與很多非重點(diǎn)行業(yè)一樣,新冠疫情期間,,電影院也都被迫停業(yè),。在中國(guó),電影院從春節(jié)便開(kāi)始關(guān)門(mén)至今,,美國(guó)等很多其它國(guó)家也是從3月中旬開(kāi)始停業(yè),,并且要停業(yè)多久無(wú)法確定,這就導(dǎo)致了影院系統(tǒng)出現(xiàn)了普遍的財(cái)務(wù)問(wèn)題,。
以萬(wàn)達(dá)電影為例,,其公司4月14日發(fā)布業(yè)績(jī)預(yù)告,一季度預(yù)虧5.5億-5.6億元人民幣,,利潤(rùn)同比下降超200%,,截止到當(dāng)日,萬(wàn)達(dá)電影今年以來(lái)股價(jià)下跌了18%,。其它電影公司如金逸影視,、光線傳媒、華誼兄弟等均有類似的收入大幅下滑,。
影院面臨著一系列獨(dú)特的挑戰(zhàn),,流媒體和點(diǎn)播服務(wù)在跟他們搶奪觀眾,電影公司重新調(diào)整發(fā)行名單,,大片紛紛被推遲上映,,而且,就算疫情警報(bào)解除,,也不知道到底要多久顧客才會(huì)愿意重新坐回到擁擠封閉的空間里,。
除此之外,政府救濟(jì)能到什么程度也不確定:不論是美國(guó)的經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激法案,,還是中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的財(cái)稅優(yōu)惠措施,,或地方層面的扶持政策,,都或?yàn)楸囆剑蜻€有很多未知數(shù),。薪資保護(hù)計(jì)劃也設(shè)置了種種障礙,。至于大連鎖影院和小獨(dú)立影院到底能否享受租金或抵押貸款救濟(jì),或者能享受多久的優(yōu)惠,,現(xiàn)在也還沒(méi)有定論,。
不過(guò),影院也有一些樂(lè)觀的理由,。電影公司還是渴望把大片留到大銀幕上放映,,而且,他們可能會(huì)低價(jià)提供一些老片,,這樣,,電影院重新開(kāi)放之后不會(huì)無(wú)片可放。我們將在這里詳細(xì)分析電影院目前面臨的問(wèn)題,,以及疫情結(jié)束之后可能出現(xiàn)的情況,。
租金是最大財(cái)務(wù)困難
疫情期間,各家影院隨著賬單到期而收入斷流,,無(wú)論是連鎖還是獨(dú)立影院,,其財(cái)務(wù)狀況將決定它們能否在停業(yè)后生存下去。全球最大的連鎖影院AMC影院多年中一直在忙于收購(gòu),,這就讓其有著嚴(yán)重的流動(dòng)性問(wèn)題,標(biāo)普全球甚至一度因?yàn)檫@個(gè)問(wèn)題把它的信用評(píng)級(jí)從B-下調(diào)到CCC-,,因?yàn)槿绻麤](méi)有外部援助,,該影院的貸款有可能會(huì)違約。
“AMC的處境絕對(duì)是電影院行業(yè)最岌岌可危的,,”投行B. Riley Financial公司高級(jí)分析師埃里克·沃爾德說(shuō),幾年前,,AMC連著收購(gòu)了三家影院,,總交易額共達(dá)10億美元,這給它造成了沉重的債務(wù)負(fù)擔(dān),。
萬(wàn)達(dá)也在同一時(shí)期大規(guī)模海外擴(kuò)張,,2012年,,其斥資26億美元收購(gòu)了AMC 100%的股權(quán),轟動(dòng)一時(shí),。不過(guò)最近幾年,,萬(wàn)達(dá)持續(xù)減持各類海外資產(chǎn),并將AMC的持股銳減到38%,。
沃爾德說(shuō),,對(duì)于AMC和整個(gè)影院行業(yè)而言,它們面臨的最大的未知挑戰(zhàn)是,,怎么處理租金成本,?物業(yè)主能不能提供優(yōu)惠或便利?目前,,AMC光季度租金就高達(dá)2.5億美元,,如果3月中旬到6月中旬一直停業(yè),這將是巨大的一筆開(kāi)支,。
“我們不知道房東能不能靈活處理,,比如推遲或者攤銷部分租金支付等等,如果房東或刺激計(jì)劃沒(méi)能幫到他們,,影院的股票將變得一文不值,。我不覺(jué)得找傳統(tǒng)貸款商借更多到錢(qián)能幫助他們度過(guò)此次危機(jī),因?yàn)橛霸罕緛?lái)就已經(jīng)有著很高的債務(wù)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)了,?!?/p>
在租金這個(gè)問(wèn)題上,多數(shù)房東給AMC的待遇,,可能會(huì)比同行要好,。沃爾德表示,AMC更新影院硬件,,如升級(jí)座椅和改善小食部等相關(guān)資本支出,,本來(lái)就有很多房東支付了其中的25%至40%,“他們希望電影院更先進(jìn),,成為標(biāo)志性店家,,吸引更多消費(fèi)者來(lái)購(gòu)物中心,我就不相信房東會(huì)無(wú)動(dòng)于衷,,寧愿看著這些投資成為泡影,,也不愿意幫助影院渡過(guò)難關(guān)?!?/p>
