With Popcorn, DVD's and TiVo, Moviegoers Are Staying Home

[RayChuang]

Laura M. Holson
New York Times
May 27, 2005

Read the full article here (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/27/business/media/27movie.html?ei=5090&en=e1bdc89f93fcee1a&ex=1274846400&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print)


LOS ANGELES, May 26 - Matthew Khalil goes to the movies about once a month, down from five or six times just a few years ago. Mr. Khalil, a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, prefers instead to watch old movies and canceled television shows on DVD.

He also spends about 10 hours a week with friends playing the video game Halo 2. And he has to study, which means hours on the Internet and reading at least a book a week.

"If I want to watch a movie I can just rent it on DVD," he said. "I want to do things that conform to my time frame, not someone else's."

Like Mr. Khalil, many Americans are changing how they watch movies - especially young people, the most avid moviegoers. For 13 weekends in a row, box-office receipts have been down compared with a year ago, despite the blockbuster opening of the final "Star Wars" movie. And movie executives are unsure whether the trend will end over the important Memorial Day weekend that officially begins the summer season.

Here are my reasons why the movie industry isn't doing well this year:

1. The price for a ticket--even daytime matinee tickets--are getting exorbitantly ridiculous. Here in my area, Century Theatres (the best multiplexes in town) are charging US$6.50 for matinee and US$12.00 for evening shows!

2. The price of concessions at the theater is just downright highway robbery.

3. The cleaniness of theaters are getting increasingly bad.

4. Many screens are suffering from poor sound and picture quality.

5. The audiences at theaters are definitely rude. Not turning off cellphones/pagers, talking during the movie (including wanting to do Mystery Science Theater 3000-style mocking commentary), and causing fights are turning off WAY too many customers.

6. The price of home theater equipment are dropping rapidly. You can get a 50" (diagonal) non-CRT rear-projection HDTV-ready widescreen TV plus surround-sound system for under US$3,000, and that's dropping further later this year. At home, you get consistently good picture and sound quality and of course, you can make your own snacks.

7. Americans are rapidly tiring of the ultra-liberal bleatings of the entertainment community and are avoid a lot of movies for this very reason (who do you think the "Film Actors Guild" from the movie Team America: World Police is so on the mark?).

8. Up until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, there hasn't been a movie that is really a big draw for movie fans. Hopefully, Batman Begins, War of the Worlds, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a few others will bring the audiences back.

#7 above is one of the biggest reasons why the movie industry is hurting. There may be not an organized boycott, but the Red State crowd is staying away from the movies in droves. Until Hollywood starts producing movies that audience members feel good about, they're going to continue to lose audience.

[Riverboat]

Those are good reasons. #7 is my favorite bete noire.

[BEST45CAL]

After having purchased a new DVD-RW/-R/+RW/+R Recording (w/progressive scan) player thingy, 44" DLP HDTV, and 7.1 surround sound system, we have no real good reason to go to the theater anymore.

I don't like dealing with the a$$holes who talk, chat on their damn cell phones, don't take a bath, chew with their fat mouths open, wear too much cologne, spill their drinks on the floor, throw food at each other, can't afford a baby sitter, or kick the back of my chair throughout the whole freakin' movie.

I also don't care for being held "hostage" while the half hour of previews play out or paying $20 dollars for two orders of popcorn and cokes.

Absurd.

[RayChuang]

After having purchased a new DVD-RW/-R/+RW/+R Recording (w/progressive scan) player thingy, 44" DLP HDTV, and 7.1 surround sound system, we have no real good reason to go to the theater anymore.

I don't like dealing with the a$$holes who talk, chat on their damn cell phones, don't take a bath, chew with their fat mouths open, wear too much cologne, spill their drinks on the floor, throw food at each other, can't afford a baby sitter, or kick the back of my chair throughout the whole freakin' movie.

I also don't care for being held "hostage" while the half hour of previews play out or paying $20 dollars for two orders of popcorn and cokes.


