Burnt by the sun?
Bizzers blame the heat as auds, earnings wilt
That's the mantra auds around Europe use when, faced with sweltering summer weather, they choose to hit the beach rather than see "The Break-Up."
To American ears, the words sound suspicious. In the dog days, who hasn't said to a pal, "I don't care what movie we see, let's just get into some A/C!"
But most cinemas abroad don't double as places where butchers could hang meat.
"Unlike American audiences, Germans disdain cinemas in summertime," said one Teutonic theater operator last week in trying to explain why B.O. dips there when the temperature rises.
Summer, the exhib added, is simply not the best time to release major titles in Germany. But thanks to studios' day-and-date schemes, the local market is being forced to adapt to a global strategy that clashes with summer traditions, like enjoying the outdoors.
Beyond the film biz, the heat also is being blamed for fizzling returns at Euro legit houses: Biz in London's West End dipped 25% this season, and the sun took the blame.
"Not all London theaters have air-conditioning," says one Blighty theater vet. "So people assume they'll fry. Many theaters are now very quiet indeed, as Brits rush out into rare heat and sunshine. In New York, people rush into the theaters (to cool off)."
But are some Stateside media companies adopting the heat excuse to cool off investors after disappointing returns?
DVD renter Netflix last week blamed warm weather for its financial woes for the April-June frame, after the company's stock dropped 21%.
Whether using weather is just another way to spin bad news domestically remains to be seen. But the notion that hot weather can sink a Hollywood pic abroad remains an inconvenient truth for the industry.
