"Free Air Conditioning for 3 Hours"... Movie 'Bapenhaimeo' Craze, Heatwave Also Plays a Role

US Media: "Heatwave Also Drove Movie Box Office"
180-Minute Runtime "Actually a Hit Factor"
1 in 6 US Households Are Behind on Electricity Bills

Last month, the simultaneous release of the movies 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' in North America sparked a box office frenzy, even coining the new term 'Bapenhimer.' One of the factors behind this phenomenon is said to be the record-breaking heatwave that swept across the United States.

Theater industry earns 1.3 trillion KRW more than the same period last year thanks to 'Bapenhimer' success

Last month, the movies "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," which were released simultaneously in North America, have created a new term "Bappenheimer" while causing a box office sensation. Meanwhile, netizens have also created combined posters of the two films.
[Photo by X (Twitter) capture]

On the 5th (local time), foreign media including CNN reported, "The combination of the heatwave covering the entire U.S. and the theaters' massive air conditioning encouraged moviegoers to visit cinemas," adding, "Blockbuster-level heatwaves are contributing to the success of movies."

AMC Entertainment Holdings, the world's largest theater chain, recorded its highest sales in 103 years since its founding in 1920 during the last week of July (July 21?27).

In that week alone, 'Barbie' earned $93 million (approximately 121.4 billion KRW), and 'Oppenheimer' earned $47 million (approximately 61.4 billion KRW).

Sean Robbins, senior analyst at Boxoffice Pro, stated that as of July 30, this year's box office revenue reached $5.8 billion (approximately 7.586 trillion KRW), an increase of $1 billion (approximately 1.3044 trillion KRW) compared to the same period last year ($4.8 billion).

Artistic quality is 'a given'... Record heatwave creates "air conditioning boom"

[Image source=Pixabay]

The success of these films and the resulting theater revenue are based on the artistic quality of the movies. However, the record-breaking ticket sales are also analyzed to have been influenced by the heatwave.

Hope Torres, assistant manager at Maya Cinema in Fresno, California, said, "People start coming into the theater in the early afternoon when temperatures exceed 38 degrees Celsius, and everyone comments on how good the air conditioning is."

Tyler Whitemore, who lives in Arizona, told CNN in an interview, "I have air conditioning at home, but at the movie theater, I can enjoy the movie coolly without paying the electricity bill."

The 180-minute running time of Oppenheimer, which would normally be a hurdle to success, actually became a factor in its popularity. This is because people can escape the brutal heat for three hours while paying the same ticket price.

In response, theaters are actively using air conditioning in their marketing.

Cineworld, the world's second-largest cinema chain, even ran advertisements saying, "Cool down at the movie theater."

Salvatore Basile, author of the book Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything, explained, "Air conditioning transformed the movie industry," adding, "Theaters opened their doors wide so passersby could feel the cold air and be encouraged to buy tickets."

Electricity bills soar due to rising energy prices like natural gas... 1 in 6 U.S. households in arrears

Air Conditioner
Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the average electricity bill in the U.S. in July 2022 increased by 15% compared to the same period the previous year, marking the largest rise since 2006.

According to a power company in California, households behind on electricity payments have increased by more than 40% since February 2020, and a power company in New Jersey reported that consumers overdue on electricity bills for more than 90 days have increased by over 30% since March 2022.

As of August 2022, the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association (NEADA) reported that 20 million households across the U.S. are behind on electricity payments, with the total amount of unpaid energy bills by U.S. households reaching approximately $16 billion (about 21.4 trillion KRW).

A NEADA official said, "Electricity bills are not cheap," adding, "Low-income households cannot afford to pay."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.