The year without a summer

[Dynaman]

Of blockbusters that is.  There are a couple of other mentions on individual movies but this is the first article I've read that shows the entire summer season is just going to be pushed back a year.  Some movies will come out later in the summer if things go well but as a whole this is going to be a skipped year.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/coronavirus-sony-postpones-morbius-ghostbusters-afterlife

[mikeszekely]

11 minutes ago, Dynaman said:

Of blockbusters that is.  There are a couple of other mentions on individual movies but this is the first article I've read that shows the entire summer season is just going to be pushed back a year.  Some movies will come out later in the summer if things go well but as a whole this is going to be a skipped year.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/coronavirus-sony-postpones-morbius-ghostbusters-afterlife

I know that the studios are loathe to anger their theater partners or upend the box office model for whatever reasons, but I think more studios would be smart to just release them straight to digital.  We're stuck at home with no sports; we're almost a captive audience.  I've already bought Rise of Skywalker and Birds of Prey; I'm thinking about picking up Sonic and Bloodshot, too.  And none of those were particularly must-see movies for me (I actually saw Star Wars and BoP in the theater with a buddy, but my wife wanted to see them).  I'd happily plop down the cash for Wonder Woman, Morbius, Black Widow, and Ghostbusters.

[Dynaman]

the thing is the studios know you (we) are most likely going to rent/buy the movie for home use after you watch it at the theater and they are loathe to give up that extra revenue (which to be fair could make the difference between profitable or not).  Combine that with a lot of the movies that were due to be done by next year being delayed due to the virus and I can't really blame them for delaying a year.  I wish they wouldn't but I can see why they would feel the need to do so.

[TangledThorns]

More like the year without a year... UGH!

[sqidd]

I don't go to movies. Holly wood has been putting lowest common denominator crap for years now. Of the few movies that I will actually sit though I stream them after their release to DVD/Streaming. After they have dropped to a $5.00 rental. No loss as far as I'm concerned.

TV is consistently better than Movies now.

[Dynaman]

Sadly even the production of TV and (well just about everything) is on hold.  I rarely go to movies myself, 3 times a year at most, but even the video releases are going to be slim this year.

[M'Kyuun]

I enjoy going to the theater, although, I find there are less and less movies that interest me enough to go anymore. It saddens me, b/c I want to support my local theater. When I do go, I often buy a drink and some nachos, both b/c yum, and b/c it helps pay the wages for the staff, hence the jacked up prices on theater food/drink.  But I do agree that Hollywood seems to have run out of ideas, at least original ones, and tv , especially the pay per views and streaming networks, have really upped the ante so far as telling good stories and producing shows worthy of merit. TV certainly has the advantage of time to develop both story and characters over a greater arc, and for many a director and actors, that has to be very alluring over making a 1.5 - 3 hour film, where everything has to be condensed. But films like the Marvel films, or Godzilla, are made to be seen on the big screen, and I definitely love that format- I just don't get that same sense of spectacle watching it on my 55" flat screen with no sound system in my little living room. Even with a sound system, it still wouldn't be the same. So, the toll this pandemic is having on the film industry, and by extension, theaters, is a little worrisome, as a lot of theaters are just breaking even, and I don't want to lose ours.

I'm a sci-fi nerd who grew up in the 80's with very unimaginative and country-minded parents who had no interest in going to the movies, and so the few movies I actually saw in the theater as a kid were usually with friends. Out on my own, catching a movie at the theater was something I looked forward to, and still do, if less frequently. Looking back at the 70's into the 90's at the amazing library of films, and all that creativity that informed them, it was such a great era to be a movie buff. Into the millennium, that gusher of creativity and imagination turned into a dripping faucet, and I have to wonder why. People are still creative, but it seems like Hollywood isn't interested in originality, so recycling seems to permeate the business. I get that films are an investment, and retreading old ground is, in their eyes, a safe bet, but one need only look at how many gambles paid off throughout the 80's, as they're still recycling many of those properties today.  I wish some of that 80's spirit would return, so far as attitudes towards forging new film properties and franchises.

