The Movie Exhibition Industry Case Analysis

EdgeMark Cinemas are a chain of movie theaters located in 37 states with 475 theaters in those states covering the west coast, east coast, and Midwest. EdgeMark’s profits, like other cinemas, have been in a small but constant decline over the last 12 years. Industry Wide Average of 2.05% ticket sales decline per year for the last 12 years also, when adjusted for inflation, revenue has dropped an average of 1% a year for the past 12 years (Domestic Movie Theatrical Market Summary, 2015). The chain is currently looking to increase ticket sales, loyal customers, and profits by adding additional products and services.

In Porter's 5 forces model, the five underlying forces for an industry's structural attractiveness are the barriers to entry for new competitors, the intensity of rivalry among existing competitors, the threat of substitute products or services, the bargaining power of suppliers, and the bargaining power of buyers. In analyzing Blockbuster's business model and current position, it is evident that it faces issues in all five areas.

2. What forces are driving changes in the movie rental industry? Are the combined impacts of these driving forces likely to be favorable or unfavorable in term of their effects on competitive intensity and future industry profitability?

In the digital era of convergent media, the most obvious about the change of cinema is the storage which rely on celluloid that you can touch in the past. Now, however, it is stored as electronic packets of 1s and 0s which is virtual. The changes of the cinema is not only about the film storage, but also the production，post-production, exhibition and distribution which is the main part of the film industry structure. In the era of celluloid, the four steps of movie is relatively independent and has its sequence. In digital movie, whereas, the connection and integration among four parts of industry structure are ever close.

Blockbuster implemented a new strategy for customers to access their rentals in “five channels of distribution: in-store, by mail, through vending machines and kiosks, online, and at home (direct to the TV)” (DATAMONITOR, 2009). However, this strategy was a reactive approach to the problem produced ten years behind schedule. Wooldridge et al., (2007) stated that Blockbuster should select and adapt their strategy to respond to the fast changing market and maintain a competitive position. This was an obvious failure for Blockbuster. The changes in the market produced a decline in profit at a faster pace than the strategies that Blockbuster implemented to combat these losses.

My analysis will cover competition from substitutes and the change in buyer behavior and demographics. I will use the five forces model of competition and a SWOT analysis along with other sources of analysis. The information and recommendations that follow will provide you with the insight and building blocks to compete in the movie exhibition industry.

Revised: August 28, 2002 In April 2001, Matt Heyman, co-founder of Cinemex, the largest chain of movie theaters in Mexico City, looked out the window of his office and pondered the future of his company. In just seven years, Heyman and his partners had nurtured Cinemex from a student idea into the largest theater chain in Mexico City, but they faced new challenges every day. Many of these challenges came from competitors. For years competitors ran old, poorly-maintained theaters, but in recent months they had begun to imitate Cinemex’s top-of-the-line exhibition venues. Their latest tactic: offering two tickets for the price of one on Wednesdays. Heyman wondered whether Cinemex should

4. Din, Yangon. (2007). Titled: The dynamics of the movie industry: Theatrical Exhibitions & DVD rentals. The University of Wisconsin.

2. What forces are driving changes in the movie rental industry? Are the combined impacts of these driving forces likely to be favorable or unfavorable in term of their effects on competitive intensity and future industry profitability?

They also initiate the contracts with the theaters and negotiate the percentage of box office sales they will receive. Many of the distribution companies are integrating with the production studios because the need for distribution is diminishing with the conversion to digital. This makes these suppliers a strong force.

The film industry has always been somewhat of a dichotomy. Grounded firmly in both the worlds of art and business the balance of artistic expression and commercialization has been an issue throughout the history of filmmaking. The distinction of these two differing goals and the fact that neither has truly won out over the other in the span of the industry's existence, demonstrates a lot of information about the nature of capitalism.

Looking at where the company is in the market place, the cinema exhibition business segment has reached maturity (Reading International, 2013). Reading International will be looking towards improving their current cinemas to achieve more growth as well as developing niche-type of cinemas in selected markets and also procuring additional properties that contain existing cinemas. The objective behind these strategies is to attract more customers. Currently, Reading International targets several key groups of consumers by running various promotions across each country; school children are targeted with the ‘Early Bird’ promotion, students are targeted with ‘Terrific Tuesday’, working professionals with ‘Friday Flicks’, couples with ‘Steer & Beer’ restaurant ‘combo’ deals, families with ‘Spit the Dummy’, elderly with senior discounts, and general movie enthusiasts can sign up for the ‘Reel Club’. It appears that these consumers have been segmented on the basis of demographic grouping. What Reading International needs to be aware of however, is that there is a whole new generation of consumers that will have an effect upon how Reding International’s customers should be grouped over the next couple of years. This generation is known as the Net-Generation (N-Gen), and should

friends know that they will always have the highest quality sound and entertainment system in their home theaters. They are revered within their circle of friends and their neighbors for their knowledge and possession of high quality systems. Their age is between 25 and 45 and are single or couples living together. They have a college education and a job with a high enough salary to support their habit for technology. These customers will have small houses or apartments, and will generally allocate most of their discretionary income on technology products.

The five forces of competition of the movie rental industry presents little force against a competitor’s market position based on buyer power, supplier power, and new entrant threats. However, threat of substitutes and rivalry among competitors can affect the amount of profits a company will gain and retain.

Before the advent of movie rental stores, to watch a new movie, people had to go to theatres or cinemas spending a lot of money. Video rental was the answer to the new needs. Since the 90s, video rental industry has become a very big business; in those years, rental prices rose as more and more people began renting movies. At the same time, new players entered the market creating strong competition inside the industry. In the last years, the field of home entertainment has changed dramatically because of the presence of Internet and new technologies (Recorded DVD & Video in the United States, 2009).