Box Office Figures are Falling - Why Do You Think This Is? [COMPLETED]

From 1981 to 2011, films have seen a steady decline in original films and an increase in franchise films. One possible reason for the decline in box office figures in recent years is the fact that audiences are simply not feeling like there is an adequate variety of films being produced. For example, in 1998 the top ten films included two disaster films, a war film, a romantic comedy and an animated kids film; whereas 2014 only had one original film, that being Interstellar which was sold on Star Power. This shows a steady decline in variety and thusly audiences may be less interested in going to the cinema as a result. Audiences may instead to use services such as Netflix and YouTube to discover and experiment with new niche genres such as documentary, experimental/avant-garde as well as films that wouldn't appeal to a mainstream audience such as 'Kung Fury'. In my opinion, there seems to be a divergence in the tastes of the audience with the types of films that are being marketed. Studios continually promote franchise films that can be criticised for their derivative nature, whereas audiences are using non-Studio platforms such as Netflix, Vimeo and YouTube in order to explore a greater variety of genre and film than is being marketed. Thus, it's not surprising that audiences are not interested in seeing the latest blockbuster at the cinema as much as they once were as a result of this.

Another reason that audiences have more say in the films being produced and shown is the internet. Small and independent producers can now self-market their films via social media platforms and crowd funding websites such as 'Kickstarter' and 'GoFundMe', giving smaller producers more power and influence than ever before. In my opinion, this adds to the breadth of taste that the mainstream audience is gaining - audiences want a greater variety of films than are being offered by large studios. Another factor for this is the huge variety of films that are available to watch, due to an 'on-demand culture' audiences have a greater repertoire of cinematic literature, and thus may be less interested in seeing very similar films that are all either part of franchises or superhero films. In my opinion, Interstellar exemplifies the audiences demand for new, original ideas as it was the only film of 2014 in the top ten earning films to be an original film. This shows how audiences don't just want similar, repetitive franchise films and sequels. However, one could argue that the film was sold on the star power of Christopher Nolan, Matthew McConaughey's recent popularity and Anne Hathaway, greatly positive reviews leading to better publicity and the use of a unique cinematic format as the film was available in the widely praised 70MM film format.

Another reason for the steady decline in box office sales is the advent in home entertainment technology. Video games have evolved from a simplistic and arcade nature and have now become capable of telling their own narrative experiences that also offer the audience a level of interaction with this story. Mass Effect is an example of a media platform in which the audience can shape the outcome of the story. This means that many audience members may simply not be interested in going to the cinema to see a film as they can fulfill their needs for a narrative experience through a video game. The advent of technology in Televisions may have also lead to a decline in box office figures, during the 1980s the best way to see a film was to see it in the cinema as televisions simply were not comparable to the quality of a cinema. However, now modern televisions can rival the quality of the cinema and offer an extremely competitive edge. Televisions are also cheaper in the long run, once an audience member invests in a television they can view whatever film they want at home rather than spending money on travel, food and the cinema ticket itself in order to see the film. In conclusion, Televisions offer a comparable cinematic experience and have a competitive price.

This disadvantage to cinemas is further hindered by the fact that Cinema tickets have steadily been increasing in price. In 1999, Star Wars I: A Phantom Menace had an admission fee of £3, however in 2015 Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens had an admission fee of £11. This results in less audience members being able to afford the price of admission and thusly, less box office sales. In 2008, the world also saw a Global Recession. This hit every single industry as well as the Hollywood Film Industry, as a result of the Global Recession people had less disposable income and as a result of this people spent less money seeing movies at the cinema.  Another possible reason for the decline in box office sales is the fact that cinemas cannot guarantee a good cinematic experience. Noise such as people talking, the ruffle of sweets packaging and movement can all lead to an unenjoyable cinema experience. This will clearly dissuade people from going to the cinema as they will not enjoy their experience.

2015's cinematic year was considered by many to be an anomaly in a pattern of declining box office figures. This could be due to many reasons, one possible reason is the coincidence of many huge releases - the biggest easily being the release of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. However, many other big franchise films were released including Jurassic World, The Avengers 2: Age Of Ultron and Fast and Furious 7. These all contributed to a massive surge in box office figures simply due to the amount of large franchise films being released. In particular, Jurassic World and Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens felt like film and cultural events as they were revivals of older, once non-active series - thus more audience members will see the film as a result.

