Opening Date Pressure

[Neuromorph]

Is it me or are studios moving the release/ opening for movies earlier in the week this summer.

It seems that every movie is opening on a Thursday at least (and some on the tuesday prior to the original). There are two reasons that justify this action:

1) advance/delay the release to avoid competing with the release of a movie in the same Genre. I mean if you had to choose between Transformers and Spiderman, which would you choose? Die hard vs Ocean 13? ( i know these are bad comparisons). The best example would be Spiderman 3 vs Pirates 3. They each shuffled around until the release day a week and a half apart.

2) By opening on Wednesday or Thursday, studios are using the inflated sales numbers for ill gain. Saying movie X had an opening weekend of $40M vs $28M, will draw some attention to your movie in the following week's sales.

I think this is a bit shady none the less.

I want my Friday releases back!

[NfoRcErX]

I was noticing this and a lot of people have been confused on when movies truly start due to the jumbling around. When I took a friend to see transformers she thought it started the 4th, I told her I got opening night tickets, so then she thought it was the 3rd. I had to send her a copy of my fandango receipt for her to believe that it was opening on a monday night.

While I normally am working on friday nights, I still prefer the distinction of Tuesday for DVD/Blu-ray/HD-DVD releases and Friday for theatrical. But that's just me.

[Neuromorph]

Using the Harry Potter release as an example. By releasing it at midnight this Tuesday they have a wednesday release.

It did win the record for single sales of a wednesday. But come-on!

Who cares what movie breaks the wednesday release record.

[LocoBananas]

Is it me or are studios moving the release/ opening for movies earlier in the week this summer.

It seems that every movie is opening on a Thursday at least (and some on the tuesday prior to the original). There are two reasons that justify this action:

1) advance/delay the release to avoid competing with the release of a movie in the same Genre. I mean if you had to choose between Transformers and Spiderman, which would you choose? Die hard vs Ocean 13? ( i know these are bad comparisons). The best example would be Spiderman 3 vs Pirates 3. They each shuffled around until the release day a week and a half apart.

2) By opening on Wednesday or Thursday, studios are using the inflated sales numbers for ill gain. Saying movie X had an opening weekend of $40M vs $28M, will draw some attention to your movie in the following week's sales.

I think this is a bit shady none the less.

I want my Friday releases back!

not to mention that the releases for tuesdays and thursdays used to be at midnight and now theyre at like 8 pm the night before or in some cases even like 7 or 7:30. It's insane

[tynie]

This is all true ..hmm

[Neuromorph]

does anyone have any insight as far as why this is being done?

Any studio insiders out there?

[Neuromorph]

*bump

[The Tooth Fairy]

i am a studio insider...

[madcowjm]

How many movies had early openings? Perhaps you could make a list and we could see what's going on? Transformers doesn't count because the 4th of July was a vacation and most people got Tuesday off, so that was like having two weekends in one week.

[Neuromorph]

How many movies had early openings? Perhaps you could make a list and we could see what's going on? Transformers doesn't count because the 4th of July was a vacation and most people got Tuesday off, so that was like having two weekends in one week.

Spiderman 3 May 3rd (thurs)
Pirates of the Caribean May 24th (Thursday)
Live Free or Die Hard-June 27 (Wed)
Transformers - July 3rd (Thur)
Harry Potter: Phoenix - July 11 (Wed)


All of these had Friday release dates as one would expect (except for Transformers which had a July 4th date) originally. Almost without warning the release dates were pushed up a day or two.

For those at teh Shakefire Transformers preview, check out the stickers you have. They say 7.4.7. But the Us release was July 3rd.

I think this is a move to boost 'opening' figures.

[madcowjm]

Spiderman 3 May 3rd (thurs)
Pirates of the Caribean May 24th (Thursday)
Live Free or Die Hard-June 27 (Wed)
Transformers - July 3rd (Thur)
Harry Potter: Phoenix - July 11 (Wed)

Didn't spiderman do that as a midnight opening? So that doesn't count. Pirates was over a holiday weekend ..also doesn't count. Same for transformers. It was just before the 4th of july .. so that's practically a weekend ... so youre down to Bruce Willis ...and harry potter ...

[LocoBananas]

well Ive noticed that wednesday openings have been common mainly when it's a highly anticipated release... That's not anything new to me I've been seeing that for a few years now

[Neuromorph]

well Ive noticed that wednesday openings have been common mainly when it's a highly anticipated release... That's not anything new to me I've been seeing that for a few years now

ive been a constant theater goer now since comming into atlanta. Think 2001-current, 2 movies a week in the theater. My point card for Regal is in the mid thousands.

It seems like this year the number of non-friday releases is to high. I agree that in the past there would be one or two releases not on a friday, but this summer seems excessive.

[pyropat2323]

Just think, if they move it up to Tuesday releases then you can get free popcorn at Regals on an opening night for a movie. (with Regal crown club card)

[madcowjm]

Just think, if they move it up to Tuesday releases then you can get free popcorn at Regals on an opening night for a movie. (with Regal crown club card)

Hmmm .. never thought of that .. good catch!