美國(guó)全國(guó)影院業(yè)主協(xié)會(huì)副主席帕特里克·科克倫說(shuō),,不會(huì)有太多其它商家愿意租用空電影院:“如果你因?yàn)樽鈶魶](méi)有支付租金把它趕走,你又能把電影院租給誰(shuí)呢?租戶肯定是另外一家電影院,,可它們的處境是完全一樣的,。”
AMC曾經(jīng)的大東家萬(wàn)達(dá),,在國(guó)內(nèi)影院方面,,則因?yàn)榈禺a(chǎn)影院同屬一家,也展現(xiàn)出了地產(chǎn)影院模式的抗風(fēng)險(xiǎn)優(yōu)勢(shì),,萬(wàn)達(dá)也是最先開(kāi)始為影院免租金的業(yè)主之一,。此后,在各地影院和行業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)發(fā)函“求救”,,地方政府也鼓勵(lì)業(yè)主減租金之后,,國(guó)內(nèi)多家地產(chǎn)商如等也都陸續(xù)推出了階段性減租、免租,、免物業(yè)費(fèi)等優(yōu)惠政策,。
送外賣、賣爆米花,,怎么賺錢(qián)怎么來(lái)
另一個(gè)大問(wèn)題是員工工資,。在美國(guó),AMC,、Cineworld和Cinemark等大型連鎖影院要求數(shù)千員工無(wú)薪休假,,而小型影院卻沒(méi)有這么做?!澳闶抢^續(xù)為員工發(fā)工資,,指望薪資保護(hù)計(jì)劃通過(guò)后,幫你渡過(guò)難關(guān),,最終重新開(kāi)業(yè),?還是直接裁員,讓員工去申請(qǐng)失業(yè)救濟(jì),?” 美國(guó)獨(dú)立影院聯(lián)盟主席、有九個(gè)放映廳的奧芬劇院的老板比爾·坎貝爾說(shuō),,“我在努力留住我的員工,。許多兼職的年輕人還要依靠父母維生,他們可能不符合失業(yè)救濟(jì)的條件,。如今所有人都過(guò)得非常艱難,。”
現(xiàn)在,,各大影院可能就進(jìn)入了一場(chǎng)比誰(shuí)能撐到最后的耐力賽,,但以中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的情況看,很多中小型影院已經(jīng)撐不到最后了。根據(jù)媒體報(bào)道,,截止4月14日,,我國(guó)今年以來(lái)一共有3038家影院類企業(yè)注銷或者吊銷,特別是半個(gè)月內(nèi),,有超過(guò)700家影院類企業(yè)注銷,。那些還在堅(jiān)持中的影院,不少選擇了只保留2-3位員工輪流值班,,其余大部分員工休假或待崗處理,,給予基本工資或少數(shù)生活費(fèi),即使這樣,,很多影院也難以堅(jiān)持到五月份,。
一些影院開(kāi)始想方設(shè)法“自救”,募集資金留住員工,。在中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi),,阿里影業(yè)與餓了么幫助千家影院搭建了賣品外送服務(wù)渠道,幫助影院銷售原本為春節(jié)檔所庫(kù)存的食物,、飲品等貨品,。還有一些電影院提前以更為優(yōu)惠的價(jià)格銷售電影票、會(huì)員卡等,,以提前獲得一定流水支撐影院運(yùn)營(yíng),。
美國(guó)的影院也各顯奇招。比如北美網(wǎng)紅影院Alamo Drafthouse推出宅家看電影系列,,推廣獨(dú)立電影租賃,,有些影院則在路邊賣爆米花,獲得一些特許零售收入,?!拔疫€沒(méi)那么做,不過(guò)我覺(jué)得那樣很酷,,” 坎貝爾說(shuō),,“讓影院在關(guān)閉期間繼續(xù)留在公眾視野里,這非常重要,。你在提醒公眾,,你還在這里,并沒(méi)有消失,?!?/p>
大片不會(huì)繞過(guò)電影院
當(dāng)影院陸續(xù)關(guān)閉時(shí),多家電影公司宣布,,通過(guò)視頻點(diǎn)播的方式提供正在上映和即將上映的影片,,如《魔發(fā)精靈2:世界巡演》,、《狩獵》、《愛(ài)瑪》,、《阿特米斯奇幻歷險(xiǎn)》和《隱形人》等,。雖然許多宅男宅女們認(rèn)為,這意味著電影發(fā)行方式將徹底發(fā)生改變,,但坎貝爾,、科克倫和沃爾德都表示,今后電影公司并不會(huì)跳過(guò)電影院搞發(fā)行,。
電影公司之所以直接向家庭發(fā)行這些影片,,主要是因?yàn)樗麄円呀?jīng)付出了廣告宣傳費(fèi)和其他推廣費(fèi)用。以《阿特米斯奇幻歷險(xiǎn)》為例,,沃爾德表示,,可能迪士尼并不認(rèn)為這部電影會(huì)取得太高票房,而且在《花木蘭》和《黑寡婦》都推遲上映之后,,迪士尼已經(jīng)有太多影片等待上映,。沃爾德最近聯(lián)系過(guò)Cinemark,其高層都來(lái)自電影制片廠,,”他們都認(rèn)為,,直接向家庭發(fā)行大制作電影,根本無(wú)法收回成本,。從長(zhǎng)期來(lái)看,,我并不認(rèn)為未來(lái)會(huì)直接面向家庭發(fā)行大片?!?/p>
