The Weekend Report: September 7, 2009

125 Days of Summer

The Labor Day holiday session saw a slight dip from 2008 revenues but, regardless of how one slices the pie, the final season tally experienced a box office upturn. Initial summer returns add up to approximately $4.36 billion for an improvement of 4.8%.

The last gasp of summer had a trio of new national releases that were greeted with indifference. The romantic comedy All About Steve ranked third with an estimated $13.7 million for the long weekend while the action packed Gamer bowed a slot behind with $11.4 million. Further down the list Extract with $5.2 million proved the old adage that satire is what closes on Saturday.

Debuting activity in the niches was generally light with encouraging results for the festival favorite Amreeka of $68,400 at four locales. In Quebec 1981 was respectable with $192,000 from 35 venues.

Overall ticket sales clocked in at roughly $119 million for a 25% decline from the prior weekend and a slim 2% fall from one year back. In 2008 the $11.5 million bow of Babylon A.D. couldn’t catch the third weekend $14.6 million of Tropic Thunder.

The 2009 calendar afforded the summer season one additional weekend but even when one compares comparable 17-week spans it saw a season 1% better based on revenues. The picture blears however in terms of admissions. The increasing number of mainstream films presented at premium prices in 3D and large format is on the rise and that skews ticket sales close to 10% below the 2008 level.

On the one hand the argument that movies are a recession-proof activity gets a pummeling. But considering the downturns in everything from concert tours, amusement parks and pro sports in the current economic climate, one has to surmise that movie going is holding its own against the competition.

Essentially, marked on the curve, business was flat. The roll of the dice saw Fox’s fortunes spike while Universal sank like the Titanic. The tentpoles appeared to dissipate faster than in the past but they were off set by unlikely mega successes such as The Hangover.

What kept summer 2009 from taking off was a nervousness on the distribution side that maintained a slate targeted to the avid moviegoer. Adults were mostly kept out of the loop and even the occasional Julie & Julia proved insufficient to widen the ticket buying population.

The situation was considerably dire in the alternative universe. Pictures such as The Hurt Locker, Adam, Moon and In the Loop played well in dedicated cinemas but the opportunity to cross over into mainstream playdates has largely evaporated. There’s simply no room at the movie inn known as the multiplex. The unending onslaught of opening weekend behemoths was ferocious to a point where torrid per screens could not trump the access accorded G.I. Joe, Inglourious Basterds and The Final Destination in August where traditional toe-holds have been easier to acquire.

by Leonard Klady