[Neuromorph]

this has gone too far!!!! now even Daddy Daycamp is opening off-friday. Its ads are saying August 8th-- Thats a wednesday.

A wednesday, non-holiday opening for a non action movie.

The end is near!

[majiesto]

It doesn't really bother me. Times are changing. I simply see it as another excuse to increase sales numbers.

[Neuromorph]

this is paramount to the steroids scandal in baseball. by inflating the sales numbers by moving up the release date, the studios are cheating.

[majiesto]

It doesn't really matter when they open. People will or will not see the film regardless of release date. Just because a film is released a few days earlier does not mean it will do better. In the end, more people will see the better films even if they are opened later.

[Neuromorph]

It doesn't really matter when they open. People will or will not see the film regardless of release date. Just because a film is released a few days earlier does not mean it will do better. In the end, more people will see the better films even if they are opened later.

but what about the records. I mean titanic truely earned its spot! So did Spiderman.

Now as movies open earlier, the 'records' they set are meaningless.

<insert baseball analogy here>

Truth be told, i dont realy care about the release date, but dont creep it into 10pm the day before or something like that. If it opens on a wednesday make it all day, not just 8pm until later or something lame like that!

[madcowjm]

but what about the records. I mean titanic truely earned its spot! So did Spiderman.

Now as movies open earlier, the 'records' they set are meaningless.

<insert baseball analogy here>

Truth be told, i dont realy care about the release date, but dont creep it into 10pm the day before or something like that. If it opens on a wednesday make it all day, not just 8pm until later or something lame like that!


I'm not so sure I agree. Consider. Titanics earnings are over the entire lifetime of the movie being out .. so be it tuesday, thursday, or saturday ... it doesn't matter, it's just for however long the movie was out. And I'm tempted to say it was also an early week release. There was a lot of hype around it following it's incredible success on broadway.

The weekend tallies for movies actually look just at the weekend. So even if a movie opens on a wednesday, when cnn, fox and imdb release the opening weekend figures it has what it brought in on friday and saturday with estimates for sunday (crazy cause it releases the report sunday morning). And then they have a lifetime total for what it brought in from the day it opened.


Now looking at times to open, sure, maybe opening at 12noon on a wednesday might work in the summer time, but it doesn't work when people and kids are at work or in school. So weekend openings are actually at 5 or 8pm for most friday movies.

[Neuromorph]

i still say the studios are doping in more ways than one!

Harold and Kumar 2 in production as we speak!

[madcowjm]

i still say the studios are doping in more ways than one!

Harold and Kumar 2 in production as we speak!

You know what I do want to see sequels of?
1. Undercover brother.
2. talented mr ripley

where are those?

[Scout1980]

You know what I do want to see sequels of?
1. Undercover brother.
2. talented mr ripley

where are those?

I second a sequel to Talented Mr. Ripley.

[Neuromorph]

I second a sequel to Talented Mr. Ripley.

didnt everyone die in Ripley? I remember a boat crash and everyone freezing to death...

Actually Titanic 2 would be awesome.

Tanic 2: The Thawing!

[madcowjm]

didnt everyone die in Ripley? I remember a boat crash and everyone freezing to death...

Actually Titanic 2 would be awesome.

Tanic 2: The Thawing!

No, he lived .. there are actually 5 books in the ripliad

Apparently John Malkovich played Ripley in the third installement, Ripley's Game ... and it got decent reviews ... i'm amazed I missed it .. hmmm ... time to netflix it.

[beffygrl21]

bitching and maoning isnt going to make the studios do something different they want to make the most money possibel. plus how many of you who are complaining seen all these movies through shakefire or actually on the day it opened so you really cant say anything

[Neuromorph]

bitching and maoning isnt going to make the studios do something different they want to make the most money possibel. plus how many of you who are complaining seen all these movies through shakefire or actually on the day it opened so you really cant say anything

I see every movie openning or next to openning day (depending on work/sleep), reguardless of whether I have seen it already. This is because I go with friends to make quippy Seinfeildian comments.

I go to a theater an average of 2+ times a week. Period. The most ive done in a week is 6. Not because I wanted to, but because I have to.

The shifts in opennings messes this schedule up, since they cut into the normal work week. Thursday nights were fine, but if you open a movie on a Wed or Tuesday, thats just wrong!!

As cred of my movie going feats, I have several movie watcher cards that are marked in the several thousands of points, from different theater chains. For those not in the know, you get 2-4 points per movie you see(but at my level i get 8-12 point per movie now- I dont ask questions, Im keeping my mouth shut for all the free passes and popcorn). This means in the past 6 years (when I got the first pass here in atlanta) I have paid for over 1000movies. You do the math.

Thats why I complain about openning dates, because I cant see the openning on non Fridays for the most part.

Thats why I think I can say something about this issue.

[beffygrl21]

ummmm..... ok! i guess you can complain.