Save the Date

[Daaaah Whoosh]

As an American, I am all for everyone working to my schedule. But as a college student with no car and no income, I can understand not getting to see things at the same time as everyone else. So, whoever gets the movies at the right time, I hope everyone'll get to see them too, so no one will have to worry about spoilers on the things that really matter.

 

[Caffiene]

I hope you're right, Bob.

As an Aussie, theres two that are particularly annoying me at the moment.

- ParaNorman is still more than a month away from major release here (although a few independent cinemas did show it earlier)
- Despite culturally, socially, geographically, economically and everything-else-ically being New Zealand's closest neighbours, NZ understandably has the world first premiere of The Hobbit while we have to wait two weeks as one of the very last countries to get a premiere.

 

[XDravond]

God-damn this is true and god-damn it pisses me off! I wanted to go See Wreck-It Ralph with my best friend, but guess what? It isn't out in Australia until December 26th! So my friend decided he can't be bothered waiting that long and he's just going to pirate it as soon as he can because frankly, if the system is telling us "fuck you" then he's more than happy to fuck it right back. But I want to see it on the big screen, which is a PROBLEM because I hate going to the movies on my own and my friend won't want to go if he's already seen it. I'm going to have to bank on getting someone else to go with me all because Australia is a fucking second-class country for movie schedules. PLEASE tell me we're getting past this shit sometime soon...

Hey quit your whining... [link]http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772341/releaseinfo[/link] ... At least I'm not in Japan or UK only almost...

But I understand the ancient way of Hollywoods thinking, but I don't get it. Why do they have to be such slow dinosaurs and get up to speed with atleast internet...
Sure I would be able to get it if the release schedule was within 2 weeks or so but more than a month and over 3months I just have one question who got lobotomized? If now piracy is such a big thing why not combat it on ALL fronts not just litigation... Oh yea they can't whine and get harsher pro media laws...

Really enjoyed the flow in this from edu, scheduling, piracy and finish of with a good joke and I'm happy to amaze you a bit

 

[Smertnik]

Ooh, I often wondered why there's such a huge delay for some movies. Never thought about the whole 'movie season' thing. Does it really make such a huge difference? I mean, if a good movie gets released and I have the time I'm going to see it regardless of the current season, it's not like my movie preferences are influenced by the weather.
I do get that movies for kids tend to be watched more during vacation time but the rest seems rather weird and arbitrary to me.

 

[Mr C]

Chinese vacation begins in the middle of July (15th) and finishes at the end of September.

The 'winter' vacation changes depending on when Spring Festival starts, which is based on the lunar calender. Usually mid-January (15th) to end of February. It lasts a week.

In addition to these 2 main holidays are smaller ones (used to be known as the Golden Weeks) but have since been cut down in size to just 1-3 days each, with the sole exception of National day (October 1st) which lasts for a week.

Christmas isn't recognized other than being an excuse to sell things and put up decorations (commercialism). Halloween isn't either. Most assume Thanksgiving is celebrated by everyone in the west. Chinese Valentines day is the 7th/7th of the Lunar calendar (August-ish).

Pretty much what I was going to say. Spring Festival is early Feb next year I believe. My holiday starts Jan 28th anyway.

 

[Kahani]

It's a fact that certain movies do better at certain times of the year

We hear this a lot, but I have to wonder how much actual truth there is to it. As you say, this idea is basically a tradition held over from the old days. How much actual research was done on the matter? Has anyone ever done any real controlled experiments at all or have they simply looked at what seemed to be happening, assumed that it was a fixed truth and then made up a bunch of logical-sounding arguments for why it might be the case? People are great at fooling themselves, and confirmation bias is always a big player. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this "fact" is actually no such thing at all, merely a repetition of folk lore that no-one is willing to question. Essentially it becomes a self-fulfilling claim - every knows action films do best in summer, so everyone releases their best action films in summer.

Hell, even just looking at the information easily available and not doing any admittedly risky experiments doesn't exactly support the claim. For example, horror movies are released in late summer or around Halloween. Like Alien, released in May; Friday the 13th, also released in May; Scream, released in December; Hellraiser, released in September and not on video until the next year; The Exorcist - December; Final Destination - March; Nightmare on Elm Street; 28 Days Later; Dawn of the Dead; The Birds; the list goes on. In fact, Halloween seems to be one of the few horror films that actually follows the claimed schedule. The other categories are rather less well defined (go on, give me a concise definition of "middlebrow drama" without resorting to examples), but this doesn't exactly bode well for something claimed to be fact.