I'll address your points one by one:

1. Don't you just love these new non-CRT rear-projection TV's? Amazingly sharp, bright pictures that are truly second-to-none. Also, with a decent surround sound system, the sound quality is only bettered by THX-certified theaters, setups that are very expensive to implement.

2. I am rapidly tiring of rude audiences in the theaters. This is why I think the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 was such a very bad influence, since it gave moviegoers the idea to do a mock running commentary on the film in a loud voice, much to everyone else's annoyance in the theater. This is even worse than people not turning off cellphones and pagers! :flame:

3. I don't mind the previews for upcoming films (just as long as they keep it to at most five before the feature presentation), but I do object to showing commercials before the movie! Now you know why Century Theatres chain has a policy of no commercials before showing the movie.

[UnkHiram]

I guess I am the oddball of the group I go to alot of Movies most years. Have not been to as many this year because there has been very few that were worth seeing. I go to the earlies show (Tickets are $2.5 in McKinney before 6PM) We spend about $10 bucks for a large heavily buttered and heavily salted pop corn and a Large Dr Pepper. Both Refillable for free.

So far this Year: Sahara, Star Wars: The Conclusion, Winn Dixie.

[Rink]

Personally being buget-wise and being intensely picky as to what I wanna watch, there isnt that many movies I'll go to.

Notwithstanding the fact that being hearing impaired makes for a miserable experience in a movie theater with the noise, cellphones, loud-as-hell movie advertizing, popcorn in Noisy paper bags, yakking constantly and yes kicking of the seat or kids putting their feet up on the backs of the seats.

Matinee in the Regal Cinema theaters are $6.50 during the day and $8.50 for evening.

Now combine that with the fact that I KNOW the price of food and comparing the exorbitant prices these movie-chains ask I finally gave up eating, for one bottle of water the Moviehouses want at LEAST $3+ for one bottle of water, where everywhere else its only a dollar anywhere else.

Its a disgrace.

[BEST45CAL]

I'll address your points one by one:

1. Don't you just love these new non-CRT rear-projection TV's? Amazingly sharp, bright pictures that are truly second-to-none. Also, with a decent surround sound system, the sound quality is only bettered by THX-certified theaters, setups that are very expensive to implement.

2. I am rapidly tiring of rude audiences in the theaters. This is why I think the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 was such a very bad influence, since it gave moviegoers the idea to do a mock running commentary on the film in a loud voice, much to everyone else's annoyance in the theater. This is even worse than people not turning off cellphones and pagers! :flame:

3. I don't mind the previews for upcoming films (just as long as they keep it to at most five before the feature presentation), but I do object to showing commercials before the movie! Now you know why Century Theatres chain has a policy of no commercials before showing the movie.

The TV we just bought is a rear projection model DLP and I love it! I am so glad we waited and didn't get a plasma. DLPs are much cheaper with better picture. This rear projection model is only about 14" thick and weighs close to 60 pounds. It is made by Toshiba (16:9 HDTV 44NHM84). 44" model. We paid about 2K for it (including stand).

The first DVD we watched on it was I, Robot. Holy crap, that thing looked really good.

As soon as the surround system was hooked up, we played the "We Were Soldiers" DVD with Mel Gibson. The sound from that just blew me away. I admit that I am somewhat jaded when it comes to some things, but I was absolutely impressed with the sound from the movie. Earth shaking sound was pumped through six Infinity TSS-750 speakers via the Harman/Kardon AVR 335 receiver.

As for rude audiences, we went to see "Kicking And Screaming" two nights ago and thought we'd be in for another round of putting up with jackasses who didn't get enough attention from mommy and daddy. To my delight, the crowd of teens was rather well behaved. But then again, we were in a different state. LOL

MST3K certainly did spawn a lot of copycat buttwipes who felt it absolutely necessary to loudly interject their idea of what's supposed to be funny on us unsuspecting moviegoers. In the past, I have been very unlucky to experience their supreme arrogance and sickening lack of humor. Luckily, there weren't any of those rejects at the AMC Desert Ridge 18 on Sunday night.

