A recent study found how movie theaters can attract audiences and increase ticket sales. Thanksgiving weekend saw many return to the theaters to see the likes of Encanto, House of Gucci, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. This was good news for a theater industry that was forced to shut down operations in 2020 and has been recovering over the past year with hits like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Halloween Kills, while offsetting some of the box office disappointments from The Last Duel and King Richard.
Yet, while multiple ticket selling sites crashed due to the high demand for Spider-Man: No Way Home, this has been the exception rather than the rule. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, despite films' profits increasing due to the likes of Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, overall ticket sales and audience attendance had been dropping. Ever since the pandemic began, while some films have found some success, others have struggled to climb to the former box office glory of before 2020, and there have been a number of factors at play.
According to Variety, a recent report by Quorum, a film research company, Cultique, a brand consulting firm; and Fanthropology, a research and strategy agency, found that many filmgoers' hesitancy to return to the theater comes down to safety and theater prices. They surveyed more than 2,500 pre-pandemic moviegoers and discovered that nearly half of respondents, some 49% of those polled, who once went to cinemas, no longer do so. Many felt they would feel safer if theaters required filmgoers to show proof of vaccination. However, the biggest sticking point for many appears to be the price for both tickets and concessions, as they would be more willing to go if moviegoing was less expensive. The also expressed the desire for improved concessions and healthier options. The report said:
“The clock is ticking. The longer exhibition takes to address these issues, the more likely it is that non-theater-going behavior will be set.”
One reason concessions cost so much money is because it is where most theaters make their profit, as the ticket sales are split with the studios, and sometimes the theaters get less than half the money from tickets. Theaters have tried to incentivize audiences with membership programs like the AMC A-List where they get 12 movies a month for a flat rate, hoping they will spend more money they would have on a ticket for concessions. Yet, the report found that many filmgoers either don't know about the programs or find them hard to use.
While theaters have done much in recent years to compete with streaming and home media options, like more focus on IMAX and 3D, as well as offering assigned seating and reclining seat options, it appears the key to making movies more appealing is to make them more affordable. Unlike plays or even concert venues, movies have been the entertainment of the masses and one that many have been able to afford during hard economic times. With more strict COVID-19 restrictions and cheaper ticket sales, more audiences may be willing to give a movie like The French Dispatch or Belfast a chance instead of worrying they have to save up all their money for one night out to go see Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Source: Variety