Each week I look at a different topic around the film industry, focusing on the data and statistics which reveal what’s going on.
This is the third instalment of a four-part series chronicling trends and changes in the film industry. To compile the list, I have been back through all of my old research, conducted new projects, read outside research and solicited suggestions from my industry readership (thank you to everyone who contributed). The result is a list […]
Each week over the last five years, I have been covering different aspects of the film industry, explaining and illustrating how they function. Next month, I’ll carry on with my new research but for this month I would like to stop and zoom out a little. By taking detailed data dives each week it’s easy to miss the […]
Today’s article is in answer to a question I received from a reader. Kevin emailed to ask “Is it just me, or are more and more old movies being re-released at the moment?” I suspect Kevin has been triggered by the 20th-anniversary re-release of James Cameron’s drippy classic Titanic. Although he could have been referring to Close Encounters of […]
Last Wednesday, I gave a talk to 90 teenagers as a part of the Into Film festival. This annual festival is a free, UK-wide “celebration of film & education for 5-19-year-olds” which holds screenings, workshops and lectures in cinema screens. I will cover Into Film in more detail in a future post so today I wanted […]
Last week saw the release of Justice League, a film in which a brave, plucky band of CGI artists gallantly battle Henry Cavill’s moustache. The film is available to watch in either 2D or 3D, with most multiplexes offering audiences either option. I opted to see it in 2D and very much regretted it (not the choice […]
When new filmmakers think about their movie reaching audiences, they tend to picture its cinema release, or maybe what it will look like when it hits DVD shelves. Few fantasise about their movie’s first ever television broadcast. Despite this, television is the largest source of revenue for movies. This means that the total amount paid by […]
How many times have you seen a new movie poster and thought ‘That looks just like the poster for [another movie]”? I’m guessing… pretty often. Movie poster designers don’t seem worried about their work feeling derivative and often they are actually counting on your sense of déjà vu to promote their new movie. So it’s […]
Every few weeks, there is a news story about a new challenge to the traditional distribution model for movies. The latest of these was the announcement last week that the new Shaft reboot would be using the hybrid release strategy. In the US, it will follow the usual movie release pattern (i.e. theatrical release followed by delayed release […]
A few months ago, Stuart Heritage wrote an article for the Guardian entitled “How to spot a bad film without even seeing it“. It used the example of the Will Ferrell / Amy Poehler comedy The House to discuss his telltale signs that an upcoming film is worth avoiding. These included: Embargoed reviews Production rumours Poster […]
In an unusual moment of synchronicity this week, three unconnected people have contacted me to ask how many films are released in cinemas each year. Each had different reasons for asking but all were working from the same basic hypothesis – that the number is increasing. In the past, I have looked at the number of […]
