G L O B A L
king e c o l m Un er
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A key constraint on growth of cinema in emerging markets is lack of box office data. IHS Markit’s David Hancock explains that, without data, finding a way ahead is tough
out a map . . . ith w
arkets? N m g ot n i g
T’S THE SUMMER of 1991. Boris
a small outfit called Pixar ‘to make and distribute at least
Yeltsin has been elected President
one computer-generated animation movie’ — “Toy Story”.
of Russia, in South Africa apartheid
Amidst these momentous, world-changing events, consider
is being dismantled and, in Poland,
the small… a young research analyst in his first job needs to
Lech Walesa is the newly elected
find out information on a range of large media groups and
president. On the communications
countries. There’s no internet, a fax is the best there is. He
front, internet is now available to unrestricted commercial
sends out 150 letters to press and communications officers
use and the number of computers on it reaches 1m during
around the globe and waits for annual reports to come
the year; Microsoft releases MS Dos 5.0; “Terminator 2” rules
back by post. The process takes weeks, a lot of paper and air
the North American box office and Disney signs a deal with
travel by postal services. Yes, that young researcher was me.
www.cinematech.today
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