Too Many R-Rated Movies In Theaters?

[Mitch Henessey]

So during my daily browsing I found this.....

The movie business has never been healthier, except that attendance in North America is down 12 percent so far this year compared to last. There was a plea for fewer R-rated movies, followed by chest-thumping from Universal Pictures about its crude comedy “Ted.”

And sitting in a darkened theater, attendees were told, has never been more enjoyable, unless you are attending CinemaCon, where you will be harshly advised to refrain from using your phone to illegally record movies. (Theater chain executives need to be reminded of this?)

Studios approach this convention, attended by about 5,000 people, as a crucial opportunity to get out their pom-poms and promote coming releases; if theater owners like what they see, it can help secure additional auditoriums during the gridlocked summer and holiday seasons. Studios enlist stars to help woo the theatrical troops — who fly in from spots like Kansas City and Knoxville — as Brad Pitt did on Monday night on behalf of his June release, “World War Z.”

For the National Association of Theater Owners, CinemaCon is an opportunity to discuss new audio technology, brainstorm about how to fight camcorder pirates and sample the latest and greatest in popped corn. This year, John Fithian, president and chief executive of that trade organization, also used the spotlight to complain about a glut of R-rated films.

He said attendance had suffered this year because of “the weight of too many R-rated movies.”

“Make more family-friendly films and fewer R-rated titles,” Mr. Fithian said. “Americans have stated their choice.”

Appearing with Christopher J. Dodd, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Mr. Fithian also unveiled minor tweaks to the way ratings for individual films are advertised. The labels will include more prominent and legible descriptions of why a movie received a certain rating. Theaters will also begin running a ratings-related public service announcement.

Mr. Fithian’s criticism of R-rated movies comes after the school shootings last year in Newtown, Conn., and shootings last summer at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.

After Mr. Fithian was Adam Fogelson, chairman of Universal Pictures. He began his presentation with an off-color scene from the R-rated “Ted” and then unveiled clips from two coming films that will be rated R. “2 Guns” is about undercover agents set up by the mob; “Kick-Ass 2” stars the young Chloë Grace Moritz as an (extremely) foul-mouthed crime fighter.

Mr. Fogelson also discussed lighter films planned for the summer, like a sequel to “Despicable Me” and the crime comedy “R.I.P.D.,” about undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/b...l?partner=rss&emc=rss&utm_source=feedly&_r=2&

Usually, when I do a theater thread, it's to complain about too much 3D, but the focus is shifting to a complaint of too many R-rated movies this time.

While I can understand, where John Fithian is coming from, I don't think R-rated movies are the problem. As the old saying goes, numbers don't lie. A few examples:

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hangover2.htm

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ted.htm

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=21jumpstreet.htm

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=djangounchained.htm

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=prometheus.htm

Well, yes, obviously Prometheus had some help from the foreign box office profits, because in the US, it just missed the mark for surpassing the production budget. But it's my belief Prometheus' vague and mysterious marketing campaign hurt the ticket sales for the US market. "Is it an Alien prequel?" This is the one question a lot of us asked, and we never got a clear answer, so Prometheus was going to be a tough sell no matter what.

In other places, I've seen some people use the recent Evil Dead film to support Fithian's comments. Evil Dead 2013 opened at #1, but it suffered a huge drop off the very next week. Evil Dead is only going to appeal to a niche audience. A lot of bloody violence, a woman vomiting blood and chunks of flesh onto someone else, and brutal mutilation throughout the movie. The die-hard horror fans, who enjoyed the originals, were going to find a way to watch this extreme bloodbath filled with carnage. Everyone else? Eh, not so much. But with all that said, Evil Dead 2013 still turned a respectable profit (http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=evildead2013.htm) for a low budget mainstream horror film.

R-rated movies aren't the problem. You have to factor in the convenience of various VOD services and RedBox (haven't seen any Blockbuster kiosks in a few years). Yeah, Iron Man 3, Man Of Steel, and The Hangover III will rack up the cash with big openings, and runs at the box office (I'm not 100% sure about Kick-Ass 2), but more people are taking the "eh, I'll just wait for it at home approach" now a days. Oh, and you can't forget about internet piracy, and numerous websites, where you can watch recent releases in high quality from your computer.

Then when you go to a theater, you always have to worry about some noisy assholes talking out loud, or using their cell phones. Said theater will go out of their way to run the "NO TEXTING OR USING YOUR PHONES DURING THE MOVIE!" ads before the movie, but some people don't give a damn. Why deal with all of this, when you can just stay home and watch the movie in a peaceful and quiet atmosphere?

