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Most Profitable Science Fiction Films of 2016

Science fiction films are extremely risky from a financial standpoint because there aren't enough consumers buying tickets to generate a profit.

By Alejandro Guillú MendozaPublished 7 years ago 11 min read
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Photo courtesy of fdecomite.

2016 was another good year for Hollywood and we managed to sell $11.372 billion or 2.2% more. We also sold 1.3208 billion tickets or 0.1% more.

Time to Save Some Money

The average price of a ticket to see a film has risen again from $8.43 in 2015 to $8.61 or almost 2% in 2016.

The conglomerates are smarter than you and they have been increasing the prices to make more money without investing more money in films since 1993 when the average price of a ticket was only $4.14

At this rate, your grandchildren are going to pay $80 for a ticket to see Transformers XLI.

You need to cut your annual movie budget by 7% and you need to have a movie budget if you don't have one already.

If enough consumers reduce the number of tickets they buy each year they will keep the average price in 2017 exactly where it was in 2016 and that is good for almost everybody.

You can still watch Thor: Ragnarok this November but you need to wait a few days. Some companies offer discounts for the poor once a week. Some companies offer discounts if you buy a membership. American Express (NYSE: AXP) offers a 40% discount if you go to CMX in Miami. Call American Express and find out if there is a similar promotion in your city.

If you don't have an American Express credit card then get one. They offer a lot of discounts and promotions to wealthy individuals and when their quarterly profits are down they systematically expand these offers to the middle class.

You need to watch the same movies with less cash.

If you cannot find any discounts in your area then you need to cut your movie budget and increase your Blu-Ray Disc budget accordingly.

Share this article with everybody you know. If enough people read it we may influence enough consumers to keep ticket sales in 2017 down.

You don't want to pay $8.79 in 2017 for a movie ticket. They prefer to fight you in court for four years than to invest in metal detectors to keep you safer.

In fact, they invested more than $700,000 in legal fees. That is more than enough money for metal detectors.

12 people died in 2012. Cinemark (NYSE: CNK) does not care if you live or die as long as their annual profits keep going up.

Annual profits increased from $148 million in 2013 to $192 million in 2014 to $216 million in 2015.

Clearly, not enough people know more than 70 people were injured by a bullet during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises was directed by three-time Academy Award nominee Christopher Nolan.

Share this article with everybody you know. Particularly if they like to go to midnight screenings.

Franchises likeStar Wars, Star Trek, or Stargate are excluded from this financial analysis.

Let's take a closer look at the science fiction films released in 2016.

As of 01/05/2017, this science fiction film is still playing in 545 movie theaters. If you have not seen this film yet then you better write down an appointment for this weekend to watch it before you miss your window of opportunity.

If you have a big family and your brothers and sisters are going to spend more than $29.99 in movie tickets for this film then you need to collect some money from them and use it acquire the 4K version of this film, even if you don't have a Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox One S yet.

The 4K version of this film also includes the regular Blu-Ray Disc version and the digital file for your phone, tablet, and computer.

This film uses HDR, if your old TV does not have this technology then you should upgrade to a better TV now.

This film was produced with a budget of $40 million.

As of 01/05/2017, global ticket sales are $153,416,035 and rising quickly.

This film is one of the greatest films ever made with a certified fresh rating of 94% according to Rotten Tomatoes.

This film is one of the greatest films ever made with a rating of 8.3 according to IMDB, an Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) subsidiary.

Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson won a Golden Globe in the Best Original Score - Motion Picture category and he also received his very first nomination for an Academy Award in the Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score category back in 2015 for the 2014 British biographical romantic dramaThe Theory of Everything.

A year later, he was nominated for the second consecutive time in the same category for an Academy Award for the crime thriller drama Sicario.

Sicario is currently one of the greatest films ever made with a certified fresh rating of 94% according to Rotten Tomatoes.

A year later, he was nominated for the second time in the same category for a Golden Globe for Arrival.

If you are a film producer and none of your films have been nominated for an Academy Award or for a Golden Globe then you need to add this talented individual to your payroll.

One of these days, Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt, five-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams, Denis Villeneuve, and two-time Academy Award nominee Jóhann Jóhannsson are going to win an Academy Award at the same time if they keep working together.

Two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker worked together in The Great Debaters.

As of 01/05/2017, this science fiction film is still playing in 3,478 movie theaters. However, not every one of these screens is in 3D. If you have not seen this film yet and you don't have a 3D TV at home then you better write down an appointment for this weekend to watch it on the big screen in 3D before you miss your chance.

DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM IN 2D.

If you live in a small town without a movie theater with a screen in 3D then you really need to organize a trip with your family and friends to the nearest city currently playing this film in 3D. It's a lot of fun!

The 4K version of this film also includes the 3D version and the 2D version but you should simply resell the regular Blu-Ray Disc and the regular digital file on eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) with a starting bid of $0.01 plus shipping and handling to recover some of your original $29.99 investment.

This film was produced with a massive budget of $100 million. It is difficult to make money with science fiction films with massive budgets like this one. This is better explained here.

Sony (NYSE: SNE) has to share half the profits with companies like Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and AMC Theatres (NYSE: AMC)

In simpler terms, if you sell $220 million in tickets you only keep $110 million for yourself.

