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165 Comments
- skadude101, on 10/12/2007, -1/+56The MPAA simply does not want to accept that the quality of movies that are coming out is going down overall. The majority of people aren't downloading the movies, they're just not watching them all together (until they come out on DVD, at least).
- TomPTraynor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+30They wonder why their revenue is dropping?
1. High ticket prices. With myself and my wife it is almost as cheap to buy the DVD. Why go to a movie once when for a bit more I can buy the DVD and see it many times? Don't get me started on the cost of drinks and munchies.
2. Advertising. When we do go I get pissed off seeing approximately 30 minutes of commercials before the movie starts. If I want to watch commercials I can stay at home and watch TV.
3. Too much crap. Too many movies are poorly written, directed and filmed.
4. Atmosphere. It is a royal pain when someones pager or cell phone goes off during the movie.
5. When it is on DVD we can pause and replay at will.
6. Convenience. We can watch the DVD at home any time that is convenient for us, not the theater. - jonnyeh, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25There have always been crappy movies, and there will always be crappy movies. But when GOOD movies linke King Kong don't rake in billions like Titanic did, then something is different.
I wouldn't blame piracy, I'd blame the 0.5 hour of commercials before the movie, and mostly the competition at HOME.
Kids (mainly teenagers) are the biggest demographic of movie goers, but these days there are so many other forms of entertainment to spend money on. iPods, videogames, that sort of thing.
When an xbox 360 game costs $60, can they afford to go to the movies?
Why go to the movies when dad's new 50 inch HDTV looks better than the big screen? Now I know why the MPAA wants the stupid DRM on the next-gen, it's to keep it from becoming popular, in a lame attempt to keep people going to the theatres. - clownguyx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22I have a 55" High Definition LCD (rear projection) television with surround sound at home. My DVD comes equipped with a pause button, cheaper popcorn, and no crying babies.
Not to mention, when Hollywood keeps cranking out remakes of old movies/tv shows, there's nothing being released that I can not wait to see until the DVD release.
I also have a hard time feeling sorry for industry folks who get $100,000 + gift bags at award shows. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23I fully agree who the hell want's washed out colors, dark edges, blurriness, and poor sound. The MPAA should release DVDs at the same time they get released in the theater so we can pirate more quality releases more quickly!
... I mean so I can uhh buy the DVD and watch it at home for some insane price. - MrD3SAi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19It is not piracy that they should be blaming it is the public. I mean there aren't many good movies that I would pay $10.50 per ticket (for me and my GF) and $15 - $20 for refreshments and snacks totaling the movie experience to $36 - $41 for a single movie. The problem is when we go to see a movie there are always idiots that just make it annoying and just seems like waste of money these days to watch a decent movie in the theater! So before they point their blame at anyone or anything ... Piracy is NOT the ONLY reason for the fall of theater goers.
- theone3, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19Camcorders being singled out? Well, I dunno about you, but I'm not big on the [CAM]. Leaked DVD or nothing, baby. And every cam release I have seen has actually promoted going to the cinema for me. I find myself really missing the experience of a decent quality pic. So, If the MPAA really wants to make more money, just flood the torrent sites with poor quality cam releases, and profit!
- BIGGY350z, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15Yea, sorry...I'm with you on this one. I'm simply not paying $30+ to see a movie. There's 2 quick things that I could see happening that will get people back in the theaters.
1) No more DVD's, VHS tapes, etc... So we're forced into theaters. (not realistic of course)
2) Nice big drop in theater prices. If the theater makes most of it's money off of concessions anyway, then at least the ticket prices could use a break...general public would welcome it.
However, neither of those will happen - mistshadow2k4, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15Agreed. My husband and I did not go to one single movie this last year and we've NEVER pirated a single movie. In the past we usually averaged at 3 movies per year. There simply wasn't even one movie this last year worth seeing, not even for free.
- brandonhines, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16Piracy, rising ticket prices, and quailty of film are all a factor. There's no denying that.
On the flip side, I bet DVDs sales are more incredible than they have ever been. People are so busy that anyone that *actually* has a career just can't make it to a lot of movies. The HD/5.1 push is bringing the theater home while DVD release windows have shrunk to as little as three months. Nine times out of ten I would rather just buy a DVD (for what, $5 more that ticket prices!?, plus bonus fetures) or rent it from Netflix.
Unless movie theaters start coming with blowjobs I would have to say Lucas is correct: movies, as they are now, are dead. - crom99, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I'll start going to the movies again when I don't have to deal with:
- 15 minutes of advertisements before the movie
- People talking during the movie (especially on cell phones)
- Cell phones ringing during the movie
- Ridiculously high ticket prices
Not to mention the quality of movies lately. It's no wonder DVD sales are, for the most part, surpassing ticket sales. Most of us have home theaters now and don't see the point of going out to a theater and dealing with all these hassles. - manitcor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11I agree, I think along with a bunch of other factors per ticket price has ALOT to do with it. I did some quick analysis based on ticket price vs worldwide gross for the industry. I think you'll see some interesting correlations:
US Average ticket prices 1948-2005: http://www.natoonline.org/statisticstickets.htm
Movies Released Total Combined Gross WorldWide (Scroll down to the bottom or most relevant data): http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/index.html#YearIndex
From 1990 - 1999 it took almost 10 years for the average ticket price to break $5. From 2000-2005 The price increased to almost $6.50. Of course this is a combined average which likely includes matinee prices. Most people like to goto movies in the evening and pay even more. When people sit back and think about the cost of 2 or more tickets + popcorn + drink + gas/transport + the trouble of getting there fighting through lines and such. All to sit in a theater with a bunch of strangers with 17year old kids running the projector booth and theaters that are more often than not, not clean. Not to mention aging equipment.
vs
Sitting at home with the family and catching the movie 3-4 months after it comes out on a rental or on-demand for $4 or even the full price of the DVD which is cheaper than the whole "movie" experience anyway. Eat what you want, say what you want and do what you want. Not to mention the freedom to pause and get up to go to the bathroom and actually have a clean bathroom that you don't have to wait in line for.
