‘It’s a leaner, meaner business,” say experts in relaying Hollywood’s slight panic over how 2022 will look for the movies.
A full recovery still awaits as studios are now adjusting their expectations as “the bar for what type of movie is worth it in theatres has grown higher,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While the end of last year saw promise, the omicron variant was the worst guest at the metaphorical cinema, causing huge sale plummets in December – despite Spider-Man: No Way Home leading ticket sales fantastically.
Movie-going comfort levels dropped from 76 percent (the best number throughout the pandemic) to 66 percent, according to the National Research Group (NRG).
Consumers age 35 and older were reported to be far more hesitant in going to the movies than their younger counterparts – however reliance on one demographic is not sustainable.
Studios have since raced to get their films to homes early.
NRG executive Vice-President Ethan Titelman expressed that: “There is also a realisation that the world has forever changed. The bar for what type of movie is worth it in theatres has grown higher and higher; 2022 will be a crucial year to bring all audiences, especially older moviegoers, back into the habit of seeing [films] on the big screen in a communal setting.”
Potential hope: The omicron panic has somewhat subsided (which is evident in travel bans being eased across the world) and children over 5-years-old are allowed to be vaccinated, which Hollywood predicts will bring families back to the cinema.
The concern? Getting older people back to the movies.
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