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[DefnotDLav]

I don't know the ins and outs of the theater game, but it seems to me that they have a pricing problem. I'm not sure what they could cut or do to make it more affordable, but they've got to figure out a way to sustain themselves and attract bigger audiences.

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't know the ins and outs of the theater game, but it seems to me that they have a pricing problem. I'm not sure what they could cut or do to make it more affordable, but they've got to figure out a way to sustain themselves and attract bigger audiences.

.... or they could put out better movies.

 

[wabbott]

Well, I think she's been problematic recently, so It's likely that Iger isn't necessarily sorry to see her go. They might not have forced her out, but this "mutual decision" type of thing helps keep everything looking good.

The popular speculation amongst the Hollywood and biz press is that McCarthy was the key person that put the banana peel in front of Paycheck that he slipped on. That is he was trying to hide some the Disney + costs by showing some costs in the other tv budgets: Freeform, ABC, or Disney Channel, and she blew the whistle.

Iger may, and I emphasize may, have in the back of his mind that since she helped dust Paycheck, she might do the same to him. So he struck first. It's no secret that she has/had designs on the CEO job. That's no longer viable, imo.

Recall, Iger didn't sit idly by during Paycheck's tenure. He was continually second-guessing, putting out stories how he would have done different, etc.

Here's another story this morning on the issue. Not a whole lot new here, mostly recap.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/b...n-cfo-bob-iger-christine-mccarthy-1235518529/

Disney Succession: Will a New CFO Have Keys to the Kingdom?
A search to find Christine McCarthy's replacement only adds speculation that Bob Iger may stick around in the top job past 2024.
June 19, 2023 5:05am PDT
by Alex Weprin

 

[DefnotDLav]

.... or they could put out better movies.

Theres just not much that could convince me to pony up for our family of 5 TBH. Especially when I know I’ll be able to see it soon on a streaming platform or rent it.

 

[BrianL]

I don't know the ins and outs of the theater game, but it seems to me that they have a pricing problem. I'm not sure what they could cut or do to make it more affordable, but they've got to figure out a way to sustain themselves and attract bigger audiences.

This is true, but it's only half of the problem. Exhibitors have been moving toward high-end, experiential theaters to cater to the huge blockbusters. The problem is, that has increased pricing (as have the studios for the blockbusters). The fact is though that not EVERYTHING can be a blockbuster. There are only so many movie dollars to go around. Many movies aren't worth the extra IMAX fees, etc. either. There needs to be a combination of smaller budget movies AND lower prices for those movies in decent, modest theaters without all of the bells and whistles. The industry has created this problem and they can correct it too.

 

[mom2rtk]

The popular speculation amongst the Hollywood and biz press is that McCarthy was the key person that put the banana peel in front of Paycheck that he slipped on. That is he was trying to hide some the Disney + costs by showing some costs in the other tv budgets: Freeform, ABC, or Disney Channel, and she blew the whistle.

Iger may, and I emphasize may, have in the back of his mind that since she helped dust Paycheck, she might do the same to him. So he struck first. It's no secret that she has/had designs on the CEO job. That's no longer viable, imo.

Recall, Iger didn't sit idly by during Paycheck's tenure. He was continually second-guessing, putting out stories how he would have done different, etc.

Here's another story this morning on the issue. Not a whole lot new here, mostly recap.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/b...n-cfo-bob-iger-christine-mccarthy-1235518529/

Disney Succession: Will a New CFO Have Keys to the Kingdom?
A search to find Christine McCarthy's replacement only adds speculation that Bob Iger may stick around in the top job past 2024.
June 19, 2023 5:05am PDT
by Alex Weprin

That was my first thought when I heard the news. If she'll do it with you, she'll do it to you.

 

[BrianL]

.... or they could put out better movies.

Theres just not much that could convince me to pony up for our family of 5 TBH. Especially when I know I’ll be able to see it soon on a streaming platform or rent it.

