Are Male Movie-Goers Becoming Pickier?

[vid87]

I'd like to begin by saying this may actually be a good thing.

The conversation right now is "Lucy beat Hercules" and that this summer has seen a major uptick in female viewership, leading to women-focused movies becoming massive successes while male-centered ones, even while successful, falter compared to past performances. I read an article that, while broad in a lot of its suggestions (will get to that), posits that men are simply staying away from the movies this summer.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-gender-gap-why-721521

I'm looking back over some of the offerings and I'm wondering if the reason why, if true, has to do with certain types of films just not appealing to this demographic the way they did and that it's because men are starting to want more than just the standard action-explosion-guyfest. I'm also wondering because the overarching narrative is female-centered films are just more successful because it's been an untapped market, and while that may be a large part of it, I get the feeling that's not the whole picture. "Lucy" was polled as a 50/50 split along gender lines; though the article believes that "since females often call the shots in deciding which movie to go to with their husbands or boyfriends, many in Lucy's audience were couples" (which is unbelievably short-sighted, especially since the very next sentence says Hercules skewed 58% male), it could very well have been that Lucy, along with Maleficent's "this is the TRUE story" and "it looks JUST like the cartoon" hook and Divergent's and TFIOS's built-in fan-base had more to offer ALL viewers or at least is working off the "brands sell" trend. Meanwhile, male-centered or more broadly skewed films include the critically and viewer panned stuff like Robocop, the other Hercules, I,Frankenstein, Pompeii, Transcendence, and Sex Tape, as well as "hidden" movies that have interesting ideas but their trailers paint them as generic actioners such as 300 2, Noah, and Edge of Tomorrow. I get the feeling it all adds up to this trend that female-oriented films have more of an intrinsic hook or appeal based on plot or aesthetic while male-driven ones offer only rehashed ideas and repetitive themes.

My point and question: is part of the recent trend towards woman-favored movies because they have something to offer on a general, non-gender related level while men are starting to recognize and abandon the repetitive and empty cycle of stuff aimed at them, or am I completely off base here?

 

[lee1287]

I Would be more picky about what i see, but as i have an unlimited card i see most anything. I saw Transformers just for the sake of it. Big mistake. People, men or women, will see what appeals to them, i don't think it's ever changed.

 

[Ratty]

There are a lot of factors at play here. I'd say part of it is temporary burnout from "Big dumb action." from Transformers. But don't forget that Scarlett Johansson is still a big draw in and of herself even if she's moving past the "it girl" phase of her career. The Rock, while he still has a large fanbase and is as entertaining as ever, wasn't in "The Avengers". I don't think there's much to go on since this is only a single summer rather than a trend we've seen 2 or 3 summers in a row, but if anything I'd say it speaks to a lot of these big films, especially super heroes, becoming more gender-neutral.

These aren't stereotypical "chick flicks", anemic romantic comedies/"dramadies" dudebros will make fun of their friends for seeing. But it's also worth noting that more and more films that market themselves as chest-thumping testosterone flicks are deliberate and conspicuous throwbacks in the spirit of "The Expendables". Or at least it seems that way to me. I think we can also credit anime, Harry Potter and Twilight with making more women interested in traditionally "nerdy" genres, once seen as "no girls allowed" clubs. Arguably a slow-burn trend that started even earlier with shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess.

 

[Zontar]

I think it has more to do with circumstances then anything else.

Just going off the examples we have in order: Robocop being a reboot of a movie no one wanted, other Hercules being a January flick that looks like it was made-for-tv budget, a monster movie that didn't seem to know who to market itself to (and in a genre not known for being a big box office draw), another movie that didn't really advertise itself well, a pretty shitty movie that got panned so hard by viewers and critics alike it was hard to find after only two weeks, a bad comedy, a sequel that came out a decade too late, a religious movie and one that actually preformed well at the box office, especially for what is a pretty unknown IP.

Add to that the fact that last weekends new movies are in the clear shadow of this Friday's big release for action/comedy movie, and you have a situation where it's not so much taste that has changed but more of the same that we see every year. Yes this has been a good year for movies, but I wouldn't say there has been much change in tastes.