[Kanedas Bike]

18 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I know that the studios are loathe to anger their theater partners or upend the box office model for whatever reasons, but I think more studios would be smart to just release them straight to digital.  We're stuck at home with no sports; we're almost a captive audience.  I've already bought Rise of Skywalker and Birds of Prey; I'm thinking about picking up Sonic and Bloodshot, too.  And none of those were particularly must-see movies for me (I actually saw Star Wars and BoP in the theater with a buddy, but my wife wanted to see them).  I'd happily plop down the cash for Wonder Woman, Morbius, Black Widow, and Ghostbusters.

Everything is on it's head at this point. I don't want to buy or rent movies via digital because I do enjoy the theater experience, but I will if it's a movie that I want to see a la Quiet Place II, Wonder Woman and maybe a couple of others.

I bought Rise of Skywalker on digital as well, even though I prefer to have physical copies - but as you said it was the start of quarantine for my state and I was very much a captive audience. 

7 hours ago, sqidd said:

I don't go to movies. Holly wood has been putting lowest common denominator crap for years now. Of the few movies that I will actually sit though I stream them after their release to DVD/Streaming. After they have dropped to a $5.00 rental. No loss as far as I'm concerned.

TV is consistently better than Movies now.

Definitely a matter of taste, I don't go to the movies as often as I used to but I still find a handful to get me to go.

I 100% agree that Netflix and Amazon have upped the value of "TV" shows along with HBO. I don't watch much network television outside of local and nightly news. I couldn't even tell you what comes on NBC, CBS, ABC, etc.

2 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I enjoy going to the theater, although, I find there are less and less movies that interest me enough to go anymore. It saddens me, b/c I want to support my local theater. When I do go, I often buy a drink and some nachos, both b/c yum, and b/c it helps pay the wages for the staff, hence the jacked up prices on theater food/drink.  But I do agree that Hollywood seems to have run out of ideas, at least original ones, and tv , especially the pay per views and streaming networks, have really upped the ante so far as telling good stories and producing shows worthy of merit. TV certainly has the advantage of time to develop both story and characters over a greater arc, and for many a director and actors, that has to be very alluring over making a 1.5 - 3 hour film, where everything has to be condensed. But films like the Marvel films, or Godzilla, are made to be seen on the big screen, and I definitely love that format- I just don't get that same sense of spectacle watching it on my 55" flat screen with no sound system in my little living room. Even with a sound system, it still wouldn't be the same. So, the toll this pandemic is having on the film industry, and by extension, theaters, is a little worrisome, as a lot of theaters are just breaking even, and I don't want to lose ours.

I'm a sci-fi nerd who grew up in the 80's with very unimaginative and country-minded parents who had no interest in going to the movies, and so the few movies I actually saw in the theater as a kid were usually with friends. Out on my own, catching a movie at the theater was something I looked forward to, and still do, if less frequently. Looking back at the 70's into the 90's at the amazing library of films, and all that creativity that informed them, it was such a great era to be a movie buff. Into the millennium, that gusher of creativity and imagination turned into a dripping faucet, and I have to wonder why. People are still creative, but it seems like Hollywood isn't interested in originality, so recycling seems to permeate the business. I get that films are an investment, and retreading old ground is, in their eyes, a safe bet, but one need only look at how many gambles paid off throughout the 80's, as they're still recycling many of those properties today.  I wish some of that 80's spirit would return, so far as attitudes towards forging new film properties and franchises.

See, I grew up with a Mom that loved science fiction, action and horror. I was reminded by her when we went to see The Rise of Skywalker that I actually "watched" Star Wars (Ep. IV) in theaters. With my Dad holding 1 year old me throughout the showing.

But as you've said @M'Kyuun - it's the spectacle that gets me into theaters first and foremost. Then "date movies" and those that have critical acclaim that interest me.

-b.

[jenius]

If I can't escape the kids, then I can't watch movies... unless they're kid movies. 