科克倫同意這種觀點(diǎn),,他補(bǔ)充道,多數(shù)人依舊會(huì)去電影院,,一方面是因?yàn)榇筱y幕帶來(lái)的觀感體驗(yàn),,另一方面則是,很多時(shí)候,,人們只是希望走出家門(mén),,而不只是在家看Netflix等訂閱流媒體?!跋蚣彝グl(fā)行影片的基本出發(fā)點(diǎn)是,,人們想要觀看又便宜又豐富的內(nèi)容。人們不希望在家庭觀影上再增加支出,。當(dāng)然,,現(xiàn)在人們?cè)诩铱从捌臅r(shí)間大幅增加,,這是因?yàn)樗麄兌即诩依?。?dāng)影院重新開(kāi)放,人們感覺(jué)安全時(shí),觀眾還是會(huì)蜂擁而至,?!?/p>
不過(guò),說(shuō)是這么說(shuō),,影院一開(kāi)始復(fù)業(yè)時(shí),,可能觀眾對(duì)于是否去影院還是猶豫不決。中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)短時(shí)間的影院開(kāi)放就可以看出這一點(diǎn),。3月20日,,全國(guó)超500家影院陸續(xù)復(fù)工,據(jù)貓眼數(shù)據(jù),,復(fù)工率約4.65%,,約一周內(nèi),全國(guó)票房?jī)H為20.9萬(wàn)元,,只有不到一萬(wàn)人觀影,。
3月27日,國(guó)家電影局通知,,所有影院暫不復(fù)業(yè),,已復(fù)業(yè)的立即暫停營(yíng)業(yè),具體復(fù)業(yè)時(shí)間等國(guó)家電影局通知,。目前不知道這一緊急叫停政策,,是處于對(duì)疫情依然嚴(yán)峻的考慮,還是怕打擊電影產(chǎn)業(yè)信心,。
根據(jù)燈塔研究院此前推出的報(bào)告,,預(yù)計(jì)5月份中國(guó)電影市場(chǎng)將逐漸恢復(fù),8成觀眾觀影意愿強(qiáng)烈,,但雖然用戶觀影頻次會(huì)有一定補(bǔ)償性增長(zhǎng),,但電影市場(chǎng)大概率不會(huì)出現(xiàn)“報(bào)復(fù)性消費(fèi)”和爆發(fā)性增長(zhǎng)。
去看場(chǎng)電影,,需要紅外線體溫檢測(cè)嗎,?
有一些有票房保證的大片,因?yàn)橛霸宏P(guān)閉被推遲上映,,比如《花木蘭》,、《無(wú)暇赴死》、《神奇女俠1984》和《超能敢死隊(duì)2020》等,,這些影片的上映有的推遲了幾個(gè)月,,有些則推遲了整整一年。推遲的原因可能是需要按計(jì)劃進(jìn)行電影推廣,,也可能是電影制作或后期制作尚未完成,,無(wú)論是哪個(gè)原因,,影院老板們都得考慮,當(dāng)影院恢復(fù)營(yíng)業(yè)時(shí),,比如六,、七月份,有哪些影片可以放映,。
迪士尼的大片《花木蘭》原計(jì)劃3月北美上映,,后改為7月24日上映,沃爾德從中看到了一絲希望,。他說(shuō),,迪士尼占了美國(guó)總票房的40%,一舉一動(dòng)都有著巨大影響力,,其愿意將這部年度大片放在七月份上映,,這讓他感到樂(lè)觀?!斑@表明,,迪士尼相信,只要影院恢復(fù)營(yíng)業(yè),,就會(huì)有足夠多的觀眾回來(lái)看電影,,帶來(lái)不錯(cuò)的票房?!?/p>
但大部分的暑期檔電影發(fā)行都一片混亂,,影院沒(méi)有足夠的電影怎么辦?答案是,,上映老電影,,比如上映那些因疫情被迫縮短放映周期的影片,也可以上映一些經(jīng)典大片,。美國(guó)全國(guó)影院業(yè)主協(xié)會(huì)和獨(dú)立影院聯(lián)盟正在與電影公司談,,哪些老影片可以上映,收多少票價(jià)等,,對(duì)于影院老板而言,,最合理的做法是降低票價(jià),吸引人們重新回到影院,。
“我真正想看的是《大白鯊》這樣絕對(duì)經(jīng)典的片子,,這些在當(dāng)時(shí)是年輕人熱愛(ài)的超級(jí)大片?!笨藏悹栒f(shuō),。但他也承認(rèn),人們可能還是擔(dān)心病毒傳播,,到底會(huì)不會(huì)來(lái)影院還不好說(shuō),??藏悹柕挠霸涸谑ヅ撂乩锟斯?jié)當(dāng)天關(guān)閉,在此之前,,他只出售四成的電影票,使顧客之間可以隔開(kāi)距離,,此外他還延長(zhǎng)了放映之間的間隔,,以便于員工對(duì)座位進(jìn)行消毒。但就算這樣小心翼翼,,是否重新開(kāi)放影院,,還是需要等到衛(wèi)生部門(mén)宣布解除警報(bào)才行。
對(duì)于中國(guó)3月末時(shí)那樣影院復(fù)業(yè)被叫停的消息,,坎貝爾表示,,不希望發(fā)生這樣類似的政策逆轉(zhuǎn),他認(rèn)為,,不要隨便就決定開(kāi)放影院,,但一旦政策下來(lái)了,就不要去推翻它,。
當(dāng)然,,即便影院恢復(fù)營(yíng)業(yè)了,也是矛盾重重,,到底還有哪些額外措施,,可以避免病毒感染者進(jìn)入影院呢?