 

[vid87]

I'd also like to point out that other movies slated for this year are "The Giver" and "The Maze Runner", sci-fi young adult novels that will star men. I'm predicting that both will die horrible deaths at the box office due to the YA novel trend having seemingly run its course without anything particularly galvanizing to bring it back, but the discussion will still focus on the gender stratification.

 

[Queen Michael]

Can't speak for other men, byt my policy this year has been the same as every other year: Watch all the superhero movies, and the science-fiction flicks that seem good.

Oh, and I watched The Fault in Our Stars, because I'd read the book. But the medicine that the girl, Hazel, was being treated with, Phalanxifor, is fictional and no medicine with its effects exists, so technically speaking it's an sf movie.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I know it's very fashionable to read sexism in everything these days but take a couple of steps back for a second.

Hercules: Latest of a bunch of shitty adaptations of the Greek myth helmed by a disgraced director recognizably ripping off better movies like 300.

Lucy: Scarlett Johansson + Action = Black Widow = Marvel.

And come on, "male moviegoers" never needed that much of an incentive to check out everybody's favorite bombshell in the first place. Try getting ten percent as much attention with any other actress in the lead role.

 

[davidmc1158_v1legacy]

Perhaps the "pickiness" of the movie goer has a little more to do with something a bit more down-to-earth? The cost of the ticket?

As prices have risen over the years, the number of people going to the movies has dropped. Each year, the studios have seen the number of ticket sales drop and have been panicking, trying to figure out how to get people back into the theaters. Their answer has seem to be to go for even larger and more expensive spectacles. Unfortunately, this has fed back into the death spiral by making it necessary for the movie makers to recoup their investment through higher ticket prices.

Any more, the movie theater itself makes almost no profit from the ticket sales as distributors and studios now take almost every cent from that sale for themselves. That's why the cost of snacks/drinks are so damn high: the concession stand is where the theater has a chance to actually turn a profit. Which, of course, only fuels the problem of convincing people to spend larger amounts of money and go see a movie.

Perhaps, it simply becomes a matter of: "Hmm. I only have a few bucks in my pocket. Do I really want to spend it at the movies?" and the movies which are going to have a bit of broader appeal are going to have a slight advantage in that situation?

Slightly off topic, but concerning the rise of costs and spectacle, a theater in my area has decided to install special seats in a couple of their auditoriums. They shake, pivot and move in time with the camera during the film, giving the movie-watcher a sort of "roller-coaster" experience during the film's action scenes. I find this to be insanely stupid. Why? Because the cost to said movie-watcher is $20 on top of the cost of the ticket. Similar to how the extra $5 for the new 3D glasses put off quite a few people from going to the movies, I predict this is going to be an even worse effect.

 

[Vault101]

I'm not sure its a gender thing, as people have said there are many factors at play....Hercules looks as bland/boring as many of the "greek myth" films weve had in the past, Lucy looks far more interesting (even if it has its own issues)

but I think what this DOES say is that women leads are NOT box office poison

oh sure..again "reasons" (avengers ect) and Lucy isn't what I'd call the best female charachter..BUT people went and saw the movie even though it was clear it stared a female and didn't see one that stared the manlinest of men

 

[Netrigan]

I've been staying away from the movies this year because it's been a crap summer. Almost nothing I want to see and the two movies I did venture out for so far have both disappointed (Transformers 4 and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes).

I actually went out Friday to take in a movie and bailed on the idea after eating lunch. I just couldn't bring myself to watch Hercules.

Lucy went off the list thanks to them leading with stupid in the trailer.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I've become more discerning, only because I've become more left wing and can't handle shitty products. I watch/read reviews for products before I buy them.

