views to make a billion.

Are 25 million people willing to pay $40 for a movie right now? How many will just pirate it and go along with their day?

You're forgetting that with digital purchases and rentals companies get 80% of the cut whereas with theaters they only get around 50% in most countries. The cut is even lower in China.
 
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Serene

Serene

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Oct 25, 2017
52,600
They already have the base infrastructure with Disney + so they can have these VODs reach at same revenue as in theatres with half the viewers.

Disney+ is significantly cheaper than what they'd make off most tickets.

They'd take an absolute bath if they sent anything major straight to Disney+
 
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Serene

Serene

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Oct 25, 2017
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You're forgetting that with digital purchases and rentals companies get 80% of the cut whereas with theaters they only get around 50% in most countries. The cut is even lower in China.

Nobody is buying a $40 VOD in China. It's got one of the highest piracy rates of any country in the world. No matter how high the theater cut is, they are making more there than they would direct to VOD in China.
 

Deleted member 17388

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,994
Netflix is projecting their extraction movie to have 90 million viewers in 4 weeks.
Yeah, but Netflix metrics are all over the place, they count any viewing after the 2-minute mark no matter the length.
Even their in-app ranking is weird, one week after their movie released it was already off the top 1 chart:
EXBVa9rVcAYrpgS


The projection model is probably like this:
lpwt6thijc041.jpg


Maybe Disney will actually use the VOD model in the future for the MCU movies, but so far looks like Black Widow isn't the one to begin with. Budget-wise and all.

I mean, they probably can sit on the movie for a while and their chances of making a higher profit could increase if they find another venue (Autocinemas?), it's not like they can produce more MCU films at the moment either.

I wish BW was released, but it doesn't make sense financially from their point of view...
 

Tobor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,051
Richmond, VA
Theaters aren't open to them doing this, though. The studios make more off theaters, and theaters want as much of the day-zero business as possible. It's mutually beneficial to stay partnered.

That has always been true up until today, yes. Now we live in a world where going to the theater is frightening to a large group of people. The equation has changed.
 

Xando

Member
Oct 28, 2017
27,736
Disney+ is significantly cheaper than what they'd make off most tickets.

They'd take an absolute bath if they sent anything major straight to Disney+
Read my post again. I'm not saying they will put it on disney + but that they already have a plattform to sell these VODs with a share of 100% instead 50%.
 

ZeoVGM

Member
Oct 25, 2017
76,583
Providence, RI
Yeah, this was the only reaction Disney was ever going to give. And anyone who thinks theaters are about to disappear is living in a dream world.
 
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Serene

Serene

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Oct 25, 2017
52,600
Read my post again. I'm not saying they will put it on disney + but that they already have a plattform to sell these VODs with a share of 100% instead 50%.

Once you factor in the piracy rates of the various territories where they pull the most money, the likelihood is that they'd still come in under even with the difference in cut.

Like they might as well send their China cut to basically nothing.
 

Disco

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,532
Yeah, this was the only reaction Disney was ever going to give. And anyone who thinks theaters are about to disappear is living in a dream world.

nightmare world for me. fuck that, i know some people here go to theaters with screeching baboons apparently but its still a great experience the vast majority of times I go. a lot would be lost. not just specifically for blockbusters only too.
 

Meg Cherry

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,346
Seattle, WA
That has always been true up until today, yes. Now we live in a world where going to the theater is frightening to a large group of people. The equation has changed.
Except we have effectively zero data about how many people are actually going to go to a theater for a new movie post-quarantine. There's some surface level opinion polling out there, but there's no actual hard numbers until July at the absolute earliest. So even if the equation has changed - there's no way to say if the favor has shifted dramatically enough to make VOD more profitable.

Considering no studio has pushed a major blockbuster onto VOD, you can imagine what the studios think about the state of 'the equation'.
 

GoldenEye 007

Roll Tide, Y'all!
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,835
Texas
Resetera is permanently under the delusion that it costs no less than $300 to step foot inside of a movie theater, and each bag of popcorn sets you back exactly one mortgage payment.
For even two people getting tickets and snacks, you could be hitting $50 right there. $10-15 per ticket and $20-$30 total in concessions. God forbid you have kids. Yeah you could skip the concessions, but then if everyone did that, the theaters would die anyway because they depend on concession sales to survive.
 

Tobor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,051
Richmond, VA
Except we have effectively zero data about how many people are actually going to go to a theater for a new movie post-quarantine. There's some surface level opinion polling out there, but there's no actual hard numbers until July at the absolute earliest. So even if the equation has changed - there's no way to say if the favor has shifted dramatically enough to make VOD more profitable.

Considering no studio has pushed a major blockbuster onto VOD, you can imagine what the studios think about the state of 'the equation'.

Yeah, i agree. I should have said the equation may have changed.
 

SilkySm00th

Member
Oct 31, 2017
4,853
I love how this is not that far off from what Universal said the other day but no Theater Chain exec in their right fuckin mind would ever try and pressure or talk shit to godamned disney on twitter.

Other than the rare super huge blockbuster event type of thing I would happily pay 20 or 40 bucks or whatever to watch new movies sooner rather than later at home. Hope this keeps moving in this direction.
 

Xando

Member
Oct 28, 2017
27,736
Once you factor in the piracy rates of the various territories where they pull the most money, the likelihood is that they'd still come in under even with the difference in cut.

