In the past, were movie theaters less strict selecting their movie choices?

[toddly6666]

It seems like many B-movies from the 1990s and before got an easier chance to play in movie theaters. Was it easier for B-movies to play in theaters nationwise compared to present time? I see that so many 1990 B-movies are getting released on Blu-ray and when I watch the trailers to them, they do have professionally-made trailers - sometimes with movie trailer voice guy - and it seems like many of these B-movies got mass release?

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

It seems like many B-movies from the 1990s and before got an easier chance to play in movie theaters. Was it easier for B-movies to play in theaters nationwise compared to present time? I see that so many 1990 B-movies are getting released on Blu-ray and when I watch the trailers to them, they do have professionally-made trailers - sometimes with movie trailer voice guy - and it seems like many of these B-movies got mass release?

That would be a big time yes but many factors are to blame from the theater chains ownership changes/lack of indie theaters to the B-movie companies no longer existing. I could be wrong but they seem to be factors in it.
It has less about being strict in their selections but more about catering to the studios because they have the bigger movies and they cater to them by holding them on multiple screens and looking for the cash.
But it still can be done. I've seen plenty indie movies released via rent-a-system make it into major theaters with a healthy number of screens and at times, they make a significant return at the box office. If you have the cash to get it done effectively, it can be achieved.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by CelluloidPal

That would be a big time yes but many factors are to blame from the theater chains ownership changes/lack of indie theaters to the B-movie companies no longer existing. I could be wrong but they seem to be factors in it.
It has less about being strict in their selections but more about catering to the studios because they have the bigger movies and they cater to them by holding them on multiple screens and looking for the cash.
But it still can be done. I've seen plenty indie movies released via rent-a-system make it into major theaters with a healthy number of screens and at times, they make a significant return at the box office. If you have the cash to get it done effectively, it can be achieved.

I dont think I see any B-movie action movies in theaters anymore - the ones now would be the ones starring Nic Cage, Scott Eastwood or Dolph lundgren. Has anyone seen those movies in local movie theaters? I have of course seen indie, documentaries and foreign films released in all kinds of theaters (small and large chain theaters), but Im curious about these straight-to-video type B movies that actually did use to play in local theaters but not anymore. I think the last one I remember seeing playing in a theater was Jean claude Van Damme's Legionnaire!

[Josep5349]

It’s easier to gloss films up now, it’s easier to make a movie look expensive. Add to that pretty much all theatre released action movies are promoted as main events, this all gives the illusion there aren’t any theatre released B-movies anymore. I’d argue the likes of Jason Stratham, Gerard Butler and even Liam Neeson action movies are the modern day equivalents of the 90s action B-movies.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Mainstream cinemas don't select what they show, they show what the studios and distributors they are affiliated with choose to release theatrically.

With B-movies I suppose you mean low budget genre films ? These films were always professionally made, advertised and distributed, so not sure why you think they wouldn't have had professionally made trailers. Plenty of low budget genre films still get released, low budget horror films are quite profitable. A horror sequel like Annabelle Creation or Jigsaw would be a modern day B-movie.

What used to be the subject matter of B-movies is now what we get as blockbusters. In the 50s to the 80s a Godzilla or giant robot movie would have been a low budget movie for kiddie matinees or made by the likes of Toho, Charles Band or Empire Pictures. Now they get made for 200 million budgets by the likes of Michael Bay and Guillermo Del Toro. They are modern B-movies on steroids. The trend has reversed now and low budget indie movies tend to be more likely to be serious dramas like Moonlight or The Florida Project or they are genre films which are a bit more intelligent or challenging, like Upstream Color, It Follows or Ex-Machina

[Mahatma]

Have the B movies gotten worse?Watched a VanDamme movie-or tried to,gave up after 15 minutes or so-and that was abyssmally bad.Maybe I have gotten more picky with age...

[Petey Parker]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

I dont think I see any B-movie action movies in theaters anymore - the ones now would be the ones starring Nic Cage, Scott Eastwood or Dolph lundgren. Has anyone seen those movies in local movie theaters? I have of course seen indie, documentaries and foreign films released in all kinds of theaters (small and large chain theaters), but Im curious about these straight-to-video type B movies that actually did use to play in local theaters but not anymore. I think the last one I remember seeing playing in a theater was Jean claude Van Damme's Legionnaire!

They still play in places with high screen counts that can afford to use up a screen. We have a 24 screen theater in my area and they still play B films. I saw Van Damme's "Welcome to the Jungle" there when it came out and they recently had one of Steven Seagal's crapfest movies but I didn't go to see that one.

People forget that the likes of Van Damme and Seagal were distributed with major studios in the 90's even if their films would still be considered B films. Van Damme had a lot of stuff with Universal and Sony and Seagal was with Warner Bros. This meant they were at least getting up on screens (especially in areas with competing theater chains) until at least the end of the 90's before going completely straight to video.

[Samus Aran]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

I dont think I see any B-movie action movies in theaters anymore - the ones now would be the ones starring Nic Cage, Scott Eastwood or Dolph lundgren. Has anyone seen those movies in local movie theaters? I have of course seen indie, documentaries and foreign films released in all kinds of theaters (small and large chain theaters), but Im curious about these straight-to-video type B movies that actually did use to play in local theaters but not anymore. I think the last one I remember seeing playing in a theater was Jean claude Van Damme's Legionnaire!

What is B-stuff now is almost always straight-to-disc and streaming. Occasionally a movie will get a lip service screening or two, even Steven Seagal's current crap.

I know the Cinemark theater chain has been doing special event screenings of Asylum movies (which are neither special nor events), and those are below B-grade.