Ah, but there is.
Confidence in business is good. However, speaking in absolutes in a world of people can be fraught with perils.
I’m still siding with Universal on the ongoing brouhaha over Trolls World Tour not showing in theaters. The truth of the matter is if the theaters had been open, Universal would have screened Trolls in theaters as expected. It’s not Universal’s fault that the theaters had to close.
Instead, the pandemic hit and Universal had existing advertising and promotion $$$ spent and chose to go the VOD route, They keep calling it PVOD which I guess stands for Premium Video On Demand. Whatever, it’s still a movie being streamed at home for paid rental. Let’s just keep it simple. VOD/PVOD = the same thing.
Cineworld/Regal, there is an argument to your statement.
The theatrical window does not make sense for every movie. Why is it so difficult for movie theaters to understand this?
In fairness, Cineworld is responding to the whole Trolls World Tour dustup a little more carefully, but I emphatically disagree with the bolded sentence at the end (emphasis is mine)
Cineworld’s policy with respect to the window is clear, well known in the industry and is part of our commercial deal with our movie suppliers. We invest heavily in our cinemas across the globe and this allows the movie studios to provide customers all around the world to watch the movies in the best experience. There is no argument that the big screen is the best way to watch a movie.
Regal Owner Cineworld Chimes In On ‘Trolls World Tour’ Controversy – Deadline
Sorry, Cineworld/Regal, but you’re bolded statement above is wrong.
There are several very logical, reasonable, practical arguments that the big screen is not the best way to watch a movie. There are some movies that people would rather watch at home and that is the “best” way for them.
The most successful businesses change with the times. This is 2020. A lot more people have very high end 4K UHD or better big TVs at home. Some have full on Dolby Cinema surround sound theaters in their dens, living rooms, man/woman caves and the like. Some have super luxurious recliners setup. Tell any of these people that their experience is inferior to watching a movie on “the big screen” and they’ll laugh in your face.
But I’ll agree not everybody has this kind of technology setup at home. I’ll also admit that I prefer to watch new movies in the theater over watching them at home. So, for me personally, I agree that the movie theater experience is superior. Just because I think it’s better for me, doesn’t mean it’s better for everybody reading this.
Still, the theaters should not continue to perpetuate the myth that it is undeniably a better experience. I cringe whenever I see theater chains and NATO perpetuating this myth. It’s not a fact that watching movies in a theater is the “best” way to watch movies in 2020. It is the best for a percentage of the population, but not everybody (see: Where Do You MOST Watch Movies? (Theater, TV, Computer, Tablet, Phone))
Is this statement false? Yes, I can prove it with just one situation for us.
Example. Taking our grandchildren to the movie theater is a hassle. They aren’t old enough — nor patient enough — to appreciate the movie theater experience. We also have to worry about them being kids, which means they are loud and can be disruptive to others trying to enjoy the film. We would like them to enjoy the wonder and splendor of watching the movie on the “big screen” but the truth is they don’t care that much about it. They get just as much, if not more, enjoyment watching this type of movie at home on their big screen TV.
Not good times arguing with 3-5 year olds.
A movie like Trolls World Tour is better seen at home for some young children. Just saying that’s a fact.
Do we as grandparents want to encourage them to explore the movie theater experience? Absolutely, we do, but Universal made the right decision to release the movie the way they did. All this BS talk about underhanded tactics is just garbage drama talk. They didn’t do anything underhanded getting a movie released to an audience that wanted to see it.
NATO and these movie theater chains fiercely holding onto their stranglehold on new movie distribution via the 90 day theatrical window (see: Collapsing Theatrical Windows Are Not The End Of Cinema Life As We Know It) need to remember this is 2020 and it’s us — the moviegoers — that ultimately get to decide what is “best.” A little more humility would be the best medicine right now.
Hunker down, reopen your movie theaters when it is safe to do so.
(seems like they might be targeting July 2020)
We’ll let you know what’s best by when and where we spend our hard-earned money. A lot of moviegoers really like watching movies at home. It makes more sense trying to find out how to entice them to come to your theaters over staying at home. Just saying there is no argument when there is, doesn’t work.
Movies, Movies, Movies 
I agree with a lot of your points but I would personally rather see almost any movie first on the big screen! With everything going on at the moment, it makes sense to release direct to VOD and I’m not sure how Odeon can really argue with it! When all this has blown over, i’d choose the cinema experience over VOD any day of the week, but I do feel very concerned for the safety of cinemas going forward.
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Yes, and I really don’t think all this fighting in the media is wise for either side. We’ll be at the theater when it reopens. I am frustrated that they are waiting for new movies to come as more and more movies are pushed to streaming or late 2020, 2021 (some are 2022!).
As soon as theaters can — safely — get back open and start showing something, fans like us will come back out. But if they keep saying, “there are no new movies!” and using as an excuse to stay closed, it’s only going to make their business less and less viable for the masses. There not going to lose us, there going to lose people who go once in awhile and largely prefer catching what they want in their home. Convenience, less hassle, safety those are all going to be reasons that keep people away from cinemas. Maybe those people are already gone. Your concerns are duly noted. Thank you for stopping by, reading and commenting!
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Good discussion. However, the quote made no sense until I read it at least six times.
The first five times I inferred:
“There is no argument [supporting] that the big screen is the best way to watch a movie.”
-Why would a theater owner say that?!!?
Finally, I realized the quote was to be read as:
“There is no argument that [runs counter to] the big screen is the best way to watch a movie.”
I suppose those who deal entirely with ‘pictures’ have difficulty being precise with their words … but others will say it’s my problem that there seems to be an ambiguous meaning to the quote. 😉 (wink)
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I was six years old before I even stepped into a movie theater. I was, even then, a quiet and obedient child, but even so, I was told that I had to be on my best behavior or else. And I was a reasonably well-behaved moviegoer, even at that young age.
Thing is, many kids are NOT well-behaved at a movie theater. It’s been a while since I’ve had reason to complain, but in the past, I’ve seen all sorts of misbehavior, ranging from kids who run up and down the aisles during a movie to starting popcorn fights and talking during the feature presentation.
And, sadly, I now only go to a theater once or twice a year, though 2019 was a banner year; The Girlfriend and I saw “It: Chapter Two,” “Midway,” and”Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” at a nearby theater in a three-month window.
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