Like they might as well send their China cut to basically nothing.
So people in china pay $40 to go to the theatre but go for piracy when they're asked to pay $40 for a VOD?

Yeah sure buddy.
 

Deleted member 17388

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Resetera is permanently under the delusion that it costs no less than $300 to step foot inside of a movie theater, and each bag of popcorn sets you back exactly one mortgage payment.
Another point is that in third-world countries like mine (Where a nice chunk of the foreign MCU box office is made)
cinemas aren't that expensive, and we have public transport.

A ticket is like 2.5 USD on average, food is overpriced yeah, but it doesn't deter people from lower incomes to seek alternatives (Eating before, getting simply a snack, etc.)

But almost nobody here is gonna pay $40 USD for a movie. Disney would kiss goodbye to any foreign earning.

Now pushing a Disney+ subscription would make more sense for these markets, Netflix is like $3.75 USD a month here.

But Black Widow, Soul, and maybe Mulan aren't the ones to impulse a new model, at least not right now.
 

CaptNink

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Oct 27, 2017
3,146
B.C, Canada

cyba89

One Winged Slayer
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Oct 25, 2017
4,657
They already have the base infrastructure with Disney + so they can have these VODs reach at same revenue as in theatres with half the viewers.

If a group of four people go to the cinema for $20 a ticket and Disney gets 50% of that they will make $40.

If a group of four meets at someones home and watches a VOD for $20 Disney will get $20.
 
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Serene

Serene

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Oct 25, 2017
52,600
So people in china pay $40 to go to the theatre but go for piracy when they're asked to pay $40 for a VOD?

Yeah sure buddy.

Who in China pays $40 to go to a theater?

And not only that, but you are ignoring the fact that piracy becomes a hell of a lot more appealing when you are given a full HD version as opposed to a shitty camrip
 

Biggersmaller

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,966
Minneapolis
Theaters are not going anywhere. Let's say Mulan made $1 billion VOD. Disney still would have made more off box office PLUS VOD PLUS BD/DVD.

They will be lowering the overall profitability of a film by not staggering multiple releases. You go straight to VOD - aint nobody renting/buying a copy in six months.
 

Pollen

Banned
Apr 25, 2020
385
I'm guessing you guys are only buying "tickets for one" when you go to a flick? :D
Whenever I want to treat my family to the movies, I take them on Tuesdays, when the theater has a $5 Ticket Tuesday deal. I also sneak snacks in, and I come out to about $30 after tax for a family of 4. I understand that this scenario is dependent on scheduling, but it's possible to be frugal when going out to the cinema!
 

Tobor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,051
Richmond, VA
When I used to go the theater it was even more expensive than usual because I would only go to Cinebistro. Regal Cinemas is like flying coach.
 
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Serene

Serene

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Oct 25, 2017
52,600
You're the one citing the $40 number. Who says the VOD price won't be even cheaper than the theatre price as they get a bigger cut?

At a certain point you have to sell so many VODs it's unrealistic.

Let's use the $20 mark. Do you honestly believe 50 million people are buying that? That's what it would take to make a billion.
 

Foltzie

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
6,825
Family of four:
2 kids $22 at $11ea
2 adults $28 at $14 each

$50 for tickets
$25 for snacks isn't crazy, a large coke is $7 and popcorn is $8

You can of course go cheaper with matinees or not having snacks, but $75 isn't crazy.

Note: those prices aren't 3D or IMAX.
 

CaptNink

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,146
B.C, Canada
No. The reaction was towards basically asking to be charged more than what the other poster suggested.

Lol, no it wasn't. The reaction was due to my suggestion that it costs close to $100 to take a family of four to the movies.

BTW - I'm in Canada. I don't know what the rest of you are paying for a movie ticket, but it hovers around $13-15/person here.
 

Meg Cherry

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,346
Seattle, WA
I'm guessing you guys are only buying "tickets for one" when you go to a flick? :D
More that everyone I know subscribes to an unlimited plan for $25 a month, and I maybe buy concessions once every five times I visit.

Just sneak a Twix bar into the theater. You do not need the $9 soda. I get that families extrapolate the cost - but just get dinner before you go.
 

Foltzie

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
6,825
Well I can see there was no lack in people who went to see Frozen 2 with their kids after work and went YIKES at the price.
 

Foltzie

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
6,825
Lol, no it wasn't. The reaction was due to my suggestion that it costs close to $100 to take a family of four to the movies.

BTW - I'm in Canada. I don't know what the rest of you are paying for a movie ticket, but it hovers around $13-15/person here.
$15 * 4 = $60... So any snacks or a third child. = $75?
 

overcast

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,559
Resetera is permanently under the delusion that it costs no less than $300 to step foot inside of a movie theater, and each bag of popcorn sets you back exactly one mortgage payment.
Lmfao. I don't understand, just don't go? Also I feel as though it's pretty easy to work around those absurd prices but I don't have a family.
nightmare world for me. fuck that, i know some people here go to theaters with screeching baboons apparently but its still a great experience the vast majority of times I go. a lot would be lost. not just specifically for blockbusters only too.
Yup. I love going to the theater and things like the Regal pass or AMC Stubs were life savers. On top of that, going to an independent theater and watching something from years ago is valuable.