Who on earth is selecting the movies shown on Cunard ships?

[Jim_P]

I got back from another brilliant cruise on the QM2 last month. But I found myself amused and a bit bewildered at the movies being shown in the theatre, they seemed like such a random and head scratching selection. One night had a 2012 Halle Berry shark movie called Dark Tide - which has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and I've never heard of it. Another night was the 1960s Ned Kelly movie with Mick Jagger. Given it was the Australian leg of the world voyage perhaps it was chosen for that reason, but of all the Australian movies they could have gone with (including the far better Heath Ledger Ned Kelly movie) they went with a movie mostly only remembered today for what a disaster it was and that it had a seriously miscast Jagger.  Another night was an Elvis movie (I cant remember which, only that it was not one of the better ones). I cant remember the rest but they were an equally odd bunch of misfit older (but not classic!) movies. I was also recently on the Elizabeth which had a similar selection of movies.

 

Not a complaint, Im not on the QM2 to watch movies, but I just found it amusing and was curious about how on earth they selected these movies. I would have thought Cunard would have had access to the same kind of movie catalogue that the rest of the Carnival lines have. They dont need to play new release movies like Carnival, but if they're showing older movies it would be nice to watch classic movies instead of a C grade thriller from 2012. 

[texanaust]

9 minutes ago, Jim_P said:

but if they're showing older movies it would be nice to watch classic movies instead of a C grade thriller from 2012. 

 

It all comes down to the $$$$ they are prepared to pay for royalties.  The movies you quoted would be very inexpensive options for Cunard.

[Jim_P]

I just find it odd that much cheaper lines (including the other Carnival lines) have much better movies. You would think that older, but good, movies surely couldn't be too expensive.

[daisybel]

I have complained in the suggestion box a few times but don’t think anyone takes notice. We were on QE recently for 21 days and saw only 3 films , which were not much … other times quite unsuitable . We visit our local movie palace quite often and are  quite easy to please .Unfortunately not on Cunard! 

[Bell Boy]

7 hours ago, Jim_P said:

I just find it odd that much cheaper lines (including the other Carnival lines) have much better movies. You would think that older, but good, movies surely couldn't be too expensive.

Look at it as a Trade Off,  do Carnival cruise line have Insight Lecturers, many who are well know Celebrity speakers.

I know which I activity I prefer when cruising Cunard. 

[david,Mississauga]

This may have been a recent change. A year and a half ago we saw the second Downton Abbey film which we had missed seeing in our local cinemas.  

 

This discussion got me thinking of our first crossing on the QE2.  At that time Cunard was advertising that they showed pre-release films. We saw The Day of the Jackal prior to it being shown in Toronto cinemas.

[Camgirl]

We once watched Magic Mike on QV, in the theatre. We always wondered who had picked that! Most of the elderly passengers left quite quickly. To be replaced by quite a few young staff members!!

[LittleFish1976]

Maybe they got fed up with people complaining they'd seen the films before and so show films now people are unlikely to have seen (however for good reason!).

[Victoria2]

Must be arbitrary as we have seen some cracking, reasonably current films on QV.

[Whipsnade]

Many of the cruise lines have hired out film selection rather than do it internally. The companies that do this rarely have the correct parameters for selection. Probably done by AI and an Algorithm. But it is cheaper than doing it themselves. Once they contract it out they cannot play any other films. So no point in complaining to CD. 

[exlondoner]

46 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

Many of the cruise lines have hired out film selection rather than do it internally. The companies that do this rarely have the correct parameters for selection. Probably done by AI and an Algorithm. But it is cheaper than doing it themselves. Once they contract it out they cannot play any other films. So no point in complaining to CD. 

In that case, who it the right person to complain to?

[foodsvcmgr]

I think whipsnade is correct, these films come from an outside service much the same as background music played in hotels on endlessly repeating tracks.

[david63]

1 hour ago, foodsvcmgr said:

I think whipsnade is correct, these films come from an outside service much the same as background music played in hotels on endlessly repeating tracks.

Even if they do, and I have no knowledge one way or the other, surely the customer can choose what they want

[buchanan101]

On 3/23/2024 at 4:07 PM, david,Mississauga said:

This may have been a recent change. A year and a half ago we saw the second Downton Abbey film which we had missed seeing in our local cinemas.  

 

This discussion got me thinking of our first crossing on the QE2.  At that time Cunard was advertising that they showed pre-release films. We saw The Day of the Jackal prior to it being shown in Toronto cinemas.

Had a lovely sleep in the cinema “watching” that Downton film with the OH. 

[Whipsnade]

Apparently they do not have a choice. They have a contract and can only show the films prescribed by the vendor. You can complain to CD but they gave no authority. Send emails to customer relations. 
We are on Crystal Symphony and have the same movies played every 11 days. We have been on fir sixty days and we love movies in theatre so very frustrating. 

[Coathanger]

I was actually pleased with the selection of films on the QM2 Sydney to Hong Kong leg with Hidden Figures (African-American women who made significant contributions to the NASA space program), Golda (covering the Yom Kippur War from the perspective of Prime Minister Golda Meir) and Mao’s Last Dancer (the story of Li Cunxin and his journey from rural China to ballet school and Houston Ballet).

 

Li Cunxin and his wife Mary, both former principal dancers with the Australian Ballet, were aboard as keynote speakers and watched the film from the back. Illuminations was close to capacity so I stood at the back to watch. 
 

The other thirteen or so nights had less interesting films, but there is some quality to the programming. 

[daisybel]

How lovely to have Li Cunxin and Mary on board and to also see thr film . Not seen it yet but it’s on my radar 🌺

[tv24]

The movie selection in the theaters on the Cunard ships is so unimpressive that I've stopped paying attention to what is on.  Similar for the films available on the television in the stateroom.  We go to the Chart Room instead, or the big theater for something live.

[Red Ray]

Dark Tide. What an awful film that is. I must admit the films I've watched on P&O have been of a much higher standard. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; Nomadland (obviously somebody's a Frances McDormand fan); The Eyes Of Tammy Faye & House Of Gucci all spring to mind. For balance though I did sleep through the entire screening of that nonsense that is The Golden Compass.

[Whipsnade]

Same on Crystal. Bad choices. How about Barbie every week for two months. Yuck!  Nothing but cheap action films in cabin. Who do they think is their audience? Teenagers??!!