在中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi),,公共場(chǎng)合都配有紅外線體溫檢測(cè)設(shè)備,。科克倫說(shuō),,他們也在考慮,,當(dāng)影院復(fù)業(yè)之初,是否有必要采取這種預(yù)防措施,,這些措施或許可以幫助觀眾樹(shù)立信心,,但也可能讓觀眾對(duì)影院失去興趣。
中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的顧客可能已對(duì)紅外線體溫檢測(cè)習(xí)以為常了,,但坎貝爾表示,,除非地方政府有強(qiáng)制要求,他本人不希望采取這些措施,,因?yàn)?,在美?guó),金屬探測(cè)儀會(huì)讓人緊張,、不舒服,,甚至聯(lián)想到大規(guī)模槍擊案,,畢竟,他說(shuō),,電影院應(yīng)該是讓人們忘掉這些問(wèn)題的地方,。
“你之所以心甘情愿地花10美元走進(jìn)電影院,是因?yàn)槟阒滥憧梢栽谶@里坐上兩個(gè)小時(shí),,沒(méi)有冰箱的噪音或者手機(jī)鈴聲,。你可以逃避現(xiàn)實(shí),讓自己盡情享受這一刻,。這正是電影院更適合看電影的原因,。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
責(zé)編:雨晨
與很多非重點(diǎn)行業(yè)一樣,,新冠疫情期間,,電影院也都被迫停業(yè)。在中國(guó),,電影院從春節(jié)便開(kāi)始關(guān)門(mén)至今,,美國(guó)等很多其它國(guó)家也是從3月中旬開(kāi)始停業(yè),并且要停業(yè)多久無(wú)法確定,,這就導(dǎo)致了影院系統(tǒng)出現(xiàn)了普遍的財(cái)務(wù)問(wèn)題,。
以萬(wàn)達(dá)電影為例,其公司4月14日發(fā)布業(yè)績(jī)預(yù)告,,一季度預(yù)虧5.5億-5.6億元人民幣,,利潤(rùn)同比下降超200%,截止到當(dāng)日,,萬(wàn)達(dá)電影今年以來(lái)股價(jià)下跌了18%,。其它電影公司如金逸影視、光線傳媒,、華誼兄弟等均有類似的收入大幅下滑,。
影院面臨著一系列獨(dú)特的挑戰(zhàn),流媒體和點(diǎn)播服務(wù)在跟他們搶奪觀眾,,電影公司重新調(diào)整發(fā)行名單,,大片紛紛被推遲上映,而且,,就算疫情警報(bào)解除,,也不知道到底要多久顧客才會(huì)愿意重新坐回到擁擠封閉的空間里。
除此之外,,政府救濟(jì)能到什么程度也不確定:不論是美國(guó)的經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激法案,,還是中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的財(cái)稅優(yōu)惠措施,或地方層面的扶持政策,都或?yàn)楸囆?,或還有很多未知數(shù),。薪資保護(hù)計(jì)劃也設(shè)置了種種障礙。至于大連鎖影院和小獨(dú)立影院到底能否享受租金或抵押貸款救濟(jì),,或者能享受多久的優(yōu)惠,,現(xiàn)在也還沒(méi)有定論。
不過(guò),,影院也有一些樂(lè)觀的理由,。電影公司還是渴望把大片留到大銀幕上放映,而且,,他們可能會(huì)低價(jià)提供一些老片,這樣,,電影院重新開(kāi)放之后不會(huì)無(wú)片可放,。我們將在這里詳細(xì)分析電影院目前面臨的問(wèn)題,以及疫情結(jié)束之后可能出現(xiàn)的情況,。
租金是最大財(cái)務(wù)困難
疫情期間,,各家影院隨著賬單到期而收入斷流,無(wú)論是連鎖還是獨(dú)立影院,,其財(cái)務(wù)狀況將決定它們能否在停業(yè)后生存下去,。全球最大的連鎖影院AMC影院多年中一直在忙于收購(gòu),這就讓其有著嚴(yán)重的流動(dòng)性問(wèn)題,,標(biāo)普全球甚至一度因?yàn)檫@個(gè)問(wèn)題把它的信用評(píng)級(jí)從B-下調(diào)到CCC-,,因?yàn)槿绻麤](méi)有外部援助,該影院的貸款有可能會(huì)違約,。
“AMC的處境絕對(duì)是電影院行業(yè)最岌岌可危的,,”投行B. Riley Financial公司高級(jí)分析師埃里克·沃爾德說(shuō),幾年前,,AMC連著收購(gòu)了三家影院,,總交易額共達(dá)10億美元,這給它造成了沉重的債務(wù)負(fù)擔(dān),。
