It’s coming.
You can feel it in the air.
It’s gonna be epic.
Well, maybe you can’t really feel it in the air but you certainly can see it and it certainly will be epic.
To what exactly might I be referring to? The…wait for it…
SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS!
Alright, who’s excited for this years summer movie season? I know I am. We got Harry Potter, Transformers, Ice Age, Public Enemies…the list goes on. Movie lovers’ paradise awaits you.
That is, if the current recession hasn’t caused you to put a hold on unnecessary expenditures. (Although I think any expenditures on Harry Potter or Johnny Depp related material isn’t “unnecessary”. Actually, it might even be crucial for survival.)
So, just how is this economic catastrophe going to affect our summer movies? Well, I suppose it could go both ways.
See, “when the economy is suffering, people want to escape their troubles, and going to the movies is a fairly affordable luxury.” You head to the theater with a group of friends, watch a movie, then go and hang out at a nearby restaurant or someone’s house. Sounds good right? That’s definitely how I love to spend my summer. Plus, you get to chill in an air-conditioned room that’s far cooler than what it would’ve been if you had stayed at home for about 3 hours. So, why not?
But then there’s the down side. If you haven’t noticed already, theaters have been hiking up ticket prices since…long before the recession, actually. (If you don’t believe me I have a whole ticket collection dating back to 2003 that begs to differ.) General admission has nearly doubled from $5.50 to $9.75. And while that may not yet be in the realm of “This is completely absurd. Why do I even bother going to the movies when I can buy the DVD later?” for some, for the other half, these prices just to see a two and a half hour movie have already passed the point of no return. And then there’s the little issue of pirated versions, leaked online versions *coughWolverinecough*, and so on and so forth.
Will movie sales suffer? I guess it all depends on just how much we love this year’s movies. Because, in my humble opinion, High School Musical 3 was absolutely horrendous and yet it made over $42 million. Why? The answer may be evident to some; people liked the movie. And if people liked the movie, it doesn’t matter if the world is going to pieces all around us; it will make money. I guarantee it. My point being: it’s not over until the fat lady sings-- I mean, until the fans have spoken.
So…where does this leave our blockbusters in-waiting? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
And let the summer commence!
I think the concern that arises from this topic is not whether or not these summer blockbusters are going to live up to their hype, but rather how the movie theater industry does to this current day. As I go to the movies it appears that less and less people seem go. With the many other options, such as waiting for the DVD or watching illegal streems of the video online, the whole experience of watching a film in a theater seems to suffer smidge by smidge as time goes on. Sure, there are many that are still devoted to keeping the theater industry alive, myself included, but it makes me question if the idea of paying 7 bucks to sit in a dark room with strangers will soon become obsolete.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't think the recession will have that much of an effect on the summer movies' income. I, personally, won't be going as often as I usually do, but I definitely won't miss the really big movies. Yes, the smaller, less advertised movies may suffer, but I'm confident no one will want to miss the major films such as Harry Potter or Transformers. I believe movies are very important to our culture and no one will want to go without them, regardless of their financial situation.
ReplyDeleteCool blog! I have been counting down the days until summer vacation and this blog just made it seem closer and even more anticipated! Although money is a little tight right now, going to see the SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS is definitely on my list of summer activities. You hit the nail right on the head with the reasons people go to the movies in the summer: To be entertained of course, but also to escape the summer heat, (especially if your house doesn't AC like mine) Great blog! Can't wait for summer!
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