The speaker reflects on the decline of movie theater attendance, pondering if it's due to the quality of movies or the inconvenience of going to theaters. They note recent box office flops and high costs associated with theater visits, suggesting that people may prefer the convenience of streaming services. The speaker also criticizes the lack of originality in big-budget films, which often play it safe with sequels or reboots. Despite this, they acknowledge that some lower-budget films still offer creativity and originality. The speaker concludes that for a movie to succeed in theaters today, it must be exceptional and provide a worthwhile experience.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Many new movies are flopping at the box office, with the exception of Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse.
2. Ruby Gilman Teenage Kraken, a DreamWorks movie, had the lowest opening weekend in the company's history, with only $5.2 million in sales.
3. The movie had a budget of $70 million, not including marketing costs.
4. Elemental, a Pixar movie, had the company's second-lowest opening weekend.
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth movie in the Indiana Jones franchise, struggled at the box office, opening with only $60 million.
6. The movie's budget was $300 million, not including marketing costs.
7. The author believes that the main reason for the flops is that going to the movies has become too expensive and inconvenient.
8. Many people are opting to wait for movies to be released on streaming platforms instead of going to the theater.
9. The author thinks that the age of making money from lazy writing and generic storytelling in movies is behind us.
10. People are now only willing to go to the theater for movies that seem special and worth their time.
11. The author believes that the movie industry is changing, and top-level executives need to realize this and adapt to the new landscape.