萬(wàn)達(dá)也在同一時(shí)期大規(guī)模海外擴(kuò)張,,2012年,其斥資26億美元收購(gòu)了AMC 100%的股權(quán),,轟動(dòng)一時(shí),。不過(guò)最近幾年,萬(wàn)達(dá)持續(xù)減持各類海外資產(chǎn),,并將AMC的持股銳減到38%,。
沃爾德說(shuō),對(duì)于AMC和整個(gè)影院行業(yè)而言,,它們面臨的最大的未知挑戰(zhàn)是,,怎么處理租金成本,?物業(yè)主能不能提供優(yōu)惠或便利?目前,,AMC光季度租金就高達(dá)2.5億美元,,如果3月中旬到6月中旬一直停業(yè),這將是巨大的一筆開(kāi)支,。
“我們不知道房東能不能靈活處理,,比如推遲或者攤銷部分租金支付等等,如果房東或刺激計(jì)劃沒(méi)能幫到他們,,影院的股票將變得一文不值,。我不覺(jué)得找傳統(tǒng)貸款商借更多到錢(qián)能幫助他們度過(guò)此次危機(jī),因?yàn)橛霸罕緛?lái)就已經(jīng)有著很高的債務(wù)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)了,?!?/p>
在租金這個(gè)問(wèn)題上,多數(shù)房東給AMC的待遇,,可能會(huì)比同行要好,。沃爾德表示,AMC更新影院硬件,,如升級(jí)座椅和改善小食部等相關(guān)資本支出,,本來(lái)就有很多房東支付了其中的25%至40%,“他們希望電影院更先進(jìn),,成為標(biāo)志性店家,,吸引更多消費(fèi)者來(lái)購(gòu)物中心,我就不相信房東會(huì)無(wú)動(dòng)于衷,,寧愿看著這些投資成為泡影,,也不愿意幫助影院渡過(guò)難關(guān)?!?/p>
美國(guó)全國(guó)影院業(yè)主協(xié)會(huì)副主席帕特里克·科克倫說(shuō),,不會(huì)有太多其它商家愿意租用空電影院:“如果你因?yàn)樽鈶魶](méi)有支付租金把它趕走,你又能把電影院租給誰(shuí)呢,?租戶肯定是另外一家電影院,,可它們的處境是完全一樣的?!?/p>
AMC曾經(jīng)的大東家萬(wàn)達(dá),,在國(guó)內(nèi)影院方面,則因?yàn)榈禺a(chǎn)影院同屬一家,,也展現(xiàn)出了地產(chǎn)影院模式的抗風(fēng)險(xiǎn)優(yōu)勢(shì),,萬(wàn)達(dá)也是最先開(kāi)始為影院免租金的業(yè)主之一。此后,在各地影院和行業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)發(fā)函“求救”,,地方政府也鼓勵(lì)業(yè)主減租金之后,,國(guó)內(nèi)多家地產(chǎn)商如等也都陸續(xù)推出了階段性減租、免租,、免物業(yè)費(fèi)等優(yōu)惠政策,。
送外賣、賣爆米花,,怎么賺錢(qián)怎么來(lái)
另一個(gè)大問(wèn)題是員工工資,。在美國(guó),AMC,、Cineworld和Cinemark等大型連鎖影院要求數(shù)千員工無(wú)薪休假,,而小型影院卻沒(méi)有這么做?!澳闶抢^續(xù)為員工發(fā)工資,,指望薪資保護(hù)計(jì)劃通過(guò)后,幫你渡過(guò)難關(guān),,最終重新開(kāi)業(yè),?還是直接裁員,,讓員工去申請(qǐng)失業(yè)救濟(jì),?” 美國(guó)獨(dú)立影院聯(lián)盟主席、有九個(gè)放映廳的奧芬劇院的老板比爾·坎貝爾說(shuō),,“我在努力留住我的員工,。許多兼職的年輕人還要依靠父母維生,他們可能不符合失業(yè)救濟(jì)的條件,。如今所有人都過(guò)得非常艱難,。”
現(xiàn)在,,各大影院可能就進(jìn)入了一場(chǎng)比誰(shuí)能撐到最后的耐力賽,,但以中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的情況看,很多中小型影院已經(jīng)撐不到最后了,。根據(jù)媒體報(bào)道,,截止4月14日,我國(guó)今年以來(lái)一共有3038家影院類企業(yè)注銷或者吊銷,,特別是半個(gè)月內(nèi),,有超過(guò)700家影院類企業(yè)注銷。那些還在堅(jiān)持中的影院,,不少選擇了只保留2-3位員工輪流值班,,其余大部分員工休假或待崗處理,給予基本工資或少數(shù)生活費(fèi),即使這樣,,很多影院也難以堅(jiān)持到五月份,。
