Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Warner) brought an end to a ten year long whimsical saga, and the end was the best of the seven previous episodes. Potter blew the doors off 2011's box office and grossed an all time domestic opening record of $169 million which ranked 6th in overall attendance for any movie in history. Its worldwide gross totalled $476 million, opening on 20,000 screens in 59 countries. In keeping with current trend the majority of U.S. moviegoers opted for 2D viewing as the 3D version only accounted for 43% of the total gate.
In retrospect, over the last decade we watched and anxiously awaited each installment as Harry and his cohorts transform from naive children to young, courageous adults. In the process, we learned a new vocabulary and were gleefully mesmerized by the wizardly and magical musings of J.K. Rowlings, which were skillfully adapted to the big screen.
The Harry Potter series - the franchise has grossed over $20 billion to date - represents modern film making at its best. Great story. Great acting. Great visually, Great sound. All wrapped in a great morality play which could only be fully appreciated at a cinema!
Even with Potter's stellar performance, as of Sunday total box office gross for 2011 at $5.75 billion is still 7% below 2010's $6.17 billion and 3% lower than 2009's $5.92 billion. 3D is not working as well as Hollywood would like, as the majority of moviegoers continue to opt for the 2D film versions.
Current On-line Streaming Players
Netflix and Hulu have been discussed in other posts so I won't dwell on these two. Hulu charges $7.99/month for movies and TV shows. Netflix, $15.98 for mailed DVDs and streaming, but only $7.99 for streaming only.
Amazon Instant Video - current TV and recent films on pay-per-view basis, from 99 cents to $3.99. Selections must be viewed within 24 hours. Content is also available for sale. Amazon Prime is a free shipping service which cost $79.99/year but includes unlimited access to 5,000+ movies and video titles.
Apple iTunes - movies and TV shows can be viewed via AppleTV (a $99 device), as well as on, Mac PCs, and all of the other "i" devices - phone, pad, pod from 99 cents to $3.99. Selections must be viewed withing 24 hours.
HBO Go - Free with HBO subscription. Brings HBO content to iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch and all Android devices. HBO costs about $15.99/month through cable or satellite provider.
Advertising spending points to cinemas' need to adjust business model ! A PriceWaterhouse Cooper's (PwC) Global Entertainment & Media Outlook predicts that advertising revenue related to entertainment & media (E&M) content will grow at a compound rate of 5.7% over the next 5 years and reach $1.9 trillion on a worldwide basis by 2015. For the U.S. the growth rate is anticipated to compound at 4.6% and by 2015 reach $555 billion.
Digital devices are the drivers of the E&M's growth, as this industry is being forced to create multi-purpose/multi-platform experiences. Triggered by the unrelenting and swift consumer migration to digital devices (over 1/3 of adult Americans now have SmartPhones), advertisers are seeking a greater involvement with each consumer's overall entertainment and media experience. Key advertising sectors being: the internet, TV, video games, and the cinema.
Cinema exhibitors, just like other content providers, need to address five key moviegoer requisites: convenience, experience, quality, participation, and value and incorporate these must-dos into a viable business model. One that offers advantages that out weigh the attractiveness of obtaining the same content (movies) less expensively or free (in the case of pirated content).
Best and Happy Moving Going!
Jim Lavorato
No comments:
Post a Comment