Lights, Camera, Not Much Action: Movie Ad Spending, Box Office Still Down Sharply

U.S. national TV movie marketing spending and box-office theatrical movie revenues continue to be sharply down -- 80% to 90%, respectively -- versus a year ago.

A two-month period, starting from before the big traditional Labor Day weekend August 26-October 25, was down 82% to a collective $60.3 million in national TV advertising spending, from the total of $347 million for the same period a year before, according to iSpot.tv.

Dreamworks ($9.0 million), Orion Pictures ($8.4 million), Warner Bros. ($7.8 million) and 101 Studios ($5.5 million) were the top four studios in  national TV advertising spending over that period.

Dreamworks’ “The Croods: A New Age,” Orion’s “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” Warner Bros.' “Tenet” and 101 Studios’s “The War with Grandpa” were the top four-spending movies.

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Since the re-opening of movie theaters in late August, U.S. box-office revenue has amounted to $81.6 million in September and $48.3 million in October -- way down versus 2019’s results -- $686.8 million in September and $781.6 million in October, according to IMDb’s BoxOfficeMojo.

To date, Warners Bros.' “Tenet” after eight weeks has amassed $52.5 million in U.S. box-office revenue -- the best result of all movies since the restart.

Next is 20th Century Studios’ “The New Mutants” at $23.2 million (9 weeks), Solstice Studios' "Unhinged" with $20.4 million (11 weeks), and 101 Studios’s “The War with Grandpa” at $9.7 million (3 weeks).

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