This is the number of movies a person must see per year so that Hollywood does not go bankrupt

The number of films that moviegoers see per year is what determines the survival of Hollywood

Considering record ticket sales exceeding $9 billion at the box office in 2023, the odds of matching or exceeding this figure were quite low at the beginning of the year. However, few expected a challenge as strong as the one the film industry is currently experiencing, since the outlook is worse than predicted. The only hope for Hollywood is that people start going to the movies.

Just take a look at the highest-grossing films of 2023 to understand the reasons that are setting off alarm bells in the industry. So far in 2024, ticket sales show 20% less revenue compared to what was achieved last year for this same date.

The numbers don’t lie

This amount would allow Hollywood to survive, but not fully prosper.

According to analysts, part of the overwhelming figure collected in 2023 is a post-pandemic effect. In this sense, talking about the healthy recovery of the box office, without losing objectivity, requires considering the levels reached prior to confinement. Between 2009 and 2019, collection of more than $10 billion annually remained constant.

With this in mind, it is time to make use of mathematical knowledge and start calculating. Currently, data from the official census of the United States indicate that 336.4 million inhabitants reside in the country and that, in accordance with the information provided by Statista, since 2022, about 80% of them occasionally go to movie theaters. In this way, we can speculate that, Today there are around 269 million potential moviegoers in North America alone..

Now, considering that, according to The Numbersthe average price of an entrance ticket in the United States is $10.78, if we use it to divide the average figure of $10 billion, implies the need to sell 927,643,785 tickets annually to talk about healthy box office sales.

The last part of the calculation is the most important, since if we divide the result obtained by the number of eligible American moviegoers, we will have, Each person needs to buy at least 3 or 4 tickets. per year, a number that sounds easy to achieve.

The possible obstacles

Children’s movies are more important than we might think

Although for a movie buff buying 3 to 4 tickets does not represent any problem, There are variables that can prevent you from reaching your goal.. Firstly, there is the fact that some of the eligible candidates are children. Although the children’s audience is obviously unable to buy tickets, it can influence in favor if we take into account the success of Super Mario Bros in 2023, and that Kung Fu Panda 4 It is one of the most important films of the year. But also, turning against the absence of family-type productions that encourage children.

On the other hand, there is the clearest challenge facing the industry, the arrival of streaming and VOD have changed the habits of moviegoers. Previously, most lovers of the seventh art went to theaters many more times than just four, however, now they prefer to wait a few weeks after the release of the films, and enjoy them from the comfort of home.

Finally, although raising $10 billion a year means staying in the game, is far from a prosperous and growth-oriented market for theater owners, who share the struggle of surviving the decline every week. The intention of exposing these figures is not to encourage people to go see more movies, the recovery of the industry depends on the strategy that the studios implement to awaken the public’s attention and convince them to fill the theaters.

Ultimately, the quality of the productions is what determines the number of spectators who go to movie theaters. At the same time, This figure determines the permanence of Hollywood as the mecca of the film industrysince, although we are talking about one of the largest entertainment industries in the world, its operation is still subject to the receptivity and support of the public.

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