 

[Super Cyborg]

It's probably due to the oversaturation of those types of movies, or more that people want movies with more substance in them. Can't say much about Lucy, since I haven't seen it, but it seems the last bunch of years has been pretty bad with lots of movies having more flash than substance. Of course, I've never been following movies much, so I'm just going off what I've seen advertised most. It could also be that some really good movies have pushed people to having higher standards. Personally, I go to movies I want to see, and if a movie ends up being really good, I'll go check it out.

 

[Vault101]

Of course, I've never been following movies much, so I'm just going off what I've seen advertised most. It could also be that some really good movies have pushed people to having higher standards. Personally, I go to movies I want to see, and if a movie ends up being really good, I'll go check it out.

I've been staying away from the movies this year because it's been a crap summer. .

I havent been much into movies in the past few years because they eather seem to be aniamted ones or Comicbook Movies, the only two I've seen in that time have been Gravity and Edge of Tomorrow

I do want to see Iron man 3 though if I get around to it

 

[L. Declis]

Hmmm.... You know, you may not be entirely wrong.

Last year, I watched an awful lot of films, but this year during summer...

I liked the Capt. America movie, and Edge of Tomorrow was okay, and I liked the new Robocop, New York Winter's Tale was a bit shit, Noah was pretty good, I'm looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy, X-men DoFP was a bit shit...

And that's it. I'm only looking forward to 1 film this summer. Everything else looks terrible and frankly, TV has started to step up it's game with things like Game of Thrones and House of Cards, so if I need spectacle, I don't need to pay £25 for the privilege of two seats, food and drink while dealing with other annoying people.

 

[Bertylicious]

Going to the movies is well expensive, like £10, plus you have to leave your house and go on this big ol' expedition. All filling up bottles of water so you ain't got to spend another £10 on a container of syrupy liquid that cost the place 20p, all filling your pockets with Haribo.

The staff are all kids who love cinema but are all disillusioned by a company that can only sustain itself by charging a £9.80 margin on a drink 'cause they don't make any actual money off ticket sales. They stare at you with accusing eyes as you smuggle in your pocket Haribo and water.

If it were a fiver then I would go much more regularly. I guess I could join one of them clubs or buy some manner of season ticket but I don't want to feel obligated, you know?

 

[JediMB]

I've always been picky about what movies I go to see. That shit's expensive.

So I skipped Transformers, I'll rent Lucy later, I'm not touching Hercules, and I'm staying the hell away from TMNT.

Guardians of the Galaxy is where it'll be at.

 

[IceStar100]

There also the fact between redbox net flix and even xbox/playstation it easier just to see it at home. Plus they come out quicker and quicker. So why go to the movies and put up with people and ok but pricy food when you can stay in. One last thing there is more to sway our entertainment now. Heck when halo 3 came out movie attendance drop almost 75%. So yeah it's a lot of things.

 

[Taliesin Hoyle]

The trailer for Hercules is rubbish. The film is not bad at all. Did you know that Hercules is a con man, and there are no monsters in the movie? All those shots in the trailer, of the hydra and the Nemean Lion, are from the stories told by his publicist. It falls apart a bit at the end, but the film is not the forgettable digital clusterfuck the trailers promised. I thought I would use my free ticket to see it simply for a chance to ridicule it. I walked away entertained, but puzzled why the central ideas of the movie are not even hinted at in the trailer.

 

[Saetha]

I dunno know about you, but the movies this summer have been mostly utter crap. Or at least, they look like they're utter crap. Coming from someone who sees movies a lot (At Alamo Drafthouse! Best movie chain in the country! No I won't shut up about it!) most of everything that's coming out this summer just... didn't look interesting. The only movies I saw because I wanted to see them were Edge of Tomorrow and How to Train Your Dragon 2. I saw Maleficent because a friend and I wanted to hang out and she could get us in for free (We didn't really like it either. Made fun of it on the car ride home) And I only saw Planet of the Apes because my dad wanted to go.

I normally struggle to find time for all the movies I want to see. This summer there's been week-long stretches where I pass up multiple opportunities to go because... well, what's there to see? Nothing looks interesting. At this point I'm practically begging for Guardians of the Galaxy. At least it's got me pumped, which I can't say for basically any other movie this summer.