Why are movies' success tracked differently?
05-12-08, 10:13 AM
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Why are movies' success tracked differently?
As far as I can tell, movies have the only public tracking that is based on revenue*, not based on a "units sold" type of measure.
Movies = box office receipts, in dollars
CDs = Units sold
Books = Units sold
Magazines/newspapers = Circulation
Television shows = Number of viewers (and % of televisions in use)
Music, print, television... all of these forms of media track by the number of people consuming the media. Not by dollars and cents.
What makes movies special and different? Why do we care about some movie studio executive recouping his investment but do not care about the investments of TV studios, music producers or print publishers?
I would like to see movies tracked by tickets sold. You?
*Pollstar tracks concert tours by dollars, but that is because ticket prices vary so much. it's a different animal.
Movies = box office receipts, in dollars
CDs = Units sold
Books = Units sold
Magazines/newspapers = Circulation
Television shows = Number of viewers (and % of televisions in use)
Music, print, television... all of these forms of media track by the number of people consuming the media. Not by dollars and cents.
What makes movies special and different? Why do we care about some movie studio executive recouping his investment but do not care about the investments of TV studios, music producers or print publishers?
I would like to see movies tracked by tickets sold. You?
*Pollstar tracks concert tours by dollars, but that is because ticket prices vary so much. it's a different animal.
05-12-08, 10:55 AM
#2
DVD Talk Hero
Two things.
1. Movies are tracked by units sold when they reach DVD.
2. You're kind of ignoring other items tracked in a similar fashion -- Concerts, Stage, Orchestra, Movies, etc; all go off Box Office revenue and not tickets sold.
From what I can gather, its because the studios get a % back, and aren't on a point system like they are on physical media sold to consumers. So while the studio may automatically get $5 back on every DVD or CD sold, it only gets a percentage of the Box Office for movies. And the numbers are being tracked for them, we're just spectators, so unless you can give them a reason to start tracking it in terms of tickets sold, I don't think they care to put forth the extra effort. Theater prices vary drastically place to place, example:
Theater 1 (my local place):
Matinee: $5.50
Weeknight: $5.50
Weekend Evening: $7.50
Theater 2 (by my sister's place):
Matinee: $7.50
Weeknight: $11.50
Weekend Evening: $11.50
Theater 3 (local dollar theater):
Matinee: $1
Weeknight: $1
Weekend Evening: $2
Theater 4 (our local arthouse shithole):
Matinee: $6.50
Weeknight: $8.50
Weekend: $8.50
Would be a pain in the ass and pointless for any reason other than setting records.
1. Movies are tracked by units sold when they reach DVD.
2. You're kind of ignoring other items tracked in a similar fashion -- Concerts, Stage, Orchestra, Movies, etc; all go off Box Office revenue and not tickets sold.
From what I can gather, its because the studios get a % back, and aren't on a point system like they are on physical media sold to consumers. So while the studio may automatically get $5 back on every DVD or CD sold, it only gets a percentage of the Box Office for movies. And the numbers are being tracked for them, we're just spectators, so unless you can give them a reason to start tracking it in terms of tickets sold, I don't think they care to put forth the extra effort. Theater prices vary drastically place to place, example:
Theater 1 (my local place):
Matinee: $5.50
Weeknight: $5.50
Weekend Evening: $7.50
Theater 2 (by my sister's place):
Matinee: $7.50
Weeknight: $11.50
Weekend Evening: $11.50
Theater 3 (local dollar theater):
Matinee: $1
Weeknight: $1
Weekend Evening: $2
Theater 4 (our local arthouse shithole):
Matinee: $6.50
Weeknight: $8.50
Weekend: $8.50
Would be a pain in the ass and pointless for any reason other than setting records.
Last edited by RichC2; 05-12-08 at 11:02 AM.