The AMC Desert Ridge 18 theaters in Phoenix do show commercials before the movies begin. Commercials AND previews. AAAAAAHHHHH!

:hissyfit:

However, we were only held "hostage" for about 15 minutes.

Two adult tickets: $18.

$8 for two small drinks.

If we had waited for the DVD to come out, a five day rental from Hollywood Video would have been about $4. :eek:

[RayChuang]

The TV we just bought is a rear projection model DLP and I love it! I am so glad we waited and didn't get a plasma. DLPs are much cheaper with better picture. This rear projection model is only about 14" thick and weighs close to 60 pounds. It is made by Toshiba (16:9 HDTV 44NHM84). 44" model. We paid about 2K for it (including stand).


My brother recent traded in his old Sony 60" CRT rear-projection TV for a Samsung HL-R6167W 61" widescreen DLP rear-projection TV. The picture is nothing short of breathtaking, :thumb: and watching movies like the Extended Editions of the three Lord of the Rings movies or a movie direct from a digital source like Finding Nemo or The Incredibles makes you wonder what you missed in the theaters. I can't wait to see all three Star Wars prequels on my brother's setup late this November when all three prequel films will be available on DVD. :cool:

[BEST45CAL]

My brother recent traded in his old Sony 60" CRT rear-projection TV for a Samsung HL-R6167W 61" widescreen DLP rear-projection TV. The picture is nothing short of breathtaking, :thumb: and watching movies like the Extended Editions of the three Lord of the Rings movies or a movie direct from a digital source like Finding Nemo or The Incredibles makes you wonder what you missed in the theaters. I can't wait to see all three Star Wars prequels on my brother's setup late this November when all three prequel films will be available on DVD. :cool:

Wow! Hey, let me know how it goes after you see those Star Wars prequels. I've always been fascinated with the technical aspects of how those movies were made. I don't care much for the acting, but the action is always pretty good, not to mention the THX sound.

Someone at the store (where we bought our DLP TV) was telling me that HD-DVDs should be available later this year.

Although we have seen one movie in the theater this year, we have had no real desire to see a movie in a theater since we bought our HD/DLP TV.

[Peachdiane]

Like Unk, I go quite frequently. It's the only place I can truly "unwind." My local theatre has a mailing list so I often get the freebie tix.

Doesn't anyone sneak in drinks/snacks? I do sometimes and never get caught. :eek:

[BEST45CAL]

For us, it's not the liberal twaddle that's tossed around in some movies that keeps us from the theaters.

It's the mess, odor, long lines and blatant lewd behavior conducted inside of some of them.

Plus, I'm not particularly fond of forking out $4 for a small diet Coke (that's mostly ice) when I can buy four, two-liter bottles of it for a dollar more. LOL:laugh:

[JimRaynor]

Where I live, it's like 8.50 a pop and in the beginning of the year the News had a "expose" on how rat feces had been found in the movie popcorn. Apparently they have a rat infestation, so yeah. Good thing there's like 7 movie theatres... (don't ask why I spell it UK way, took theatre in 7th grade and they hammer that spelling in)

Hmm, last time I was in Manhattan (I live in NC so that's very, very rare) the movies were like 12.50! Who pays that much for a movie?! (That was May of 2001, and yes I went on top of the world trade center for the first-and last- time...)

Soon, On-Demand and computers will be the norm for movie-goers. How could you not see Star Wars at the theatre though?

[RayChuang]

Someone at the store (where we bought our DLP TV) was telling me that HD-DVDs should be available later this year.


Actually, not yet. The big issue is we have two competing camps for high-definition (1080-line resolution) DVD's, and they want to merge their efforts, hopefully by this Fall. I think the big push for high-def DVD's won't come until the Fall of 2006.