And that's the issue. It's not that the movies are "bad" - maytbe they could be better - but it's harder to get anyone int eh theater excepting the biggest, event movies these days, especially for families. SMB and Spider-Verse were powered by the strong adult nerd crowd (of which I am proudly a member), but strictly family stuff will continue to struggle if they continue to budget and price as they currently are. See my previous post for more on that.

 

[DefnotDLav]

This is true, but it's only half of the problem. Exhibitors have been moving toward high-end, experiential theaters to cater to the huge blockbusters. The problem is, that has increased pricing (as have the studios for the blockbusters). The fact is though that not EVERYTHING can be a blockbuster. There are only so many movie dollars to go around. Many movies aren't worth the extra IMAX fees, etc. either. There needs to be a combination of smaller budget movies AND lower prices for those movies in decent, modest theaters without all of the bells and whistles. The industry has created this problem and they can correct it too.

Exactly! The recliners and things are great, but at $20pp it's just too much to pay to watch a Disney movie. I've got a nice recliner and TV with surround sound at home.

I'd prefer a modest theater at a lower price point to watch family movies in.

It seems theaters saw what the traditional set up was at home and thought the best strategy was to "one up" it. I think they went too far.

 

[RivShore]

Yeah, I know COVID threw the world for a loop, but Chapek really damaged Disney with his management through it. The actualy best thing to do - hindsight being 20/20 and all - would have been to pursue business as usual. When theaters were closed, just hold the releases. It was really such a short time in the overall scheme of things. Disney+ was already in the works, but as more of an archive. Shift back to that model.

Yes, hindsight is 20/20 but I was thinking the same thing when the writers strike hit - if only Chapek held all those releases, they would have a bunch of inventory to put out during an extended strike. Maybe you release one around the Covid holidays as a gift from D+ but hold the rest...if only.

 

[fatmanatee]

Hire the absolute best creatives and control their budgets aggressively.

The absolute best creatives will go where they’re given lots of money to do whatever they want.

 

[RivShore]

That was my first thought when I heard the news. If she'll do it with you, she'll do it to you.

Or to the second successor he hands picks!
As with almost everything, I think there's a bunch of reasons that feed into the decision, no one smoking gun.
Also don't forget (I think) she is beyond what used to be the mandatory retirement age for a Disney CEO, so she would have been seen as another short term solution for that position had she been lobbing for it.

 

[mdmost]

I still think the key is content people want to watch. If Disney+ had a "Yellowstone" level of viewership show on Disney+ we would not be having this conversation. Disney+ needs another hit badly, like that end of Mandalorian season 2 kind of hit. Like a Stranger Things or Squid Game level hit. Like a Yellowstone level hit. Like a Game of Thrones level hit. Hire the absolute best creatives and control their budgets aggressively. Abandon any decision that can in any way be seen as politically driven or not family friendly. Use focus groups of new and old Disney fans, and listen to them!

Well sure but none of the ones you mentioned are “family friendly”. All of those revolve around violence, with Yellowstone being the least violent. Mandalorian was their Yellowstone level event. Baby Yoda was a cultural moment. It's hard to maintain those and tread carefully on what makes Disney, Disney.

Exactly! The recliners and things are great, but at $20pp it's just too much to pay to watch a Disney movie. I've got a nice recliner and TV with surround sound at home.

I'd prefer a modest theater at a lower price point to watch family movies in.

It seems theaters saw what the traditional set up was at home and thought the best strategy was to "one up" it. I think they went too far.

Even our local that we used to go to at least once a month, pre-Covid is now $65 minimum for tickets and since it's dine-in, that's another $20-$60 minimum. That's why we decided to wait on Elemental till they do the very rare $7 Tuesday tickets. We tend to splurge on Imax since there's a distinct experience there.

