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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1464866
But we were ready for first-run content at home: - had upgraded to a large QLED screen with insanely great Dolby Atmos sound. - We didn’t have to dress up and get to the theater based on their scheduled airing. - We didn’t have to watch TV content based on some silly program schedule. - Our popcorn, concessions were better/cheaper. - We didn’t miss a moment of the action when we took a break. If it was part of one of our subscription fees, great. If the film was special and they wanted a few bucks more, that was okay. Four of us watching for $20-$30 was still a great deal. A couple of times, the kids even had watch parties with friends. Then theaters opened with a BAM! during the last three months of the year. Ampere found the forced hibernation had rearranged everyone’s priorities. Older age groups (24-45, 45 and older) were increasing their use of subscription services more rapidly than the 18-24-year-old group. The younger crowd was flocking back to (discovering?) the movies. Half of the returned cinemagoers were under 35-years-of-age. Prior to 2020, Ampere reported they only accounted for a third of the movie house attendees. If Bond’s No Time to Die was the project that drew people back into the seats, it’s pretty obvious it attracted a crowd that doesn’t know or care about the franchise’s 25-year heritage. Racking up more than $500M, it’s pretty obvious that the younger crowd wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. Of course, they really wanted to get out of the house, and a rich theatrical schedule was all the reason they needed. Disney’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings produced more than $500M in ticket sales, while China’s The Battle of Lake Changjin roared past $700M. Even horror flicks like Halloween, Resident Evil and Nightmare Alley did well. And hero films like The King’s Man and Spider-Man with recent theatrical windows had good attendance records. However, as our son pointed out, the big difference between the day/date projects and those with a reasonable theatrical window was that the immediate streamers had all been pirated. They all had free stuff – crappy gambling ads, malware and opportunities for system/identity theft. The big difference was which ones got viewer attention. Content that had day/date availability had plenty of downloads. Content was impressive … as good as if you paid to watch it. The crappy spy camera stuff was free but … not many takers.