[Bolt]

It's Shrek and kung fu Panda for you my friend 

Actually , Kubo and the two strings was awesome..

Edited April 1, 2020 by Bolt

[TangledThorns]

2 hours ago, jenius said:

If I can't escape the kids, then I can't watch movies... unless they're kid movies. 

Yeah, my five year old daughter only like Youtube crap. I tried Star Wars and anime I like but nope, she has no interest. Ugh...

Edited April 1, 2020 by TangledThorns

[Big s]

I miss going to the movies, and hope things will be at a better place soon. There’s a few movies and shows  showing up streaming that I’ll probably try out that maybe I haven’t seen yet and for anyone missing out on the concert season, some bands are doing live stream concerts and others like Metallica are putting full classics shows on YouTube. I just wish my local hobby shop was open.

[mikeszekely]

3 hours ago, Big s said:

I just wish my local hobby shop was open.

I wish I had a local hobby shop in the first place.

As for the movie theater I don't really miss it.  Ever since my daughter was born I'd either have to find a sitter if I wanted to go to the movies with my wife, or get the ok from her to go with a buddy instead.  It's a hassle, and I'd mostly worked it down to just stuff like Star Wars and The Avengers that I didn't want to spend three months avoiding spoilers for while I waited for a home release.  It's way easier to grab a movie on Amazon or Google Play and watch it with my wife on the sofa in the living room, which is what we've been doing Saturdays and Sundays the past three weekends.  I don't even have to worry too much about if it's ok for my daughter or not; she's so timid that even movies for kids kind of scare her*, so as long as I let her watch something else in her playroom she'll leave us to it.

*While it's true that I can't even talk her into watching the copy of Trolls I picked up for her, she loves watching Godzilla films with me, especially if Mothra is in it. Go figure.

[Dynaman]

I never really put two and two together before but yup, once we had kids going out to movies was more of a hassle then it was usually worth.  Now that the kids are adults we just got out of the habit.  Still going to miss the odd movie now and then - and more so all the shows and movies that are on production hold.  

[Big s]

Turns out hobby lobby is using the same loophole that Joanne’s is using to reopen. I guess they will carry supplies to make masks. I’m really not a fan of hobby lobby, but I’m so bored these days I may get desperate and see if they have anything I need or maybe didn’t really need but so bored I might impulse buy anyway.

[sqidd]

On 4/1/2020 at 2:37 PM, Kanedas Bike said:

 

Definitely a matter of taste, I don't go to the movies as often as I used to but I still find a handful to get me to go.

I 100% agree that Netflix and Amazon have upped the value of "TV" shows along with HBO. I don't watch much network television outside of local and nightly news. I couldn't even tell you what comes on NBC, CBS, ABC, etc.

 

Well, I did see both Godzilla movies (with my Mom, she's a Godzilla fan too), Mad Max Fury Road and John Wick 2 (the wife really wanted to do something so we hit a late show). Aside from that, that's it. I don't go to the theater much anymore. Granted, the last few times I went I did enjoy the reserved seating, better seats, more legroom, better food choices (I rarely eat crap, but when I do, I don't hold back!).

 

[Dynaman]

First positive (entertainment) news I've personally read (other then a couple of movies getting early release to video) is that the Snowpiercer show debut date has been moved up to Mid-May.  Not having seen the movie I don't know if that counts as a good thing or not.

[Big s]

Well I guess things changed for hobby lobby and it seems they will not be reopening after all.

[myk]

On 4/1/2020 at 4:08 AM, TangledThorns said:

More like the year without a year... UGH!

Seriously.  Movies are the least of our concerns.  I'd like to go back to work and start paying my rent again..

[TangledThorns]

7 hours ago, myk said:

Seriously.  Movies are the least of our concerns.  I'd like to go back to work and start paying my rent again..

That sucks, sorry that you and many others are going through that. 

Though I should be thankful for being able to work from home I miss the gym and I know it's at a cost of my own health plus the employees who can't work there too. 

