[Weekly Update] September 6, 2022

Sorry for the delay update! Things have been hectic, as we have 3 videos (plus bonus video) this month scheduled, I'm currently trying my best to catch up!

CHANNEL UPDATE

Our next video on RRR is mostly complete, with minor corrections to be made and subtitles waiting to be added. I shared the preview link in our Discord server for everyone to fact check, as I'm covering a film from a culture I'm not very familiar with. Feel free to take a look!

Work on our Crappy Jackie Chan movies has begun. Now I just need to endure such classics as "Kung Fu Yoga". In the mean time, we'll also work on a short video that requires less research, likely a video on a single movie that I'm already familiar with. I don't know what to cover yet. if you have a specific movie you want me to cover, let me know.

Other videos planned for the near future: Hong Kong Sci-Fi movies in the 90s; Troll director Minoru Kawasaki; Every single Gods Must be Crazy sequels; All the other Ip Man movies.

Should be enough research to last me the rest of the year.

WEEKLY UPDATE

Movie theatres are dying in North America. I don't think it's controversial to say that. Movie tickets are getting overly expensive. Hollywood blockbusters are losing its prestige. Warner Bros. is being dumb. The magic of going to the theater as a communal activity is disappearing.

Of course, we all still love movie theaters. The fundamental issue here is the price, and that's not something that can be fixed by theater chains alone. That said, it's still fun to think about what possible changes movie theatres can make to make themselves more attractive.

In Canada, our leading theatre chain "Cinemplex" has this VIP thing. The waiting area has a bar and a restaurant. You can order actual dinner dishes in the cinema (although they don't taste very good). And the chairs are extra comfy. I'm not sure how well that worked. I suspect it doesn't work very well, because if I want to go to a bar and grab a drink with my date, it'll not be in the cineplex waiting area.

Novelty theatres and drive-in theatres saw some minor popularities lately, thanks to Covid shutting down large cinema. It goes to show how much people actually love cinema. Also, part of the charm a drive-in theater offers is that you can talk to your date or you family while the movie plays. That is much more important than luxury or comfort. People don't go to the cinema for VIP experiences. It was just an activity that people want to do together.

Instead of making movie theatres increasingly exclusive, I think the best way forward is to make cinema much more communal. Instead of a bar, there should be park/restaurant like resting area outside the theater, so people can talk about the movies after they are finished.

Also, popcorn should be sold outside the theater. You should be able to buy them before you head in and buy your ticket. It's more tempting for the impulse buyers.

And maybe, just maybe, advertise local activities: Special showing of local made movies can be surprisingly popular (and lucrative, believe it or not). I have attended underground film festivals where the entire thing was merely spread through word of mouth. I'm sure a theater can do that, too.

I'm, of course, not a business person. This is just my wishful thinking coming from a filmgoer. But if so many small local cinema playing nothing but foreign films can stay afloat, maybe large corporation theatres can learn a little from that. Especially considering how 70% of the seats were empty when I went to see NOPE.

But what do you think? If you were to open a theater of your own, what kind of movies would you show?

In any case, I'll see you with a new video in a few days!