One factor that continues to be true: Hollywood studios are releasing fewer motion pictures than they did earlier than the pandemic started. Field Workplace Mojo tallied 910 motion pictures launched when the home field workplace hit a document $11.3 billion in 2019. In 2023, the quantity they’ve tallied sits at simply 584. So we have nonetheless bought some floor to make up, however a part of what has helped to shut the hole this 12 months is specialty programming. From faith-based movies to live performance documentaries and even Japanese animation, we have seen these titles succeed week in and week out.
By far the most important instance of this was “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.” Distributed straight by AMC Theatres and introduced simply weeks earlier than it dropped, Swift’s movie allowed audiences to expertise her blockbuster tour affordably — and man did it repay. It made $250 million worldwide, together with a monster $179 million domestically. AMC did one thing comparable with “Renaissance: A Movie by Beyonce” ($42 million worldwide) mere weeks later. That is income theaters sorely wanted attributable to motion pictures like “The Marvels” underperforming.
However these are simply the tip of the iceberg. We are able to additionally take a look at “Godzilla Minus One” and “The Boy and the Heron” vastly overperforming towards modest expectations. “Godzilla” has made $40 million and counting, whereas “Heron” is over $30 million. On the faith-based aspect, we have got “Sound of Freedom” ($248 million), “Jesus Revolution” ($54 million), and “His Solely Son” ($13 million). These are all low-risk/high-reward prospects that helped put butts in seats all 12 months lengthy.
In 2024 and past, theater chains and Hollywood studios alike ought to aspire to construct on these kinds of programming choices to assist usher in audiences who won’t in any other case hassle to go to theaters commonly. Serving underserved audiences (shock!) is excellent for enterprise, it seems.
