For today’s case of the Mondays, let’s do a little Monday morning quarterbacking for the weekend movie box office.
To put it succinctly, it was a crap weekend for Hollywood. And while the pundits blame crappy reviews and lack of testosterone at the box office, I think there’s something a else at play that may be effecting your box office too.
It has to do with the economy, but this time, I am not talking about money. I am talking about time.
Eliminated jobs mean that the people left employed (and ostensibly those who still have available entertainment dollars) are working longer as they pick up the slack. Salary cuts, which many have faced, mean that people may be picking up part time jobs or freelance work to fill the financial hole.
I know I have no time right now. I haven’t had time to do any real holiday shopping, haven’t had time to clean up the house for guests, haven’t had time to do much of anything since I have a lot of work obligations right now. And I am sure I am not the only one.
I think people are more cautious about how they spend their time. Do they have two or three hours to spare to see a movie or a play? Will this be the best use of the one free evening that they may have in the week? Or would that three hours be better spent catching up on housework or having a long dinner with a friend?
People are now saying, hey, with less leisure hours, this time is as valuable as my work time (if not more so).
So how do you let new audiences know that their time spent with you is not time wasted? Maybe people will start paying attention to reviews again. But I still think word of mouth is the strongest driver. Your biggest advocate is your already loyal audience. How are you inviting them to tell their friends?