Also, you can't forget about expensive ticket prices. So many theater chains are trying to compete with IMAX, so they add their own rip-off versions, which are a lot more expensive. And I alluded to it before, but 3D is still a problem, because again, some people aren't willing to shell out the extra cash.

So nasty r-rated movies aren't the major problem. Times are changing, and going to a theater can be a real hassle for a number of reasons. Take a look at Jack The Giant Slayer as a recent example. A family friendly movie, but it really tanked at the box office:

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=jackthegiantkiller.htm

 

[Thriller Ant]

I think you hit the nail on the head at the end when you mentioned ticket prices. I'm taking my girlfriend out to the movies tonight, and between the tickets and snacks, I'm going to be out nearly $40. Most people, including myself on most occasions, would rather pick something off of Netflix or spend $1 at Redbox and buy their own snacks for a fraction of the price. Start with fixing the prices and the rest should fall into place.

 

[Starkist]

Why not just make the prices for 3D movies the same as regular tickets? Wouldn't this increase buys in the market of 3D films. I haven't been to the movies in a long long time. The experience isn't the same. The non stop texting from people and phone's ringing is mind boggling. I never understood how spending $30.00 on movie tickets for people means they cannot simple turn their phones off.

For me, half of the movies, if not a third of them are very unappealing. After reading the OP's post about Evil Dead, I got grossed out. I like my movies without the flesh vomit scenes thank you. The demographics for movies in a movie theater should be equal in my eyes. I know this would be nearly impossible to do, but one can only imagine/dream of it.

To me, I would rather wait for it to either A) be on On Demand, B) wait for it on Netflix/Red Box or C) download it. Going to the movies nowadays isn't as fun as it used to be. The one experience I still have to try before my passing days is a Drive In. That would mainly be the only way I would attempt to see a movie nowadays.

 

[CripplerBenoitFan]

Ticket prices are insane, it's not the content of the movies. I have a massive HDTV, a sound system, and blu ray. There are about 3-4 movies a year if that for me to really get out and shell out the cash to see them. Basically Marvel Films, Tarantino movies, and Star Trek are about it. Outside of that nothing really compels me. I will be seeing Jurassic Park in IMAX 3D tomorrow. That is cool. Really the next month or two will be the only movies I see in the theater all year. Outside of that, I have no problem waiting until they come to Netflix. That's why I pay my $25-30 a month to have a constant stream of Blus in my mailbox.

20 years ago now, sure I get that, but as a kid that was my heyday for seeing movies in the theater and they were all $3!!!! The price hike came quickly and it was steep, and I don't feel like being bent over and fucked every time I want to see a movie. I only allow Marvel to bend me over that way. They do it lovingly.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Why not just make the prices for 3D movies the same as regular tickets?

If I remember correctly, I DO remember reading rumors about this a while ago. Certain theater chains were supposed to drop the prices of 3D movies, and then the whole hoopla surrounding Real D 3D's threat to force theater chains to pay for the cost of 3D glasses broke. Honestly, I haven't heard anything about this proposal since then, but I doubt it'll happen anyway. 3D is a special attraction, so they're going to raise the prices for it.

And if they lower the 3D prices, what's going to stop the theater chains from raising the prices on regular 2D showings? As I said before, most of the major theater chains already have their rip-off versions of IMAX. Cinemark has Xtreme Digital, Regal has "IMAX" (pure bullshit) and RPX (to accommodate the smaller theaters. Watched G.I. Joe Retaliation on this format, and yeah, it was too "meh" for the extra cash), and amc has XETX "enhanced" with DOLBY ATMOS. Let's look at Cinemark. One ticket for XD is $13.50 (I think it's raised to $15.50 for XD 3D). A regular 3D ticket is.....$13.50 ($10.25 for kids). From looking at the showtimes, Oblivion only has a handful of XD showings, but 42 has more XD showings than the standard showings for 42.

So they'll always find a way to get you somehow. And as Thriller already pointed out, you better try and eat something before you go to the movies, because the overpriced food will drain most of (if not all of) the cash you have left.

 

[CripplerBenoitFan]

I cut out sodas and all that nonsense a long time ago, so they don't get me with that anymore. I just need a bottle of water for the movie, maybe sneak in some almonds or pistachios and I'm good to go.

I went gluten free & dairy free for DDPYOGA and it's absolutely phenomenal. Also one ass kickin' workout!!!

Anyway back on topic, if you do enjoy sodas and the like that is a great suggestion. Avoid the overpriced nonsense. At least you could still sneak in a backpack of stuff if you wanted to.