Film Industry - Part 2

1.    In the UK film market, an increase in the number of screens available to show films has not led to an increase in the number of films being shown. Why?

Despite the fact that there are considerably more cinema screens available nowadays, the number of films shown has not increased remarkably and this is because the major releases are played on more than one screen at different times throughout the day. This will repeat until another major release takes their place and the cycle continues.

2.    In your opinion what might account for the fact that cinema attendances have fluctuated between 139 million and 176 million between 1999 and 2008?

Maybe the main reason as to why cinema attendances have fluctuated during this time is due to the amount of film series that were being shown. Harry Potter, which featured near the top of the grossing list almost every year highlights it’s success and shows that a lot of the public will go to the cinema to watch it. Mamma Mia, which is the second highest grossing British film of all time was also shown in 2008 and can also be used to show as to why there was a large attendance number between 1999-2008. 

3.    In 2011, UK film distributors invested £330 million in advertising their new releases and on 35mm film prints. If around 450 new films receive a theatrical release in the UK every year. How much, on average, do distributors spend distributing a film in the UK?

Film distributors on average will spend around 0.7 million per year distributing films in the UK.

4.    This spending stirred up enormous demand – 171.5 million cinema tickets were bought UK in 2011. This is great news for cinemas – what’s the downside of all this excitement generated and consumer demand for film Producers in the UK?

There are a few problems, which arise for the UK producers and one of the main issues is that most of the British Films are distributed by subsidiaries of their US competitors. Warner Bro’s, which is a subsidiary of an American Company, Time Warner, has distributed many of the Top grossing films in the UK in the past 10 years and much of the money made from these films will be lost to these companies. The UK, quite simply, is not in a position to compete with the likes of America in the film market and this is mainly down to the sheer size difference between both countries. Due to the power of the US in the film Market, most of the British companies find themselves being overrun by their US counterparts and losing money from the booming cinema attendances as a result.

5.    In 2004 the average cost of releasing a US film domestically was $39m, in addition to the average production cost of $63.8m, making an overall average production/distribution cost per film of $102.8m. What effect might this have on Hollywood production and distribution if these increases have continued?

If the increases continue the Hollywood Production and Distribution companies could be badly effected due to high cost per film rate. The effects of high prices could mean that less and less films will be produced as the companies cannot afford to pay the money to produce and release them.

6.    Why are more ‘middle aged’ people going to the cinema in 2011? Who, in your opinion, are the current most bankable leading Actors for the ‘youth’ market in the UK?

More ‘middle aged’ people went to the cinema in 2011 because of some of the films that were produced and distributed for instance the Kings Speech, which is more likely to attract an older audience. The Descendants starring George Clooney came out in 2011 and the fact that Clooney tops the Forbes Star currency list suggests a reason as to why more ‘middle aged’ people attended the cinema in that year. In my opinion the current most bankable Actors for the ‘youth’ market are, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matt Damon, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, Mila Kunis, Emma Stone and Eva Mendes. There are many others who might attract a younger audience but these are just a few examples.

7.    How many of the top ten US films last year made two and half times their budget?

·      Avengers Assemble

·      Hunger Games

·      Ted

8.    Is Jerry Bruckheimer a ‘high concept’ producer? And does he deserve his reputation for films that are high on effects and low on narrative?

I think that it’s unfair to name Jerry Bruckheimer as a ‘high concept’ producer nowadays as he has produced films such as, ‘Confessions of a shopaholic’, which is by no means a film that focuses on effects, rather than narrative. However, that does not mean that he still doesn’t produce films, by which he has built a reputation for producing, for instance, Prince of Persia in 2010. I think that he has produced a wide range of films and it is slightly unfair to label him as a ‘high concept’ producer as he has made films, which do not fall into that category. Again, however looking at the films he has produced it is easy to see why he might have gained that reputation.

9.    Find some recent ‘indiewood’ type films – ones associated with a certain ‘Art house’ feel yet connected to a big Hollywood studio – which these companies have produced. Who are their films aimed at?

-       Fox Searchlight are connected with the film, ‘Sound of my Voice’, which is aimed towards your middle aged audience. They have also produced, “under the same moon”, which again is aimed at your more mature audience.

-       Paramount Vantage has produced films such as, ‘into the wild’, which is aimed at younger adults but can be enjoyed across a wider age range.

-       Sony Pictures classics have produced films like, ‘The Patience Stone’, which is aimed towards adults who are interested in over-seas films that break the language barrier.

-       Focus Features have produced films, like, ‘one day’, which is aimed at young adults who enjoy romance style movies.

10. To what extent does Hollywood dominate the UK film landscape? And how has it managed to retain its stranglehold?

Hollywood certainly dominates the film industry and has a large stranglehold on the UK film landscape within that. Most of the big blockbuster movies that we see in cinemas across the UK are usually produced or distributed by an American company of a subsidiary of an American film company. For this reason, Hollywood has large influence on the movies shown in the UK. Everyone likes a good ‘Hollywood Blockbuster’, such as Star Wars, and this is why they are constantly being made, because it is guaranteed that people will travel to the cinema to watch them. For an extremely long time now, film companies such as Warner Bro’s have distributed movies that have grossed the highest budget in the UK. Warner Bro’s as already mentioned is a subsidiary of Time Warner, which is an American company and companies like this will continue to distribute the most popular films in the UK.

Sony Pictures Classics is another film company that focuses mainly on ‘Art House’ and ‘Indiewood style’ films and again is a subsidiary of Sony Pictures, which we are extremely familiar with. This is one way in which Hollywood keeps a stranglehold upon the UK film landscape, as they make sure they are involved and aware of every different style of movie out there. Indie films are becoming more and more popular and the fact that big companies such as, Sony Pictures have a subsidiary aimed at this genre shows their influence and also highlights how Hollywood are keeping a stranglehold. Many, “indiewood qualities can also be identified in a range of features produced by its rivals”, showing that Hollywood are almost beginning to merge the different genres and that directors from more blockbuster movies are becoming increasingly influenced by the different styles of movies out there. The attitude that, “nobody likes change”, could also be another reason as the Hollywood film industry has always been successful and will continue to do so.

11. How many of the current top 15 films on release in the UK are actually distributed by UK companies?

-       Sunshine on leith

-       Boss

-       Escape plan, Prisoners and fifth estate, the. (Entertainment One UK – subsidiary of US film company, Entertainment One)

-       Filth (Lionsgate UK – subsidiary of US film company, Lionsgate)