Dr. DVD

This is kind of a reaction/spin-off of the Spielberg/Lucas thread. They made note of something that I noticed seems to be trending and that's actor driven dramas being relegated to HBO as opposed to theatrical releases. Spielberg said "Lincoln" came real close to being an HBO movie, which I initially find hard to believe. However, when I think about it the movie really doesn't offer anything that makes a theatrical viewing necessary.

I have looked at movies HBO has put out recently and remember about 15 to 20 years when such efforts would be released into theaters given the directing and star credentials.

Phil Spector- Al Pacino and Helen Mirren in a movie written and directed by David Mamet

Kevorkian- Al Pacino in a drama directed by Barry Levinson

Behind the Candelabra- Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in a movie directed by Steven Soderbergh

It's almost like the audience for star driven dramas that rely on acting and story to drive it has disappeared from theaters.

RichC2

The Social Network came out three years ago, Steve Jobs has two movies coming out.

HBO is a good home for those biopics though, Phil Spector and You Don't Know Jack are low budget, actor driven pieces. Studios don't like spending the money to advertise movies like that. Behind the Candelabra was intended to be theatrical but again, studios don't like spending the money to advertise movies that have limited appeal. HBO now has big bucks so them getting the movie made was logical ($23m budget).

As long as the subject has mass appeal, it will probably get a theatrical release.

BambooLounge

I still think you'll get a couple types of these movies per year for Oscar purposes (The King's Speech, The Queen, The Social Network, The Last King of Scotland), historical biopics that give the lead a clear path to a Best Actor/Actress nomination.

Ash Ketchum

THE GREAT GATSBY is supposed to be an actor-driven drama but, unfortunately, we didn't get that with Baz Luhrmann at the helm.

RichC2

I don't think they're necessarily for Oscar purposes, they just happen to be the movies that voters tend to flock to. I know The Social Network didn't really strike me as a "nominated for 8 oscars" kind of movie. The King's Speech on the other hand did. Loved both movies though.

But yes many oscar nominated movies are character pieces (Midnight in Paris, The Descendants, The King's Speech, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, Social Network, An Education, Precious, Up in the Air, etc; )

Mattflix

I can see this happening gradually. The reason most people see a movie in the theater, as opposed to waiting a couple months for the movie to come on DVD, is to experience the shared energy of a pumped crowd on opening night, and seeing the spectacle on the big screen. Honestly, I can't imagine that energy for something like The Descendants.

I saw The King's Speech in the theater and it felt so strange seeing a pleasant character-driven drama in the theater. I guess it was nice to see it on a big screen, but there didn't seem to be much of a point in doing so.

But hey, personally I wait for just about everything to hit DVD at this point.

BambooLounge

^ I think there is a little more to it than just a pumped crowd, but I partly agree.

Before it was just as easy to watch Netflix or pop in a DVD/Blu-ray, going to the movies was a more pressing social event. Most of my high school weekends were spent in movie theaters either watching or not watching movies. B/c we were kids and frankly, there isn't much to do. I didn't know anyone with a killer home entertainment system and movie piracy wasn't really practicable with a 56K modem.

Now, people can just go over each other's house to watch movies in a cool setting, pirate stuff easily, or play online video games with each other w/o leaving home. And the movies has become a more expensive date than it used to be. So, I think people need more of a reason to go and it seems so far that that reason has been 3D or LOUD NOISES films where the benefits of a bigger screen and better sound system really come into play.

Also, there isn't much of a film culture anymore. The buzzed about media these days are television shows and 15 mins of fame viral videos. No one is rushing out to see the new Woody Allen b/c that is what the water cooler chatter will be about. So, a wider social need to see smaller films isn't really there either. But, you (like I am at times) will generally be left out of Monday morning conversations if you don't watch Game of Thrones.

I enjoy seeing smaller films in theaters simply b/c I want to see those films as soon as I can. So, I will keep going to the theater to see Woody Allen's latest instead of waiting. But, I'm a film fan. People that view the movies as just something to do instead of going to the mall or hanging out by someone's house, are likely going to go with the "experience" over the smaller film unless they are already predisposed to wanting to see the smaller film.

EddieMoney

davidh777

I didn't get that energy when I saw The Descendants, but I saw it on a weekday morning with like three other people in the theater. However, the scenery was nice on the big screen, and I'm not just talking about Shailene Woodley.

Dr. DVD

While I would not call the movie "The Raid" an "art house" film, it was definitely something that got a small release due to being a foreign film and(I guess because) many people don't want to read subtitles. I saw it at a matinee with maybe four other people , all of us guys. While we were a small crowd, it didn't stop us all from applauding after the final fight scene. One doesn't need a large crowd for a movie in order to have a great viewing experience in that aspect. You just need a crowd of people who are into that kind of stuff. That's actually something I miss about college setting where you could have a dorm room full of about ten people all watching something in which you were legitimately interested (I had mine full of people my Freshman year when I got Pulp Fiction the weekend it came out on video).

Mondo Kane

Since sex & nudity is now reserved for cable TV instead of theatrically-released films, why not?

Ash Ketchum

I saw Zhang Yimou's HERO, starring Jet Li and Donnie Yen, in Mandarin with English subtitles, on opening night in 2004 in a sold-out showing at the largest screen at the 42 St. E-Walk multiplex in Manhattan. The crowd sat there entranced throughout. I think it even opened at #1 in the U.S. that week. So there IS an audience out there beyond the arthouse crowd for subtitled movies. I saw CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON at a multiplex in the Bronx, the first time I saw a subtitled movie in a theater in the Bronx. (They even had to put a sign up on the cashier's window announcing that it was "in Chinese with subtitles.") I saw BLACK MASK with Jet Li at that same multiplex, although it was dubbed.

So many worthy Asian films come out every year that go straight to DVD if they get shown here at all. Or get a minimal release. The North American cut of John Woo's RED CLIFF would have been a great crowd-pleaser at a multiplex, yet it was relegated to tiny out-of-the-way theaters in New York with virtually no promotion. The distributor completely botched it.

(Or does this belong in the "Steven Spielberg Predicts 'Implosion' of Film Industry" thread?)

PhantomStranger

I predict you are going to see a continuing narrowing of which genres are acceptable at the theater. Movies aimed strictly at adult audiences will drift away from the theater and migrate towards home video and cable.

bluetoast

I had a great time seeing this at the theaters a couple times. Sure it wasn't full of energy but still fun.

Dr. DVD

I'm not saying there's no market for Asian films, but those releases were more of an exception to the rule, especially "Hero". Also, your locations are in a part of the country where people are more likely to attend such movies. Smaller cities seldom see such movies unless there is a TON of buzz. I was really surprised when my small city theater got "Hero" and it wasn't dubbed. Interestingly enough, one of my theaters also felt the need to put a note in the cashiers window stating that CTHD had "subtitles". I think it's kind of sad that such things must occur. I actually think The Raid could have been a crowd-pleasing type movie that played to many if they had given it a wider release.

Shannon Nutt

Funny thing about HBO...while most of their series are pretty good, most of their one-shot movies are pretty bad (or at the least, pretty mediocre).