一些影院開(kāi)始想方設(shè)法“自救”,募集資金留住員工,。在中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi),,阿里影業(yè)與餓了么幫助千家影院搭建了賣品外送服務(wù)渠道,幫助影院銷售原本為春節(jié)檔所庫(kù)存的食物,、飲品等貨品,。還有一些電影院提前以更為優(yōu)惠的價(jià)格銷售電影票、會(huì)員卡等,,以提前獲得一定流水支撐影院運(yùn)營(yíng),。
美國(guó)的影院也各顯奇招。比如北美網(wǎng)紅影院Alamo Drafthouse推出宅家看電影系列,,推廣獨(dú)立電影租賃,,有些影院則在路邊賣爆米花,獲得一些特許零售收入,?!拔疫€沒(méi)那么做,不過(guò)我覺(jué)得那樣很酷,,” 坎貝爾說(shuō),,“讓影院在關(guān)閉期間繼續(xù)留在公眾視野里,這非常重要,。你在提醒公眾,,你還在這里,并沒(méi)有消失,?!?/p>
大片不會(huì)繞過(guò)電影院
當(dāng)影院陸續(xù)關(guān)閉時(shí),多家電影公司宣布,,通過(guò)視頻點(diǎn)播的方式提供正在上映和即將上映的影片,,如《魔發(fā)精靈2:世界巡演》、《狩獵》,、《愛(ài)瑪》,、《阿特米斯奇幻歷險(xiǎn)》和《隱形人》等。雖然許多宅男宅女們認(rèn)為,,這意味著電影發(fā)行方式將徹底發(fā)生改變,,但坎貝爾、科克倫和沃爾德都表示,,今后電影公司并不會(huì)跳過(guò)電影院搞發(fā)行,。
電影公司之所以直接向家庭發(fā)行這些影片,,主要是因?yàn)樗麄円呀?jīng)付出了廣告宣傳費(fèi)和其他推廣費(fèi)用。以《阿特米斯奇幻歷險(xiǎn)》為例,,沃爾德表示,,可能迪士尼并不認(rèn)為這部電影會(huì)取得太高票房,而且在《花木蘭》和《黑寡婦》都推遲上映之后,,迪士尼已經(jīng)有太多影片等待上映,。沃爾德最近聯(lián)系過(guò)Cinemark,其高層都來(lái)自電影制片廠,,”他們都認(rèn)為,,直接向家庭發(fā)行大制作電影,根本無(wú)法收回成本,。從長(zhǎng)期來(lái)看,,我并不認(rèn)為未來(lái)會(huì)直接面向家庭發(fā)行大片?!?/p>
科克倫同意這種觀點(diǎn),,他補(bǔ)充道,多數(shù)人依舊會(huì)去電影院,,一方面是因?yàn)榇筱y幕帶來(lái)的觀感體驗(yàn),,另一方面則是,很多時(shí)候,,人們只是希望走出家門(mén),,而不只是在家看Netflix等訂閱流媒體?!跋蚣彝グl(fā)行影片的基本出發(fā)點(diǎn)是,,人們想要觀看又便宜又豐富的內(nèi)容,。人們不希望在家庭觀影上再增加支出,。當(dāng)然,現(xiàn)在人們?cè)诩铱从捌臅r(shí)間大幅增加,,這是因?yàn)樗麄兌即诩依?。?dāng)影院重新開(kāi)放,人們感覺(jué)安全時(shí),,觀眾還是會(huì)蜂擁而至,。”
不過(guò),,說(shuō)是這么說(shuō),,影院一開(kāi)始復(fù)業(yè)時(shí),可能觀眾對(duì)于是否去影院還是猶豫不決,。中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)短時(shí)間的影院開(kāi)放就可以看出這一點(diǎn),。3月20日,,全國(guó)超500家影院陸續(xù)復(fù)工,據(jù)貓眼數(shù)據(jù),,復(fù)工率約4.65%,,約一周內(nèi),全國(guó)票房?jī)H為20.9萬(wàn)元,,只有不到一萬(wàn)人觀影,。
3月27日,國(guó)家電影局通知,,所有影院暫不復(fù)業(yè),,已復(fù)業(yè)的立即暫停營(yíng)業(yè),具體復(fù)業(yè)時(shí)間等國(guó)家電影局通知,。目前不知道這一緊急叫停政策,,是處于對(duì)疫情依然嚴(yán)峻的考慮,還是怕打擊電影產(chǎn)業(yè)信心,。
根據(jù)燈塔研究院此前推出的報(bào)告,,預(yù)計(jì)5月份中國(guó)電影市場(chǎng)將逐漸恢復(fù),8成觀眾觀影意愿強(qiáng)烈,,但雖然用戶觀影頻次會(huì)有一定補(bǔ)償性增長(zhǎng),,但電影市場(chǎng)大概率不會(huì)出現(xiàn)“報(bào)復(fù)性消費(fèi)”和爆發(fā)性增長(zhǎng)。
去看場(chǎng)電影,,需要紅外線體溫檢測(cè)嗎,?
