THE STATE OF INDEPENDENCE Independent Cinema in the Digital Age
Animal Kingdom
Wednesday 9 November 2011
UK cinema attendance history • • • • •
1948 UK Box office admissions = 500m 1975 Jaws released - becomes the first summer ‘blockbuster’ 1980 UK Box office admissions = 50m 1984 first multiplex opens in Milton Keynes 2008 UK Box office admissions = 164.2m
UK Box Office Report: 2008 Monthly Admissions 2007-2008
MARKET SHARE
50% 25%
63.3%
20%
SPAIN Box Office 21- 23 October 2011 1. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (USA) 2. MIENTRAS DUERMES (SLEEP TIGHT) (Spain) 3. CONTAGION (USA) 4. THE THING (USA / Canada) 5. ABDUCTION (USA) 6. LA VOZ DORMIDA (THE SLEEPING VOICE) (Spain) 7. MARGIN CALL (USA) 8. JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN (USA / France / UK) 9. I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT (USA) 10. NO HABRÁ PAZ PARA LOS MALVADOS (Spain) 11. INTRUDERS (USA / UK) 12. EL SUEÑO DE IVÁN (Spain) 13. ONE DAY (USA / UK) 14. THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Germany / France) 15. CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (USA) 16. ANOTHER YEAR (UK) 17. PHINEAS AND FERB (USA) 18. THE TREE OF LIFE (USA) 19. FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (USA) 20. THE SMURFS (USA)
UK Box Office 21- 23 October 2011 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (USA) JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN (USA /France/UK) CONTAGION (USA) THE LION KING (3D) (USA) REAL STEEL (USA / India) THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Germany / France) WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (UK /USA) TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (France / UK) DOLPHIN TALE (USA) FOOTLOOSE (USA) MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Spain /USA) MONTE CARLO (USA / Hungary) DRIVE (USA) THE SMURFS (USA) CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (USA) THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE (UK) DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (USA / Aus) MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS (USA) ABDUCTION (USA) THE DEBT (USA)
Distributors: The Big Six In the UK six distributors (all divisions of multinational media conglomerates) control about 85% of the market. • • • • • •
Warner Brothers (Time Warner) Paramount (Viacom) 20th Century Fox (News Corp) Universal (General Electric) Buena Vista (Disney) Columbia Pictures (Sony)
Sony Pictures Entertainment List of holdings Motion Pictures and Home Entertainment Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures India Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Releasing Monumental Pictures Screen Gems Triumph Films FEARnet Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Wonder Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Destination Films Stage 6 Films Affirm Films
www.sonyclassics.com an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment that distributes, produces and acquires independent films from the United States and around the world.
Film Budgets ANIMAL KINGDOM (Sony Pictures Classics) Budget $5.2m. worldwide gross $6.8m PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (Disney) Budget $250m worldwide gross $1bn THE KING’S SPEECH (Momentum) Budget $15m est. worldwide gross $414m SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Pathé / C4) Budget £9m ($15m) worldwide gross $378m AVATAR (20th Century Fox) Budget $237m worldwide gross $2.8bn
What is an Independent Cinema? Traditionally either: 1) privately owned and profit-driven: showing only the most commercially popular films 2) non-profit making and receive public subsidy in recognition of their cultural policy: striving to present the widest range of new world cinema, plus older films and special events Source: Independent Cinemas: A Case Study. BFI Publishing 2000
What is an Independent Cinema? ‘Cultural’ cinemas differ from multiplex cinemas in four key ways: 1) 2) 3) 4)
They generally show different films Films are selected and programmed in a different way The cinema has a different ambience Audiences have different expectations
Source: Independent Cinemas: A Case Study. BFI Publishing 2000
films screening this week THE HELP
(USA)
THE IDES OF MARCH
(USA)
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN AMELIE (France)
(UK / USA)
PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW POLTERGEIST PAPRIKA
(USA)
(Japan)
DISTANT VOICES STILL LIVES
(UK)
(USA)
(UK)
history • • • • • • •
Founded in 1966 as Norfolk and Norwich Film Theatre Moved into St Andrews Street site 1978 First Regional Film Theatre in England 1 screen Closed for redevelopment in December 2003 Part-time exhibition programme at Norwich Playhouse Re-opened as 3 screen Cinema City October 2007
• New cinema opened October 2007 • 3 Screens: Screen 1: 184 seats Screen 2: 100 seats Screen 3: 60 seats • All screens digitally equipped (Dec 2009) • 3D installed (Screen 2) 2010 • Restaurant and bar in Grade 1 listed hall • Membership scheme • Education Programme
Range of films in typical brochure • • • • • • • • •
United States UK France Canada China Spain Italy Australia Germany
• • •
Sweden Denmark Japan
Programming Policy • • • • • •
First run titles Contextualisation of films Themed seasons Festivals and special events Repertory and archive programming Education programme
Regular and special events • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Big Scream! Kids’ Club Metropolitan Opera National Theatre Live Culture Shock Picturehouse Docs Silver Screen Friday Frighteners Reels of History Archive screenings Slackers Club Out at the Movies Black History Month Autism-friendly screenings Short films Popcorn free screenings
programme analysis Film category
Description
Mainstream
High profile mainstream and crossover films and a few very familiar classic films
Crossover
More complex and ‘difficult’ crossover films, light arthouse and popular repertory programming
Challenging
Most ‘hard-core’ arthouse titles
Specialist
Archive and the more obscure repertory programming
Cinema City Top 20 1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE 2. MAMMA MIA! 3. A SINGLE MAN 4. THE READER 5. QUANTUM OF SOLACE 6. INCEPTION 7. TOY STORY (3D) 8. SEX AND THE CITY 2 9. THE DUCHESS 10. HARRY POTTER 6 11. THE KITE RUNNER 12. A SERIOUS MAN 13. SEX AND THE CITY 14. GLORIOUS 39 15. COCO BEFORE CHANEL 16. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN 17. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO 18. BURN AFTER READING 19. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD 20. AN EDUCATION
(Oct 07 –Sept 10)
Benefits of digital technology • • • •
Choice – more ‘product’ and the ability to match it to customer demand Quality – better sound and image, no deterioration of the print Alternative content – cinemas diversifying through live concerts, sport Spectacle – higher resolution, new 3D technologies (Avatar)
LEONARDO LIVE FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERY
Alternative Content Sports -live World Cup screenings Film Related Events - director Q&As, transmitted to other sites. Opera & Music Events- music concerts. Gaming- games consoles can be connected and played on the big screen. TV Shows- ‘event’ TV shows such as the first or last episode of a series. Corporate- laptops can be connected to digital projectors to show presentations. Educational- Surgery broadcast to students in cinemas as part of training.
Quality Unlike 35mm film, digital prints do not degrade over time The 5000th showing of the film looks as good as the 1st 2k resolution (2046 x 1080 pixels)
The Virtual Print Fee Model
A cost-sharing arrangement with film distributors. www.artsalliancemedia.com