The pandemic film industry is waiting for better times
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The end of the year is usually a very productive time for the film industry. Then, Christmas and New Year films and Hollywood blockbusters appear on screens, bringing full movie theaters.
Also in December this year, several long-awaited films have reached the audience, the most famous of which is the superhero saga “Spider-Man: There is No Way Home”. It earned $ 587 million (€ 518 million) worldwide in its first weekend.
The financial success of “Spiderman” is good news, but cinema box office revenues around the world are still significantly lower than before the pandemic.
In 2020, cinema box office revenue worldwide was $ 12.4 billion (€ 11 billion), down 72% from a record $ 42 billion (€ 37 billion) in 2019.
In Europe, cinema box office revenue last year was about 4 billion euros, but in 2019 it exceeded 7 billion euros, according to data provided by the company “Statista”.
Analysts predict that cinema box office revenue will exceed $ 21 billion (€ 18.5 billion) this year and $ 33 billion (€ 29 billion) in 2022, according to Deadline.com.
Accumulated unreviewed movies
Despite the pandemic, film production has not stopped.
A number of feature films have also been made in Latvia in 2020 and 2021. Producer and head of the film studio “Mistrus Media” Gints Grūbe said that filming in Latvia could continue because it was qualified as production. During the pandemic, Mistrus Media filmed director Aik Karapetjan’s film “Sema’s Travels”, Viesturs Kairish’s film “January” and the multi-series film “Emily. The Queen of the Press”.
“It all happened at a time when vaccines were not yet available. I don’t know if it was due to fate or all these bubble conditions, but we didn’t feel the direct effects of covidium.
Of course, filming became more expensive due to various epidemiological requirements, which substantially increased costs.
At least initially, the Ministry of Culture compensated us for this increase in prices, which allowed us to cover both the purchase of protective masks and transport, so that people do not move in large groups, “said Grūbe.
The pandemic had a significant impact on the screening of films, as cinemas did not work for a long time, so a large number of films have accumulated and are still awaiting their premiere.
Another global trend is that during the last two years, the number of joint film projects from different countries has increased significantly, and thus the number of applicants for foreign funds, Grūbe said. “This means that the next two to three years will not look very rosy for large collaborative projects, as the number of films and projects developed is very large.”
Streaming platforms are booming
Hundreds of millions of people around the world have been at home for a long time during the pandemic, but entertainment facilities, including cinemas, have been closed due to restrictions. Many spend their free time watching movies and series on streaming platforms, the number of which has grown in two years.
In 2020, the number of subscribers to legal video streaming sites worldwide reached 1.1 billion, up 26% from 2019. Hundreds of millions more have joined them this year.
World-renowned Chilean filmmaker Pablo Laren, commenting on the dramatic decline in cinemas and the growing number of users of streaming platforms, said it was hard to work on a film if you knew it wouldn’t be shown in cinemas.
According to him, watching movies at home on a TV, computer or smartphone screen is not possible with the same degree of concentration as in a cinema.
“There are recent examples where movies made for the big screen were shown only on the small screens. I’m very interested in how the audience’s attention is different when watching movies on the big and small screens. I’m obsessed with that. that cinemas compete with television, with the speed of television, with the message of television. It occupies my cinematographer’s mind. Are we making cinema differently or in the same way as before? ” philosophized by the director.
But Larene is not an opponent of streaming platforms. He believes that new technologies allow the general public to show films that are not shown on major cinema networks. This is especially true for non-English films.
“Every year, fewer and fewer countries buy foreign films that are not in English. If the film does not reach one of the streaming platforms, it disappears. The films can still be shown in cinemas, but if they are in Spanish or in a language other than English. language, they will most often not leave the local market. Sometimes, depending on the director and the film, they can go elsewhere, but it would be easier if they bought platforms. Otherwise, these films are lost forever, they disappear into history. And that’s sad. ” considers Larene.
Cinemas should not be written off
Thousands of cinemas around the world have been out of business since the pandemic began. It is likely that many of them will never return to work. Some even predict the end of cinemas.
That’s not what Bob Thomson, a professor at Syracuse University, thinks. “I don’t think cinemas will be the same after the pandemic, but they won’t disappear. However, the relationship between the audience, the film studios and the cinemas has changed irreversibly, and over the last two years we have become increasingly accustomed to watching any movie anywhere, anytime. can connect to streaming sites, “Thomson told CNBC.
“But we shouldn’t write down cinemas. They’re still able to deliver an experience they can’t on movies on laptops, phones or other devices.
There is a strong social aspect to going to the cinema. Therefore, I will repeat that cinemas are unlikely to disappear, but we do not know whether they will be able to sell as many tickets as before the pandemic. But we’ll see that. “
Film producer Gints Grūbe believes that it will be the responsibility of the Latvian film industry to do everything possible to watch local films in cinemas in the future. “Several countries, such as Slovenia and France, are actively fighting for the participation of streaming services and significant co-financing of national cinema. However, major global and European cinema distribution agencies predict that cinemas will come to life after the pandemics end. that everyone will watch movies only on their computers, “said Grūbe.
He added that in the future there will be a struggle for the younger generation of audiences to be educated on cinema.
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