French Cinemas to Protest ... for One Whole Hour!
Filed under: Fandom, Home Entertainment, Politics
OK, so just before we start, I want you to know that I'm going to try very hard not to make any jokes about the French in this post (even though a certain line of dialog from The Last of The Mohicans keeps running in my head). But, back to the news at hand: Variety is reporting that more than 2,000 French movie theaters will be turning off their lights between 6 and 7PM in protest of a new anti-piracy law, and since Wednesday is new release day in France, exhibitors thought that would be the most opportune time to make their point. So what is their point exactly? Well, it turns out that French movie distributors are starting to feel the pains of rising services like VOD competing with first-run movie theaters for business. Originally, movie theaters were granted a six-month window of exclusivity before a flick could move on to other distribution channels, but under their new anti-piracy law, the home entertainment market will now only have to wait 4 months before a film becomes available for the DVD and VOD market. French cinema owners claim that this law is, "degrading of theater owners' economic conditions." (Even though, according to statistics, the box-office is up 3.4% from last year).
After the jump; French movie theaters aren't the only ones suffering...
French theaters aren't the only ones worried about box-office dollars these days, although as a dedicated film goer, I'm a studio's best friend, because there isn't much that can keep me from the big screen. But I'm not the norm, and lately, even Hollywood is feeling the pinch. Studios are starting to rely more and more on 'event' films and gimmicks like extended footage or 3-D technology to get people into the theaters. Unfortunately for French exhibitors, I think it's going to take a lot more than a brief protest to solve the problem, don't you?
Has the home entertainment market ruined the movie theater business? Sound off in the comments and tell me if you think the rise of VOD and DVD availability has changed your movie-going habits...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-05-2009 @ 3:36PM
Kurt Munro said...
They should come out on DVD the moment they're released into cinemas.
Maybe they could do a deal where only cinemas are allowed to sell the DVD's for the first month or whatever.
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11-05-2009 @ 4:27PM
cablebfg said...
Ok, so you say the box office has risen 3.4%, but does that take into account inflation AND then fact that ticket prices have gone up. At least, that is what I know here in the US. In France, perhaps they live in a bubble?
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11-05-2009 @ 4:32PM
Felicia said...
VOD and DVD hasn't changed my movie-going experiences because I consider them basically seperate and no movie viewed at home can immerse you in that created world like at the theater. However, a lot of other people don't seem to see the difference and actually prefer to watch at home. Further proof that those in the 50's who said television would ruin cinemas were correct; is just took 5 more decades.
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11-06-2009 @ 10:22AM
BarkingGhost said...
Divestiture. Oops, I meant Désinvestissement.
As with all things in life, and in death, they change over time. So, instead of whining (pleurnicherie) they should divest into other areas.
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11-06-2009 @ 10:28AM
Astin said...
And here I thought for a second that they were protesting the draconian and potentially illegal processes that would be carried out against the accused. Silly of me to think they'd care about anything but their bottom line. Because a protest in support of the movie-watching public might actually increase their business.
The fact is that a movie theatre is good for tow thing - films that should be watched BIG and LOUD, and films that should be watched with a crowd. The smaller films, the dramas, the indies, etc., are perfectly suited for a night at home on the couch.
What France, and everyone else, needs to do is adapt to this paradigm, not fight it. Studios make hundreds of millions on home movie sales. Theatres need to find revenue streams that draw people to them for the experience.
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11-07-2009 @ 9:26PM
? said...
Nicely said.
11-08-2009 @ 11:30AM
Bonnie said...
Hey, I have an idea for Hollywood and maybe French filmmakers also: Make some decent movies! Not, copy-cat ideas and remakes of old wonderful movies and turn them into "cartoons, like "Stepford Wives" Lousy movies based on 70's and 80's TV shows. Where's the creativity, originality or at least historical accuracy?
Not stupid sex/love, change partners, sex/love, switch again flops, and Disney and other kid movies laced with Liberal propaganda. Where are the movies like THE PASSION, The English Patient, Saving Private Ryan, Philadelphia, and some leading men who are not girly boys with blond curls, but REAL men! Epics like Gone with the Wind based on factual history, not revisionist History
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11-07-2009 @ 10:07PM
mark said...
one thing going to see a movie cost to much and they get released to dvd or video to fast
Reply
11-08-2009 @ 12:17AM
Lisa said...
If theaters would block cell phone signals so I didn't have to listen to people on their phones all the time, I would start going to the movies again.
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