As of 01/05/2017, global ticket sales are $153,416,035 and rising quickly.

NOTE TO KAZUO HIRAI: Time to offer a 2x1 global movie ticket sale on all 2D screens for a few days until global sales reach at least $220 million.

In this film, there is a spaceship flying passengers from Earth to a nearby planet.

Billionaire Elon Musk successfully landed the Falcon 9 reusable rocket on a ship located in the Atlantic Ocean last year.

The next step is to fly four astronauts to the International Space Station and back this November.

Boeing (NYSE: BA) is also doing the same thing.

Certification by NASA to fly astronauts could be granted by May 2018 if everything goes according to the plan.

There is no need to download this film for $9.99. You can become a Starz subscriber for only $8.99 and stream it right now. If you cannot find more content to watch after a month then you can cancel your monthly subscription but I think you will enjoy Outlander and Counterpart if you like science fiction.

If you watch at least one episode each week then you will remain entertained for the next 52 weeks.

This film was made with a budget of $35 million and it was a commercial success with sales of more than $110 million.

There is no need to download this film for $7.99. You can become an HBO (NYSE: T) subscriber for only $14.99 and stream it right now. If you cannot find more content to watch after a month then you can cancel your monthly subscription but I think you will enjoy Westworld if you like science fiction.

If you watch at least one episode each week then you will remain entertained for the next 10 weeks.

AT&T (NYSE: T) has invested $200 million in the television show Westworld between 2016 and 2018 or 10% of the entire annual content budget for 2016 and 5% of the entire annual content budget for 2017 and 2018 trying to keep you happy.

Quarterly profits have decreased from $4 billion on 12/31/2015 to $3.8 billion on 3/31/2016 to $3.4 billion on 6/30/2016 to $3.3 billion on 9/30/2016.

Clearly, they need more science fiction fans paying a monthly charge of $14.99.

Spread the word if you want a third season of Westworld in 2019 and a totally new science fiction television show in 2017.

This film was made with a budget of $31.5 million and it was a commercial and critical failure.

This film was made with a micro budget of only $3 million and it was a financial success for STX Entertainment with sales of more than $14 million.

This company was founded only three years ago after they realized the conglomerates are no longer investing in films with modest budgets of $60 million or less with a star attached to the film to lure wide audiences all over the world.

Their business plan is extremely simple: Make between eight and ten films with an annual budget between $160 million and $600 million and turn a profit of at least $20 million to keep doing the same thing for another year.

They hitted the $179 million jackpot with the 2016 comedy film Bad Moms produced with only $20 million.

Bad Dads is scheduled to be released in six months.

As you can see, you don't need to be a billionaire to invest in Hollywood. You can emulate STX Entertainment's business plan and make at least four films with a modest budget between $10 million and $50 million each year if you have as little as $100 million and if you are prepared to risk at least 10% of your entire wealth in association with at least twenty wealthy friends of yours.

There are a lot of extremely talented and unemployed screenwriters, directors, producers, and actors out there and they can make magic but they cannot do it without your checkbook.

I have a lot of very interesting ideas but I need at the very least three million to build the sets and compose the music and hire the costume designers and all the rest of the talented employees required to manufacture a good film.

Start your own studio today just like Tyler Perry and hire me.

He started his own studio back in 2005 with only $5.5 million. Twelve years later he has a net worth of more than $400 million.

This film was produced by four-time Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott and Academy Award nominees Mark Huffam and Michael Schaefer with a micro budget of $8 million.

It was a critical and commercial failure despite the fact Academy Award nominees Jennifer Jason Leigh and Paul Giamatti, Golden Globe nominee Toby Jones, and Emmy Award nominee Kate Mara appear in this film.

Three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg and Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti worked together in Saving Private Ryan.

Academy Award nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh and Emmy Award nominee Walton Goggins worked together in The Hateful Eight.

Maybe science fiction fans have higher standards and they now need films with actors with at least two Academy Award nominations or at least one Golden Globe or at least one Emmy Award on their bookshelves. Who knows?

This science fiction action superhero film was produced with a modest budget of only $10 million and it was a critical and commercial failure.

Christopher Yost wrote the screenplay in association with Emmy Award winners Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus for the 2013 superhero film Thor: The Dark World.

Clearly, Christopher Yost is not yet smart enough to write a screenplay for a superhero film by himself.

He needs to gain more experience and write exclusively the stories in association with two or three more experienced screenwriters with at the very least an Emmy Award nomination.

There is no need to download this film for $9.99. You can become an HBO subscriber for only $14.99 and stream it right now.

As you can see, two of the films in this article are currently available for streaming on HBO. If you like science fiction then you are getting a very good deal for only $14.99 each month.

This science fiction film was produced with a budget of only $18 million and it was loved by critics with a certified fresh rating of 83% according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Unfortunately for Warner Bros. Pictures, very few people acquired tickets and it was a financial failure.

Two-time Golden Globe nominee Kirsten Dunst and Golden Globe nominee Thandie Newton worked together in Interview with the Vampire.

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About the Creator

Alejandro Guillú Mendoza

I have written for the largest and most popular websites in Australia, Japan, India and the United States of America including but not limited to TheStreet.com (NASDAQ: TST), Seeking Alpha, Motley Fool, Insider Monkey and Startup Mindset.

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