- Facebook's Biggest-Ever Holiday Shopping Season
- Facebook's New Dual Class Structure - Slow Steps to an IPO
- Can Murdoch Help Bing Challenge Google and Shift the Content Equation?
- Twilight, Inc., A Worldwide Craze
- Oprah to Leave Syndication in 2011
- Sony's E-Reader Shortage and the Digital Book Battle
- Salesforce.com Brings Facebook and Twitter's Social Capabilities to Businesses
- Sumner Redstone's Companies Face Off Yet Again
- Can YouTube Revolutionize Citizen Journalism?
- What MGM's Sale Could Say About Value of Content
More Videos
- Facebook's Biggest-Ever Holiday Shopping Season
- Facebook's New Dual Class Structure - Slow Steps to an IPO
- Can Murdoch Help Bing Challenge Google and Shift the Content Equation?
- Twilight, Inc., A Worldwide Craze
- Oprah to Leave Syndication in 2011
- Sony's E-Reader Shortage and the Digital Book Battle
- Salesforce.com Brings Facebook and Twitter's Social Capabilities to Businesses
- Sumner Redstone's Companies Face Off Yet Again
- Can YouTube Revolutionize Citizen Journalism?
- What MGM's Sale Could Say About Value of Content
RSS FEED
MOST SHARED
- The Executive Job Search
- Chinese Overcapacity is Worsening, EU Chamber Warns
- Salvation Army's Kettles Now Credit Card-Ready
- US Mint to Suspend American Eagle Gold 1-Ounce Coins
- Oil Friday
- China Unveils Carbon Target Ahead of Copenhagen
- Dubai Debt Delay Rattles Stock, Bond Markets
- Black Friday: Bargain or Bust?
- Wal-Mart Price Pressure Hurts China Workers: Report
- 4 Thanksgiving Week Buys For Your Portfolio: Market Pros
- There's a 'Great Chance' For a Double-Dip Recession: Strategist
- Revenge of the Gangsta Nerds
- Will TCU See The "Flutie Effect?"
- Retail Earnings and Sales to Improve in Q4: Analyst
- Consumers Catching the Holiday Spirit
- It's Beginning To Look A Lot More Riskless
- Crescenzi: Claims Level Suggests End to Job Losses
- Hedge Funds Take Early Lead in Warren Buffett's 'Big Bet'
- Fannie Mae to Tighten Lending Standards: Report
- Share Trading on London Stock Exchange Resumes
- China Overcapacity Worsening, EU Chamber Warns
- Investing in Good Karma – and Making a Profit
- Black Friday to Avoid Red Ink; Greenback Gets the Blues
- Wal-Mart Price Pressure Hurts China Workers: Report
- Bankruptcies Jump, Hitting Highest Level in Four Years
- Steepest Black Friday Discounts, Revealed
- Where Do Pardoned Turkeys Go?
Media Money
Text Size 
Movie going has proven recession-resistant. But will this economic downturn prove different? A new Jupiter Research report finds 32 percent of adults online say they'll cut back on going to the movies.
But that's fewer than the people in this online group, that say they're cutting back elsewhere; 63 percent say they're going less driving, 60 percent are doing less shopping, and 60 percent are vacationing less. Players throughout Hollywood are hoping movie going will be considered an affordable respite from the depressing reality of the economic situation.
Back in 1929 after the stock market crash, people rushed to theaters; box office revenue was up 58.2 percent over the previous year. There were obviously some other historical issues at play then, so some recent recessions may be more revealing: During the 1991 recession box office revenue slumped 4.4 percent (according to Adams Media Research) though after September 11 box office rose 8.6 percent.
This fall the movie studios have some big bets, hoping familiar brands will perform both domestically and in the increasingly important overseas market, now comprising more than half of studios' box office revenue. Overseas box office revenue is $7.4 billion from the start of 2008 through September 28, compared to $7.5 billion last year. But Sony/MGM are releasing "Quantum of Solace," the 22nd James Bond film overseas before it launches in the U.S. market. The movie is opening in France, the UK, and Sweden on October 31, but not in the U.S. until two weeks later.
Disney [DIS
Loading...
()
] is counting on a number of its films including "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and "High School Musical 3" to perform strongly throughout the holiday season. Fox International is putting a big push behind two tentpoles, a remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," which rolls out starting December 10, and "Australia" from Baz Luhrmann, which rolls out around Christmas Day. Paramount is on track to reach $2 billion at the overseas box office by the end of the year. The film that should put Paramount's numbers over the edge, is DreamWorks Animation's[DWA
Loading...
()
] "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," though DWA's ongoing deal to distribute through Paramount.
The fact that there are so many franchises and sequels, and family-friendly films, should help the studios hold up over the holiday season. The big question remains how much movie going habits will be affected by the economic downturn and whether it could encourage more movie going, or whether consumers will really pull back.
Questions? Comments?
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes