Box Office

Box Office figures are falling, why do you think this is?

In 2012 box office revenues hit its lowest point since 1993. A number of reasons contributed to this dramatic drop.  One of these reasons is because of new technologies. In 2012 many high concept driven movies such as Battleship and John Carter flopped at the box office. This is because new technological advances have made it possible to enjoy New Cinematic Experiences at home, were as the cinema used to be the only place were you could go to see this. Products like 3D televisions, Blu Rays and surround have moved the New Cinematic Experiences from the cinema into people’s homes, making it easier and more convenient to stay at home and watch films than go to the cinema. Also there are many more ways to watch films than there used to be.  You can now watch movies on your I Pad, Laptop or Xbox. New technologies have always been a threat to cinemas. In the 1950’s the box office figures fell similarly to 2012. This was because of the introduction of the television into people’s homes. This allowed them to watch films at home for the first time and not have to go to the cinema to do so.

Another reason for box office figures falling is piracy.  Despite their best efforts cinemas struggle to compete with piracy. Piracy is quicker, easier and cheaper than going to the cinema. In 1999 it was £3.00 to go to cinema, when I went to see the Dark Knight Rises in 2012 I paid £9. This shows how much ticket prices have risen in 13 years. The rising price and the convenience of piracy has caused people to stop going the cinema and finding other ways to watch a film for a lot less money. The MPAA estimates that piracy costs the film industry $20 billion per year. However these numbers are disputed and are more accurately estimated at $446 million per year. Despite these claims I believe that piracy could be potentially good for the industry. If someone is not sure whether to buy a film or not, they could download it off the Internet and watch it. If they like the film then it is extremely likely that they will go and buy the Blu-ray and possibly merchandise from the film, still giving money to the industry, just not directly through the cinema.

Another reason for the fall in box office figures is stars are no longer relevant in cinema and that franchises are more important. In previous decades stars have been the main reason for people going to the cinema to watch films. Actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone all attracted people to see their films for no other reason than the fact they were the stars. They all had huge fan bases and they would watch any of their films, and due to the lack of technology, the cinema was the best place they could watch it. However now stars do not have this effect and have been taken over by franchises. One example of stars not being relevant is Tom Cruise. He had two massive movies out in 2012, Rock of Ages and Jack Reacher. Both films bombed at the box office even though they had arguably the most famous face in the world in them. Franchises now have a lot more power. They offer a chance for horizontal integration. This allows them to bring out merchandise, games and other markets to generate more money. Although films such as The Avengers and Dark Knight Rises did well in 2012, the previous year the biggest franchise off all time came to an end in Harry Potter. This would have taken away hundreds of millions even billions away from the industry and causing box office figures to drop.

Overall I believe that box office films have dropped mainly because of the rising price and new technologies becoming more attainable by the general public. This is causing people to stay at home and watch a film for less money and still getting the same cinematic experience whilst in the comfort of their own homes.