Distribution Questions

1) How has Hollywood come to dominate world markets?
Many of the top Hollywood studios (Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Universal ect.) Have HQ's not just in the US, but overseas as well - Paramount established itself in the UK and Germany in the 1920's and MGM, Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox opened studios in the UK during the 1930's, building cinemas in key locations such as the West End to screen their films. Cinema chains all over the world have ownership agreements with the studios.

2) Why do i get to see the films I do at the local multiplex?
If a film is produced by say, 20th Century Fox, and a certain cinema has an agreement with the company, is owned by them or they have a financial deal, then we are more likely to see a film produced by them at this particular cinema than anywhere else.

3) Do we get to see the films we want (demand led) or do we see films that are provided for us (supply led) and why?
I would say that more often, we see films that are made for us. This is because the Hollywood industry knows that they'll make money from genres and themes that are proving popular (such as the vampire them set by 'Twilight'). Upon seeing that a theme is popular, Hollywood will want to reproduce and recreate it as much as possible as they know that they'll make money from it. However, a question to ask here is that what makes a certain genre/theme popular?

4) Why are more people going to the cinema today?
I feel that this is due to the way that films are hyped-up so much. Films now get so much promotion that people feel they need to see a film to see what all the fuss is about. Posters appear on buses, billboards ect. and TV spots are in huge numbers. the Star factor is also important to marketing the cinema. By associating big names with the phrase 'in cinemas now' More people are likely to make the trip. Also, with deals like 'Orange Wednesdays' and student offers, the cinema is becoming cheaper, making it easier to get there.

5) look to see whether films hold there positions well in the charts over a few weeks or whether they fall away quickly. What reasons can you come up with to explain this success or failure.
All the hype and word of mouth towards a film can only last prior to the film's release. A film may do well on its opening weekend and take top box office rankings for the next few weeks, but after this time the reviews roll in and tell audiences weather a film is worth seeing or not. Take 'Avatar' as an example. It was number one at the box office around its release time and for a few weeks afterwards. a month or so later, its position went to number 2, slowly to 3, then to 4 ect. and it currently sits at 7.