有一些有票房保證的大片,因?yàn)橛霸宏P(guān)閉被推遲上映,,比如《花木蘭》,、《無(wú)暇赴死》、《神奇女俠1984》和《超能敢死隊(duì)2020》等,,這些影片的上映有的推遲了幾個(gè)月,,有些則推遲了整整一年。推遲的原因可能是需要按計(jì)劃進(jìn)行電影推廣,,也可能是電影制作或后期制作尚未完成,,無(wú)論是哪個(gè)原因,影院老板們都得考慮,,當(dāng)影院恢復(fù)營(yíng)業(yè)時(shí),,比如六、七月份,,有哪些影片可以放映,。
迪士尼的大片《花木蘭》原計(jì)劃3月北美上映,后改為7月24日上映,,沃爾德從中看到了一絲希望,。他說(shuō),,迪士尼占了美國(guó)總票房的40%,一舉一動(dòng)都有著巨大影響力,,其愿意將這部年度大片放在七月份上映,,這讓他感到樂(lè)觀?!斑@表明,,迪士尼相信,只要影院恢復(fù)營(yíng)業(yè),,就會(huì)有足夠多的觀眾回來(lái)看電影,,帶來(lái)不錯(cuò)的票房?!?/p>
但大部分的暑期檔電影發(fā)行都一片混亂,,影院沒(méi)有足夠的電影怎么辦?答案是,,上映老電影,,比如上映那些因疫情被迫縮短放映周期的影片,也可以上映一些經(jīng)典大片,。美國(guó)全國(guó)影院業(yè)主協(xié)會(huì)和獨(dú)立影院聯(lián)盟正在與電影公司談,,哪些老影片可以上映,收多少票價(jià)等,,對(duì)于影院老板而言,,最合理的做法是降低票價(jià),吸引人們重新回到影院,。
“我真正想看的是《大白鯊》這樣絕對(duì)經(jīng)典的片子,,這些在當(dāng)時(shí)是年輕人熱愛(ài)的超級(jí)大片?!笨藏悹栒f(shuō),。但他也承認(rèn),人們可能還是擔(dān)心病毒傳播,,到底會(huì)不會(huì)來(lái)影院還不好說(shuō),??藏悹柕挠霸涸谑ヅ撂乩锟斯?jié)當(dāng)天關(guān)閉,,在此之前,他只出售四成的電影票,,使顧客之間可以隔開(kāi)距離,,此外他還延長(zhǎng)了放映之間的間隔,以便于員工對(duì)座位進(jìn)行消毒,。但就算這樣小心翼翼,,是否重新開(kāi)放影院,,還是需要等到衛(wèi)生部門(mén)宣布解除警報(bào)才行。
對(duì)于中國(guó)3月末時(shí)那樣影院復(fù)業(yè)被叫停的消息,,坎貝爾表示,,不希望發(fā)生這樣類似的政策逆轉(zhuǎn),他認(rèn)為,,不要隨便就決定開(kāi)放影院,,但一旦政策下來(lái)了,就不要去推翻它,。
當(dāng)然,,即便影院恢復(fù)營(yíng)業(yè)了,也是矛盾重重,,到底還有哪些額外措施,,可以避免病毒感染者進(jìn)入影院呢?
在中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi),,公共場(chǎng)合都配有紅外線體溫檢測(cè)設(shè)備,。科克倫說(shuō),,他們也在考慮,,當(dāng)影院復(fù)業(yè)之初,是否有必要采取這種預(yù)防措施,,這些措施或許可以幫助觀眾樹(shù)立信心,,但也可能讓觀眾對(duì)影院失去興趣。
中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的顧客可能已對(duì)紅外線體溫檢測(cè)習(xí)以為常了,,但坎貝爾表示,,除非地方政府有強(qiáng)制要求,他本人不希望采取這些措施,,因?yàn)?,在美?guó),金屬探測(cè)儀會(huì)讓人緊張,、不舒服,,甚至聯(lián)想到大規(guī)模槍擊案,畢竟,,他說(shuō),,電影院應(yīng)該是讓人們忘掉這些問(wèn)題的地方。
“你之所以心甘情愿地花10美元走進(jìn)電影院,,是因?yàn)槟阒滥憧梢栽谶@里坐上兩個(gè)小時(shí),,沒(méi)有冰箱的噪音或者手機(jī)鈴聲。你可以逃避現(xiàn)實(shí),,讓自己盡情享受這一刻,。這正是電影院更適合看電影的原因,。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
責(zé)編:雨晨
Like most non-essential businesses in the U.S., movie theaters were forced to close their doors in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving them with the all-too-common financial problems that come with staying shuttered for an indeterminate amount of time.
But this industry faces a unique set of problems, including competition from streaming and on-demand releases, film studios reconfiguring their own release slates and delaying major blockbusters, and the uncertainty of how long it will take customers to return to sitting in a crowded, enclosed space, even when given the all-clear from health officials. That’s on top of the uncertainty that’s come from the federal stimulus bills, all the snags associated with the Paycheck Protection Program, and whether there will be any rent or mortgage relief for both the large chains and the small independents.
There are reasons to be optimistic, though, based on studios’ eagerness to keep their blockbusters on the big screens and to hopefully offer up some old titles cheaply so the theaters have something to show when they reopen. Here’s a breakdown of the issues theaters currently face and what might happen to them in a post-coronavirus world.
The financial hardships
Obviously, the financial situation of each theater business, chain or individual, going into the pandemic will be the biggest determining factor of whether it survives the shutdown, with bills coming due and no revenue coming in. After years of acquisitions, liquidity is a huge issue for AMC Theaters, the world’s largest chain, a problem that led S&P Global to downgrade its credit rating from B- to CCC- because it will likely default on its loans without any assistance.
“They're definitely in the most precarious position of exhibitors because they've got the most debt for making the three $1 billion acquisitions a few years ago [for Carmike, UCI and Odeon, and Nordic],” says Eric Wold, a senior analyst at B. Riley Financial. “The biggest unknown for them, as well as the industry, is what happens to rent costs and how flexible landlords can be. Right now, AMC is looking at $250 million a quarter of rent expense, so if they're closed from mid-March to mid-June, that's a big nut to have to pay. So, do landlords get flexible, defer some payments, stick it on the back end, amortize it? We don't know. The value of the equity could disappear if they can't get something in place and that something can come from landlord help or part of a stimulus package. I don't see traditional lenders adding to their debt load to let them get through this thing. There's enough risk already.”