 

[Kargathia]

It's a fact that certain movies do better at certain times of the year

We hear this a lot, but I have to wonder how much actual truth there is to it. As you say, this idea is basically a tradition held over from the old days. How much actual research was done on the matter? Has anyone ever done any real controlled experiments at all or have they simply looked at what seemed to be happening, assumed that it was a fixed truth and then made up a bunch of logical-sounding arguments for why it might be the case? People are great at fooling themselves, and confirmation bias is always a big player. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this "fact" is actually no such thing at all, merely a repetition of folk lore that no-one is willing to question. Essentially it becomes a self-fulfilling claim - every knows action films do best in summer, so everyone releases their best action films in summer.

Hell, even just looking at the information easily available and not doing any admittedly risky experiments doesn't exactly support the claim. For example, horror movies are released in late summer or around Halloween. Like Alien, released in May; Friday the 13th, also released in May; Scream, released in December; Hellraiser, released in September and not on video until the next year; The Exorcist - December; Final Destination - March; Nightmare on Elm Street; 28 Days Later; Dawn of the Dead; The Birds; the list goes on. In fact, Halloween seems to be one of the few horror films that actually follows the claimed schedule. The other categories are rather less well defined (go on, give me a concise definition of "middlebrow drama" without resorting to examples), but this doesn't exactly bode well for something claimed to be fact.

Most of these accepted truths are based on cinema attendance data, and do not take streaming habits into account either. I can't recall seeing any data on that, and as long as movies keep adhering strictly to the good ol' schedule, I don't expect any changes soon either.

 

[Verlander]

Wreck-It-Ralph's release date is a balls up of the highest order. At very least 50% of the films audience (in the UK at least) are a) aware it's out, and b) know how to illegally download (or their equally interested parents do).

I put it down to licensing issue with the characters, but regardless - it's a bad move. Hold off the release date. Is the desperate need to add another Oscar on the shelf for Disney{/i} more important to them than profits? Really?

 

[fix-the-spade]

(Cloud Atlas and Wreck-It Ralph) which have come out in the U.S. now but won't be out in the UK until February, which in today's modern market is absolutely unjustifiable.

Nevermind piracy, by the time both of those hit the cinemas here they will also be available on Netflix.

Drive an hour to the cinema and pay nearly £20 or sit in front of my big TV at a time of my choosing for a couple of dollars, tough choice.

It surprises me that the cinema chains (and entertainment retailers) don't exert more pressure on studios to match release dates. If I can do that thousands of other people are also doing that, DVDs and players aren't region locked anymore and by the time something like Cloud Atlas comes along most of the target market will have already seen it. That's a lot of box office down the drain so some American guy can match up his marketing strategy.

 

[JoJo]

(Cloud Atlas and Wreck-It Ralph) which have come out in the U.S. now but won't be out in the UK until February, which in today's modern market is absolutely unjustifiable.

Nevermind piracy, by the time both of those hit the cinemas here they will also be available on Netflix.

Drive an hour to the cinema and pay nearly £20 or sit in front of my big TV at a time of my choosing for a couple of dollars, tough choice.

It surprises me that the cinema chains (and entertainment retailers) don't exert more pressure on studios to match release dates. If I can do that thousands of other people are also doing that, DVDs and players aren't region locked anymore and by the time something like Cloud Atlas comes along most of the target market will have already seen it. That's a lot of box office down the drain so some American guy can match up his marketing strategy.

To be fair it's not the same for everyone in the terms of cinemas, I live within 15 minutes walking distance of two cinemas (less than five minutes by car) and £7 or 8 for a seat, half price if you're with a mate on Orange Wednesdays. You must live in quite an isolated location but I get your point, cinemas are becoming increasingly over-priced and out-matched by newer Internet alternatives.

 

[fix-the-spade]

You must live in quite an isolated location but I get your point, cinemas are becoming increasingly over-priced and out-matched by newer Internet alternatives.

I most certainly do, middle of the Moors North Yorkshire, houses up the hill from me don't even get mains water and electricity.

But somehow I get 8MB broadband, thanks BT.