Stupid Press Questions
As
we’re exhibition’s representatives, one of
our functions at NATO involves press relations. The number
of inquires we receive reflects the public’s interest
in our business. Newspaper and magazine readers, television
viewers and radio listeners all like movies. And movie
theatres operate in every local community. As a result,
we receive more calls from the press and media than many
other associations that represent much larger industries.
More often than not, the questions
are thoughtful and the topics interesting. I enjoy the
discourse, and often
learn something from the questions being posed. But
all too often (and seemingly more often in recent months
and years), reporters pose stupid questions. Maybe
they
didn’t do their homework. Maybe they believe that
negative stories sell better than positive ones. Maybe
they just like controversy. Whatever the reason, they
ask questions that lack any foundation and appear designed
simply to reflect negatively on our industry. Now I can’t
say some of these things to the reporters directly, but
I can say it here. (This is our magazine, after all.)
Here are some of the most common stupid press questions
( or “SPQs”) and my typical responses to
them.
SPQ 1. Ticket sales are down in 2003
versus 2002. Why such a bad year? The
motion picture industry is having
a very good year, thank you. Year-to-year comparables
only show a small part of the picture. 2002 was an
extraordinary year – the best year for ticket sales since 1957.
We sold 1.64 billion U.S. tickets in the last year, a
10.2 percent increase over 2001. This year admissions
only trail 2002 by 6 percent. It’s still the second-best
year we’ve had in 45 years. The important thing
is that the overall admissions trend line for the
past 30 years is up. Way up.
SPQ 2. Isn’t 2003 the year
where patrons tired of sequels and that hurt the box
office? I am continually amazed about
the pack mentality among reporters. They all write the
same stories with
the same conclusion at the same time. And then, at the
drop of a hat, they all change their conclusions - the
same way. A year ago, most major publications wrote about
the immense commercial viability of sequels. Today, most
stories talk about the death of sequels. The truth is
somewhere in the middle. We’ve had some very successful
sequels in 2003, and some not so successful ones. Why?
Good movies are good movies, and bad movies are bad movies.
The former will sell, the latter will not. Sequels sometimes
propel more people to go out on opening weekend to see
a known commodity. If the movie is good - they’ll
keep coming. If not, . . . .
SPQ 3. Movies are too expensive. Why
have ticket prices gone up so fast? Actually,
movie tickets offer the most
affordable out-of-the-home entertainment experience.
What’s more, our prices rise much more slowly than
our competitors’. Over the past 10 years, movie
tickets prices have only risen 40 percent. During the
same time period, NBA tickets shot up 81 percent, concert
tickets 79 percent, Major League Baseball tickets 94
percent, NFL tickets 82 percent, and even Broadway tickets
44 percent.
SPQ 4. Motion picture theatres use
outdated technologies. Why has the transition to digital
cinema taken so long,
and why does NATO oppose digital cinema? NATO
and our members don’t oppose digital cinema. We just want
to get it right. The transition will happen when three
things occur. We need uniform global technology standards
to promote compatibility and interoperability. The quality
of digital cinema must exceed that of film for all types
of movies. And a fair and comprehensive business plan
must be established. Significant progress has been made
on all three of those issues - but we’re not there
yet. Thirty-five millimeter celluloid film has been used
successfully for more than a century. And more and more
patrons keep coming to our theatres. We’ll make
the transition when we can be sure the new technology
is good for our patrons and good for our business.
And finally, my favorite stupid press
question:
SPQ 5. Isn’t the DVD going
to kill the movie theatre? Movie theatre operators heard
the same question with the advent of television, videocassettes,
pay-per-view,
video-on-demand and now DVDs. The upward trend in our
ticket sales flatly refutes this proposition. These businesses
are complimentary, not competitive. Last year we witnessed
the largest number of DVD rentals and sales ever, and
we also experienced the best year at the cinema in decades.
What’s going on? The cinema experience is different.
People want to go OUT to the movies, to share in a communal
experience with a big screen, to enjoy an exciting environment,
and to eat snacks that someone else prepares. What’s
more, the cinema helps DVD sales, and DVD sales help
our business. A successful theatrical run usually ensures
later success in DVD sales. The movie theatre experience
is the best way to promote those ancillary markets. And
when our partners at the studios do well in DVD sales,
they can pump those profits into making and advertising
even better movies for theatres the next time around.
I believe in the First Amendment.
I actually like reporters. I just wish more of them did
a little research before
they called!! 
