The Movies

Dear movie studios,

Hi, movie fan here, been a fan for a long time. I enjoy supporting the parts of your industry that I consider worthwhile. I see your products in theaters and buy your home versions when I like them, which my 3000+ disc movie collection might tell you is often.

As a supporter of film I try to be discerning in my tastes "voting" with my money as it were, so as the year progresses, I find myself at my local cinema approximately 10 to 12 times each year.  This has been the case for many years starting in high school with minor peaks and valleys as the years and your offering have progressed. In those visits I find myself entertained by both the feature I have chosen to sample and by the previews that some consider the best part of going to a theater.

Over the past two decades of movie watching I have noticed a trend which I find to be quite bothersome. Namely, the repeated clustering of all the films I want to see in about two blocks of the year. May to August being the first and Thanksgiving to New Years being the other.

This is a disturbing trend which must stop.  This year from the first weekend in the summer this year you have sandwiched into the course of 12 weeks 17 films I would like to see.  More than one a week to see them all.  While my wallet does not mind that I cannot achieve this task, I find that due to work, family and other commitments if I can see more than 2 of them I will consider it a full summer.  The best I can manage is once a month.

In the fall there are a few but the heavy time always seems to land from Thanksgiving to the end of the year. Last year there were 9 films I wanted to see in a 3 week period, I was able to see 2 of them.  So far this year in that other time, there are 4 coming up, and I know that more will be added as time goes by.

I know I can't be alone in wondering why you do this?  This clustering of movies dilutes your box office take for the year by forcing me to chose, not always which movies I want to see most, but which movies I get to see based on what is playing in my theater on the days I have both the time and money to see a film.

If you would simply spread out the releases over the course of the year, say once a month or even every two or three weeks, I'm sure that you would do better. I know I would see more movies in theaters, and I wouldn't have time to forget which movies I was somewhat to moderately interested in by the time I am looking for movies to buy.

As I generally enjoy the movies I watch, I have no issue buying movies I haven't seen more than a few trailers for.  As I figure it, buying the disc is cheaper than seeing it in the theater with my wife, much cheaper than taking the kids, not to mention the cost of popcorn.  As an added bonus if I like I can watch again and again.  I even win if I hate it, as I can sell it or trade it in for other movies, as such buying movies is a no lose proposition for me.

Even so, with the current release schedule cramping my movie lovin style, I'll continue to miss, forget about and just not get the chance to support the kinds of movies I really enjoy leading you to make your sales and marketing decisions based on the whims of people who frankly have crappy taste, sparkly vampires? the current state of the satire based parody movie? Board Games as feature films? Endless Sequels? Spin-offs? Re-boots?

Don't get me wrong, sequels can be lots of fun, I liked Iron Man 3, and Batman Begins/Dark Night were great, but do we really need fast 6?  I thought it was getting bad when that one got a sequel at all, and don't even remember 4 and 5 being advertised, but lets face facts, these fun, disposable popcorn movies which are sometimes called summer films, could really be put out any time of year and do fairly well. Heck they might even do better without the competition of the artificially created and inflated blockbuster season.

Secondly, why is there an "oscar season" when the dramatic, prestige movies come out, why can't we have large scope stories with riveting characters year round?  Why must the spectacle be crammed in at the end of the year as close to the oscar deadline as possible.  I know there are some films that get limited release just to qualify with a nationwide release later on, if ever.

Take a chance that your audience might want to see a high caliber film in September, of maybe February.  You'll have less competition at the box office and if the movie is as good as you think, it might even make you more money simply by being far and away the best thing showing for that whole month.  I know it would get me out of the house.

Sincerely,

Doss