In 2019, more Americans went to the library than to the movies. Yes, really.

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The US film industry may have generated revenues somewhere in the region of $40 billion last year, but it seems Hollywood still has plenty of work to do if it wants to compete with that most hallowed of American institutions: the public library

Yes, according to a recent Gallup poll (the first such survey since 2001), visiting the local library remains by far the most common cultural activity Americans engage in. As reported earlier today by Justin McCarthy:

“Visiting the library remains the most common cultural activity Americans engage in, by far. The average 10.5 trips to the library U.S. adults report taking in 2019 exceeds their participation in eight other common leisure activities. Americans attend live music or theatrical events and visit national or historic parks roughly four times a year on average and visit museums and gambling casinos 2.5 times annually. Trips to amusement or theme parks (1.5) and zoos (.9) are the least common activities among this list.”

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Filmmaker Tony Kaye casts robot as lead actor in next feature

Hollywood's Myths and Legends at Astor Film Lounge, Los Angeles, America - 17 Jul 2013

EXCLUSIVE: As the advancement of technology continues to replace the need for human labor, American History X director Tony Kaye is undertaking a new — and maybe controversial — step in filmmaking by employing an Artificial Intelligent (A.I.) actor as the lead in his next film, 2nd Born.

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70 percent of America’s silent films are lost forever: Study

Mary Pickford’s movies survive because she owned them, and donated them to the Library of Congress in 1946.

Seventy percent of America’s silent films are lost and most of the remaining ones are in great shape, according to a study conducted by the Library of Congress. Only about 3,300 of the 11,000 films made before “talkies” are left. Of those, 17 percent are incomplete, and some, like the only missing Greta Garbo feature, The Divine Woman, are down to a single remaining reel. What happened?

 

 

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The future of movie theaters

Is the movie industry dying at the hands of home theaters, Netflix, Redbox, LoveFilm, and Amazon Instant Video?

Jack Valenti, former President of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) once said, “I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone.” That was a controversial claim but it helps highlight the fears that emerging technologies can cause amongst those with an interest in the status quo. In this instance, the underlying concern was that VHS-enabled time-shifting meant that viewers could not only copy and distribute copyrighted broadcasts, but also fast-forward commercials, which could discourage advertisers.

 

 

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Hollywood on track for a ‘massive implosion’ by the tech industry: Lucas and Spielberg

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg aren’t so keen on the future of the film industry. Lucas and Spielberg agreed at a talk at USC that it’s on track to have a “massive implosion”. At the core of their argument: there just isn’t enough time in the day for consumers to support all the films released in theaters. Films are competing with all the content and options that the Internet provides.

 

 

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The death of the R-rated action movie

The dependable mid-budget, R-rated action movies that Hollywood once relied on are now anything but dependable.

Hollywood has had a series of tent-pole and more modestly budgeted movies that have collapsed at the box office this winter. Revenue and attendance are both down 15 percent from the same period last year, reports the Hollywood Reporter.  The industry got some surprise relief this weekend from Oz the Great and Powerful despite middling reviews. It’s also one of the few big new movies of 2013 so far clearly marketed toward kids. If you were to look at the state of the box office in the past few months, you might come away with two impressions: One, the dependable mid-budget, R-rated action movies that Hollywood once relied on are now anything but dependable. And two, Hollywood is basically just for kids.

 

 

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Watching tearjerkers actually makes people happier: Study

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Watching a tragedy movie caused people to think about their own close relationships, which in turn boosted their life happiness.

People enjoy watching tragedy movies like “Titanic” because they deliver what may seem to be an unlikely benefit: tragedies actually make people happier in the short-term.

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Mobile ticket sales set another record for ‘The Hunger Games’

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Fandango

“The Hunger Games” set the highest opening weekend for a non-sequel over this past weekend, raking in an estimated $155 million at the box office. That’s a ton of tickets and a chunk of them were sold online and on smartphones. Fandango, one of the first movie ticket sales sites, shared data from the weekend as “The Hunger Games” pushed its platform to new heights.

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