Preliminary findings from an upcoming report reveal that only a third of responding institutions say audience engagement is back to 2019 levels; for performing arts organizations, the figure is only 15%. 23% of the groups are still at "reduced capacity," down 10 points from last year. - WHYY (Philadelphia)
"Despite positive attendance numbers in the spring and fall, … several of the city’s larger organizations … are in a similar boat — single ticket sales are increasing, but not fast enough to cover the decrease in subscriptions. As an outlier, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust reports robust subscriptions for its Broadway series." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Los Angeles Times design columnist Carolina A. Miranda looks at how, despite exteriors that can seem intimidating, the new Perelman Performing Arts Center near Ground Zero and the reconstructed David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center undo the separation between artists and audience. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
Far higher than that of Americans as a whole, according to the Broadway League's demographic report on the 2022-23 season. Now we know why they can pay for those $200-and-up tickets. - TheaterMania
Shows about struggling, intrepid women are doing well. So are zombies, devils, and serial killers. Spanish-language series are major hits, and, as writer Lili Loofbourow put it, "We knew K-dramas were a phenomenon, but this is ridiculous." What aren't doing as well as expected? Comedy specials. - The Washington Post (MSN)
Amazon certainly doesn't seem to want to solve the issue by, say, verifying review writers. Now it's asking Goodreads users, along with a team of volunteers, to solve the one-star slams that can destroy writers' careers. - NPR
Who could have predicted that on Netflix, Ginny & Georgia's numbers would be so far ahead of The Witcher - or The Crown? (Anyone who remembers the Nielsens from the first age of Prestige TV, of course.) - The Verge
Disney turned 100 in 2023 (as you've no doubt heard ad nauseam). Its founder's "legacy was the production of a modern shared language, a set of reference points instantly recognizable to almost everyone, and an encouragement to dream out loud about a utopian future." - The New York Times
VHS tapes are back, baby. And DVDs, Blu-Rays, cassette tapes, essentially anything that a streaming corporation can't surveill - or suddenly yank away. - Washington Post
No, not its mojo dojo casa house - though it's likely the Barbie movie will eventually stream there because studios have started offering older shows to the OG streamer again. Why? "They missed the money too much." - The New York Times
"Every artist must exist in two realms: as the art maker, who thinks and ponders and creates work of radical honesty (an activity that one could argue is inherently political), and as the art mover, who, however reluctantly, must be part showman and part businessperson." - MSN (The Atlantic)
Not only have start times been changing from the traditional 8:00 pm to 7:30 or even 7:00, but more weekend matinees are being added and weeknight shows moved. These five directors and producers from the San Diego area say this is all about audience demand. - The San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)
The report, titled “What We Watched,” includes viewership data for the movies and television shows watched on the streaming service between January and June 2023. - Washington Post
As more major films, including some big hits, run longer than three hours, exhibitors can schedule fewer showings per day — so they want to give the patrons another opportunity to buy popcorn and sodas. And the patrons themselves would very much like to visit the restroom. - The Hollywood Reporter