[Big s]

Life is pretty dull now, but hopefully with the warmer weather things will get better. I don’t know if it’s a myth or not but it usually seems like these viral illnesses die down when the weather warms up.

[Bolt]

We all saw this coming..https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/apr/17/comic-con-cancelled-due-to-coronavirus-crisis

[Duymon]

2 hours ago, Bolt said:

We all saw this coming..https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/apr/17/comic-con-cancelled-due-to-coronavirus-crisis

Yeah it's really sad. That plus Comic book industry got hit really bad and the big two have stopped most of their production ever since diamond , the sole distro to direct market, is on hiatus with little to no product expected to go out until August.

At this point I'm just happy to still be employed and not sick (yet)

[jenius]

I was very happy to see SDCC giving a rollover option... I have tickets and didn't want to have to go through that process again. Here's hoping everything is fine by July 2021.

[Dynaman]

If forecast modelling holds up (and it is as much guesswork still as science) the large population centers of the Northeast are not going to allow regular seating at theaters and such till late July or August.  If so even if movies do get released they are going to have pretty awful box office numbers.  On the plus side they might have more "legs" as it were.  I'm old enough to remember when rolling movie releases were more common.

[Bolt]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/20/great-depression-will-comic-books-survive-coronavirus-marvel-cuts

[pengbuzz]

On 4/17/2020 at 9:58 PM, Dynaman said:

If forecast modelling holds up (and it is as much guesswork still as science) the large population centers of the Northeast are not going to allow regular seating at theaters and such till late July or August.  If so even if movies do get released they are going to have pretty awful box office numbers.  On the plus side they might have more "legs" as it were.  I'm old enough to remember when rolling movie releases were more common.

I'm in the Northeast; so far, everything is pretty well locked down tight. At this rate, September's not looking very good either to be frank.

[pengbuzz]

On 4/6/2020 at 6:37 AM, myk said:

Seriously.  Movies are the least of our concerns.  I'd like to go back to work and start paying my rent again..

Same here, only I'd like to be able to get my testing done so I can get paying work.

[Dynaman]

I'm just outside Atlantic City and things are not looking good for another month according to the latest.  Even then social distancing is still going to be required and large gatherings most likely not allowed till well into 2021 or a vaccine is created - and that is not expected till at least April of next year (and that is optimistic).  One of my goto sites is this one.  Part of it is listing when individual states might be able to scale back on restrictions and New Jersey and New York are currently listed as late May but that can change if predictions do not hold up - and even then it would be with no large gatherings.  

https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america

[mikeszekely]

I'm in the Pittsburgh area (one county to the east, thankfully we're not hit nearly as bad here).  Last I heard our governor is calling our current state of affairs (everything deemed non-essential is closed and we're under stay-at-home orders) "condition red", and we're staying red until at least May 8th.  After that he's looking to move at least parts of the state to "condition yellow", which will allow more businesses to re-open and end the stay-at-home order.  But under condition yellow large gatherings are still prohibited, anyone who can work from home should continue to do so, masks will still have to be worn in public, and places like gyms , schools, and theaters will still be closed.

Frankly the 8th can't get here fast enough.  Technically visiting my parents violates the stay-at-home order so my wife won't let me and my daughter go, but my dad found out he's got cancer* and they're operating on Tuesday.

*Yes, cancer's the worst, but before I get too much sympathy it's squamous cell carcinoma, a very treatable form of skin cancer, on his ear.  As long as the cancer cells haven't spread into other parts of his body they'll cut part of his ear off and he'll be right as rain.

[Dynaman]

Here in NJ visiting family is allowed but I still can't visit my mother.  She is 89 and just before the virus hit she fell in her garage.  I found her hours later when I got out of work and spent the night in the emergency room with her.  Luckily she was out of the hospital and rehab before the virus hit the facility she was at.  Since my son works TSA we have not been to visit but if the weather gets warm and sunny we plan to drive over and sit outside while she stays inside.