TheQuartering [2/22/2021]
I mean, I sure would love for some of this to become a reality, but I have almost zero faith that it would be.
With an estimated $12.4B in global grosses, $10.2B of which came from the international box office, 2020 was off overall by 71% and 67%, respectively, from 2019 according to Gower Street Analytics. It’s a year the world at large would like to forget, but in industry terms it provided interesting phenomena to reflect upon even as we look ahead to 2021.
A stealthy yet ubiquitous spore, cinema stops and starts, streaming solace, Sino-strength and the stunning performance of a Demon Slayer were among the dominant forces affecting the global and international box office in 2020.
Within that, one of the key takeaways for industry executives we spoke with was the power of overseas markets — and their local titles — which demonstrated that if people feel safe and the product is there, they will enthusiastically return to multiplexes. Grosses outside North America repped 82% of worldwide takings in 2020 versus 73% in 2019. While studios may have collectively been down by about 81% both on a worldwide and overseas basis, folks are encouraged that Covid won’t kill the theatrical business.