Will 2007 Be a Record Year for Box Office?

Hollywood Reporter has the details about a possible blockbuster 2007 box office year predicted in a Wedbush Morgan Securities report, '07 b.o. a record in waiting. Tidbits from the report:

Consumers with the most entertainment gadgets and services also are the ones who go to movie theaters most often, according to Nielsen Entertainment/NRG data.

For example, among moviegoers who see an average of 10.5 films in theaters each year, 46% of them are Netflix subscribers and 68% have a home theater. Among those who see just 7.1 movies in theaters each year, 16% subscribe to Netflix and 16% have home theaters.
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The ultimate movie-watching experience is the theater, according to 63% of moviegoers, while only 37% prefer the home.

Last year, the U.S. boxoffice grew 5.5% to $9.5 billion, reversing a downtrend. This year, Wedbush expects it to rise 5.2% to $9.98 billion, surpassing the record $9.54 billion set in 2004.

Comments

[prozac]

I always loved going to the movies but unless I can go off-peak hours I won't go. Annoying people everywhere so I rather watch it at home if I can wait just a few months.

[prozac]

I always loved going to the movies but unless I can go off-peak hours I won't go. Annoying people everywhere so I rather watch it at home if I can wait just a few months.

[CJ]

Gee - Not to ask the obvious question, however, I wonder how many people who watch 0.0 movies a year at a theater are Netflix subscribers?

"The ultimate movie-watching experience is the theater, according to 63% of moviegoers, while only 37% prefer the home." Speak about distorting statistics - of course people who are moviegoers are going to say they prefer the theater. How about asking that question to all people who watch movies either at the theater or at home?

Personally, my "...ultimate movie-watching experience..." is watching a Blu-ray movie on my 47" LCD TV with DD5.1 sound in my living room. Only time I ever go to a theater is with the 6 and 8 yr old grandkids - who think it's a big adventure more than anything else.

[leonardodicrapio]

My wife seems to pipe up less when we're in the theater.

Blu-ray with 7.1 would be much cooler.

[Hunter McDaniel]

Count me as one of those NF subscribers who watch 0.0 movies per year at the theatre.

There are some things nicer about watching movies in the theatre, but there are more things nicer about watching at home. And nothing has come out in the last few years that I couldn't wait on.

[type-cast]

"distorting statistics - of course people who are moviegoers are going to say they prefer the theater. How about asking that question to all people who watch movies either at the theater or at home?"

Maybe they meant movie-viewers and just said "moviegoers" to simplify. Nielsen correlated theater attendance, Netflix membership, home theater ownership. The context suggests they were not distorting the data. The person who wrote that summary article just doesn't know how to write properly. That's all.

[corey3rd]

The box office should be OK with Spiderman 3 and Pirates 3.

We don't go to the theater that often, but most of the time we'll go to the first matinee on a Sunday and see 3 films before they boot us out.

Of course as soon as I install the video projector, what's the point of the theater experience?

[leonardodicrapio]

Corey,

I used to do that in middle school. Is your last name Feldman or Haim?

"We'll go to the first matinee on a Sunday and see 3 films before they boot us out."

[corey3rd]

We didn't have multiplexes when I was in Junior High. They had the "Twins" so that you couldn't swap sides since they split the theater in half.

last summer we only went to see movies at the nearby Drive-In.

And that's my last name.

[machinegunn]

The movie going experience can depend a lot on the theater you choose. Most megaplexes are probably about the same, but in Austin we have the Alamo Drafthouse chain (www.alamodrafthouse.com). It's great: awesome atmosphere, tastey food at a fair price, lots of special events and screenings. If you ever have a chance to check one out (Austin, Houston, or San Antonio), I can't recommend it highly enough. I had to see 300 in a "regular theater" because I was out of state and it just wasn't the same.