 

[BrianL]

Well sure but none of the ones you mentioned are “family friendly”. All of those revolve around violence, with Yellowstone being the least violent. Mandalorian was their Yellowstone level event. Baby Yoda was a cultural moment. It's hard to maintain those and tread carefully on what makes Disney, Disney.

The problem is too many adult fans want everything to be adult. They are the subscribers and they want Star Wars and Marvel. The great shows that fly under the radar don't get looked at - Mysterious Benedict Society? Diary of a Future President? They just get overlooked by all the young adults who think they're too "kiddie" when that should be the bread & butter of the service. At least Secrets of Sulphur Springs is run in The disney Channel, but the budget shows it (still a really good show, but they couldn't have made MBS on that budget). Honestly, Star Wars and Marvel should have been kept seperate in the grand scheme of things.

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

I'll start by saying that the last movie I have seen in a theater was DSMM and that the theater was on the Disney Wonder

Otherwise I haven't gone to see a movie in a theater since early 2020 and honestly don't really have a desire to right now. Part of it is there really hasn't been a movie that I wanted to see that I couldn't wait for it to hit one of the streaming services and the other part is the cost to see a movie in a theater.

I used to go see a movie once to twice a month before the pandemic and I just don't see me going back to that pattern anytime soon if at all. With all the various streaming services I just need to wait a few months and I can watch it from home.

Psy

 

[mdmost]

The problem is too many adult fans want everything to be adult. They are the subscribers and they want Star Wars and Marvel. The great shows that fly under the radar don't get looked at - Mysterious Benedict Society? Diary of a Future President? They just get overlooked by all the young adults who think they're too "kiddie" when that should be the bread & butter of the service. At least Secrets of Sulphur Springs is run in The disney Channel, but the budget shows it (still a really good show, but they couldn't have made MBS on that budget). Honestly, Star Wars and Marvel should have been kept seperate in the grand scheme of things.

Right and then things that are adult like Andor aren't as popular because that's not Disney's core audience. It's honestly not even Star Wars' core audience.

 

[BrianL]

Right and then things that are adult like Andor aren't as popular because that's not Disney's core audience. It's honestly not even Star Wars' core audience.

I say it often - Star Wars is for 8-year-olds, and I don't mean that as disparaging at all!

I still loved Andor though.

 

[mdmost]

I say it often - Star Wars is for 8-year-olds, and I don't mean that as disparaging at all!

I still loved Andor though.

Oh sure. I think it's also for people trying desperately to reconnect to that feeling of when they were 8 so unless you're doing a straight nostalgia send up (season 2 Mando), it's going to be risky but you'll be popular with the younger set like the sequel trilogy tended to be. It's no different on why people who liked the original trilogy weren't as big on the prequel trilogy. Yet that people who were young when it came out love those movies. It's no secret why the most popular movies now are sequels or movies that touch on our nostalgia (Super Mario Bros). As much as we say we want new content and stories, we tend to not support those movies.

 

[DefnotDLav]

Oh sure. I think it's also for people trying desperately to reconnect to that feeling of when they were 8 so unless you're doing a straight nostalgia send up (season 2 Mando), it's going to be risky but you'll be popular with the younger set like the sequel trilogy tended to be. It's no different on why people who liked the original trilogy weren't as big on the prequel trilogy. Yet that people who were young when it came out love those movies. It's no secret why the most popular movies now are sequels or movies that touch on our nostalgia (Super Mario Bros). As much as we say we want new content and stories, we tend to not support those movies.

I think it’s the cost. Are you going to “gamble” $20 pp to see something you are unsure will be worth it?

 

[peder]

Agreed that Disney+ takes away some of the appointment-viewing aspect of movie releases, but can't the same be said for every movie release right now? They all eventually end up on streaming services.

The problem with Elemental is that it seems extremely generic. It hasn't even registered with my kids as something they care to watch.

 

[RivShore]

Honestly, Star Wars and Marvel should have been kept seperate in the grand scheme of things.

You mean a separate service from D+ ?