Another reason for the decline in box office figures is the declining importance of stars in Hollywood. Stars no longer hold the same appeal they once did for audiences, thusly audience members who may see a film based on its star may be less willing to go to the cinema now. One example of a film not relying on Star power is Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. The film cast two unknowns (Daisy Ridley and John Boyega) as the central characters in the film, showing the lack of importance placed on stars. Thus, audiences not interested in franchise films and more interested in stars are naturally not going to gravitate to a Hollywood business dominated by the franchise model. However, an argument against this point is that stars are still relevant for Asian audiences. Donnie Yen is a huge star in Asian regions and commands power at the box office, thus he was cast in the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One. Thus, this point could be seen as irrelevant due to the fact that Asian audiences will still see a film based on its star, and that declining box office figures are a result of other forces other than declining star power.

In my opinion, I believe that 2015 was an anomaly of box office figures, however I also believe that 2016 will see solid box office figures. One reason I believe this, is because of the number of big releases that are coming in 2016.  Perhaps the biggest is Finding Dory, the sequel to the cult Pixar film ‘Finding Nemo’. The predecessor was extremely popular and a sequel has been in high demand for years, meaning Finding Dory is likely to be a huge success. ‘Captain America: Civil War’ is also being released this year and has been the cause of excitement for Marvel fan bases for years, this shows how it’s very likely to be well received. Another factor is the cast in this film, a large portion of the actors appeared in the 2015 film Avengers II: Age of Ultron and other actors have appeared in other popular Marvel films including Spiderman and Ant-Man. In my opinion, ‘Captain America: Civil War’ will be one of the biggest successes of the year as audiences may view it as an unofficial Avengers III.

However, audiences may have simply grown tired of repetitive franchise films that only serve as tent-poles to sell merchandise and launch a business. As stated before, audiences may have simply grown tired of certain franchise films such as those coming from Marvel and DC and demand more choice and variety in the cinema than is currently being offered.  In my opinion, this is the reason many older films are being relaunched as franchises. For example, Independence Day: Resurgence, Ghostbusters, The Jungle Book and Zoolander 2 have all been confirmed for a 2016 release years after the last instalment in the franchise. This shows how studios are aware of over saturation of current franchises and how they’re potential for audience interest is stagnating.

It is estimated that China will overtake the US in Box Office Revenue by the year 2017. This is important as stars are still massively relevant in China, more so than perhaps Franchises. One example of this is Disney’s choice to cast Donnie Yen in the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One film in order to appeal to an Asian audience. If China does in fact take over the US in terms of Box Office Revenue, it is highly likely that we will see a cultural and business shift to appeal to Asian audiences. It is possible that we see a rise in star driven action, martial arts films become more relevant in cinemas in order to appeal to Asian audiences. This shift to Asian audiences may also mark the decline and power of the franchise and tent-pole films that hold financial power at the box office, and instead a focus on star driven films and original films. However, this move to appeal to Asian audiences may affect the less mainstream, more ‘art-house’ films in the future. After the Second World War ended and American cinema became extremely prominent in France, the world of film saw a new cinematic movement occur; ‘The French New Wave’ headed by directors such as Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Claude Chabrol. While the shift in cinema may not be as strong as post-World War II French cinema, it is still likely we will see a cultural reaction towards a film industry focused on appealing to Asian audiences. Furthermore, other and older established directors such as Martin Scorsese, David Fincher and Steven Spielberg may become less relevant in a shifting film culture that favours Asian audiences. Instead, we may see new directors rising to the top of fame and popularity by appealing to Asian audiences – as well as directors that gain popularity and attention through doing the exact opposite and playing with genre, conventions and cinematic values and techniques thought ‘standard’.

In summation, I don’t think that the cinema is going to become irrelevant in the film industry. However, I don’t think that the current film business model is going to last with a likely shift to Asian audiences. However with this shift, we will also see a cultural reaction within cinema, possibly leading to a new cinematic movement similar to the French New Wave. Home entertainment technology and alternative forms of entertainment may make film less appealing to audience members however, and this may contribute to an overall decline in box office figures if cinemas cannot compete with home entertainment technology, as well as platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Kickstarter and Netflix which allows audiences to have greater control over the films they see. Audiences want to see a greater variety of content whilst Hollywood and American cinema is offering a slim selection of film, thus resulting in less box office attendance – Hollywood may need to expand their repertoire of films and genre at the box office if they want an increase in cinema attendance.