When it comes to rent, AMC is likely in a better place with most of its landlords than most businesses. Wold says many landlords have been paying 25 to 40% of the capital expenditures associated with improving AMC’s theaters with upgraded seating and better concessions. “They want the theaters to look better, to be an anchor tenant to bring more consumers in their shopping mall, so I'd be surprised if the landlords wouldn't do something to help them get through this versus seeing those investments go to zero,” he says.
Or, as Patrick Corcoran, vice president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, points out, there aren’t going to be many businesses looking to lease an empty movie house: “If you evict your tenant for non-payment, who are you going get into your movie theater? It's going to be another movie theater company and they're all in the same situation.”
Keep your theater in the public's view
The other big issue is payroll. The big chains like AMC, Cineworld, and Cinemark furloughed thousands of employees while small theaters have dealt with it in varying ways. “Do you keep them on payroll and hope that the PPP comes through and gets you past where you can reopen? Or do you lay them off and hope that they get unemployment?” asks Bill Campbell, chairman of the Independent Cinema Alliance and owner of Orpheum Theatre, Inc., which has nine screens over three locations in Wyoming and Montana. “I'm trying to keep my staff. A lot of our part-time kids are dependent on their parents and might not be eligible for that type of program. Everybody’s really struggling with that.”
Some theaters have tried to raise money to keep staffers via other means, such as Alamo Drafthouse’s At-Home film series, which promotes rentals of independent movies, and certain theaters selling popcorn curbside to garner some concession revenue. “I haven't jumped into that but I think that's cool,” says Campbell. “To keep your theater in the public's view while it's closed is important. You remind the public that you're still here and you're not gonna go away.”
Competing with streaming and VOD
As theaters began shutting down, several studios announced they were going to make current and upcoming films like Trolls World Tour, The Hunt, Emma., Artemis Fowl, and The Invisible Man available to rent via video on demand. While many homebodies might have thought this would be a permanent shift in movie releases, Campbell, Corcoran, and Wold say studios are not going to skip cinemas going forward.
The general reason these titles went straight to the home is because the advertising and other promotional money was already spent. In the case of Artemis Fowl, Wold says it’s likely that Disney didn’t see it making a huge amount of money anyway and, after pushing Mulan and Black Widow back, its slate would be too crowded down the line. “It's interesting to talk to Cinemark. The CEO and the CFO both come from the studio world and they say you can't make the numbers work, releasing a big-budget film straight to home. I don’t think, long term, we're going to see anything of substance go straight to home.”
Corcoran agrees, adding that most people still flock to theaters for both the big-screen experience and because they just want to get out of the house, and not just turn to Netflix or something they’ve paid for. “The basics of home distribution are that people want really inexpensive, broad packages of content. People aren't looking to add an expense. You can, of course, see a huge increase in how much people are watching at home because they're home more. Once theaters are open and people feel safe about it, they're going to turn out in crazy amounts.”
Reopening with older movies
Because of COVID-19’s closures, studios have delayed surefire blockbusters including Mulan, No Time to Die, Wonder Woman 1984 and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, some for a few months and some a full year. This could be due to the need to promote the films as planned or because production or post-production could not be completed. Reasons aside, it leaves theater owners wondering what they’ll be able to show if they reopen early in, say, June or July.
Wold sees a sign of hope in the planned July 24 release of Mulan. “What got me a little more optimistic is Disney, which dominates 40% of the box office and has a lot of sway, is willing to put one of their top films of the year, if not the top film of the year, in a July slot. It’s an indication that they believe that if theaters can open, there will be enough attendance to open the film and have it do well.”
But with so much of summer blockbuster season in disarray, how will theaters fill up? The solution, it appears, is to rerelease old movies, such as the films that had their runs cut short due to the pandemic and classic blockbusters. The National Association of Theatre Owners and the Independent Cinema Alliance are in talks with the studios about what titles those would be and at what cost, as it would make the most sense for owners to charge less as people get more comfortable coming back.
“What I'd really like to see is maybe some of the absolute classics like Jaws, some of those big, big movies that they fell in love with as young people,” Campbell says. But he also acknowledges it will all be tricky, given the safety concerns surrounding the virus and how easily it can spread. Before closing on St. Patrick’s Day, he reduced ticket sales to 40% of his auditorium capacity so customers could distance themselves and he increased the time between showings so his staff could sanitize the seats. But that will also depend on getting the all-clear from health officials and hoping they get it right, too, rather than announce a reopening and have that decision get quickly reversed, which happened in China in late March. And even then, what else would they have to do to make sure nobody sick is coming through the doors?
“You're seeing things like airports in Asia where they have these infrared fever monitors where if you walk into the place, you have a fever, you get pulled out of line and sent home,” Corcoran. “So, in the early days when we come back, whether that sort of precaution is necessary to build confidence with the audience or whether that will actually turn them off, who knows?”
Campbell says he doesn’t want to do that unless directed by a local authority as he thinks it would cause unease among his patrons, like how metal detectors remind people of mass shootings. After all, he says, a movie theater is a place where they’re supposed to go to forget about these problems.
“You're spending your 10 bucks per person or whatever, paying that willingly to know that you can sit down for two hours and not have your refrigerator run or cell phone ringing. You can just escape reality and enjoy yourself. That's why theaters are so much better for watching movies.”