I would wager that most regular movie goers also have disposable income which eventually gets used on decent TVs, DVD players, Digital On Demand cable or sat systems and sound systems. Once you have a middle of the line setup at home with a decent flat screen, all of a sudden sitting at home to catch a movie is a lot more attractive.
There was a lot more incentive to go to the movies to catch the latest release when there was more lag time between the release of the movie and when it came out on home formats. I remember a time when you could wait 12-24months before a newly released movie saw VHS or DVD format. Now the latest block buster is available via PPV in 3-4months and available for purchase/rental not long after that. That really cuts down on the incentive to see that hot new movie.
The lag time was reduced so that the studios could reap the benefits of media sales in the same fiscal year as the movie was released. As usual its another picture of their own greed shooting themselves in the foot. There are so many things wrong with the industry itself from the producers to the distributions to the theaters. Screaming PIRACY i think is more of a tactic to keep the stock price up. When its an external problem for which they have limited control share holders, governments, etc can take pity on them and be willing to help. When its an internal problem due to greed and mis-management share holders, governments and others will be much more critical and would prob pull out.
Smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors - maisis00, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Really? Because I thought the LOTR films were good but I much preferred the extended edition DVD's to the movie theater hack jobs. After watching the extended edition of the first two on DVD I almost boycotted the third movie and waited for the DVD. Actually the only reason I went to the theater for the "Return of the King" release was because my step-father paid for it and wanted company.
In my opinion part of Hollywood's problem in general is that they spend too much time trying to hack up a story to fit into a preset time constraint. When instead the should take the time to tell a story properly. But no they would rather cut plot line, re-write a story with a crappy conclusion and then through in some CGI to compensate for a the bad story telling.
Hollywood is really starting to make me sick. Honestly I think that Hollywood's lack of ability to tell a story may be what pushes people back to reading which is not a bad thing. Too many authors out there these days that have seriously mastered the craft weaving together a good story and just to name a few; J.K.Rowling, Stephen King, Michael Chricton, Dean Koontz, Clive Custler, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and many more. - Tizmon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I have been wanting to go to the cinema to see a good movie for a while now. The fact is that there is nothing there that I would want to go and see.
- ThugEsquire, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Exactly. I'm still waiting for a movie to come out that is nearly as enjoyable as Jurassic Park or Independence Day. That is, in terms of a blockbuster experience. Plenty of great movies have come out, but not in the same way.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Arrrrrrg
- ivorobotnik, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10everyone knows there is a massive decrease in pirates which is why we have global warming. surely you can't blame box office revenues on them as well??
- uptown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9For me, it's the fact that this stuff hits DVD a few months after theatres and I can rent it through Netflix ... something I'm already paying for. No need to go to a theatre unless I want a night out of the house, or want to go on a date to a movie. The MPAA just doesn't get it.
- leonbev, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8In order words, the MPAA will soon be pushing for restrictions against camcorders in order to "protect their intellectual property". I can't wait to see some of the doozies that they come up with, so we can complain about them on digg in the future.
- TheJenks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Films now days are awful, every single one ends up going into the story line of some guy winning the girl after he changes his ways or leans valuable lessons about accepting himself, ooh or a parent getting a relationship back with their kids. Im sick of renting a DVD thats just got different surroundings, different style or different characters all going through the same story. I haven't got a DVD once this year and I used to buy videos and be at the cinema all the time. At 25 years old thats not good. Piracy has nothing to do with it, Ive been able to get pirated films on video since the 80's and a lot of times Ive then got the actual video, now days I wouldn't have the real video for free as its a waste of time.
- jaderobbins, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I think the real killer is the price of munchies and drinks. The overall experience isn't worth the extra hassle of cost. I personally love going to a theatre, but when i have to pay out the nose for little snacks and whatnot i'll just watch it at home and enjoy my own snacks.
I really think movie theatres need to lower either the price of the movie or the price of concessions. I don't mind paying 6 bucks a ticket if i can get REASONABLY priced snacks, or i'll pay for high priced concessions if i don't pay out the nose for a movie ticket, but the jacking up of both those items makes it extremely undesirable for me. The people who can afford to go to movies often at the current prices can also afford a REALLY nice tv and sound system and therefore don't need the theatre. The movie industry needs to focus on it's prime audience, teenagers and college aged students. The demographic that wants to go to a theatre for a movie just simply can't afford it. - Chuck95, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8TomPTraynor:
1. "High ticket prices" Completely agree. We went to see Curious George with the kids the other day at the MATINEE and it was 6$ EACH!!! That's 24$ to watch at the cheap price. Ridiculous. I could buy the DVD for that and still have some left over. It totally reminded me why we don't go to the movies. I think Revenge of the Sith was the last movie I saw in the theatre before that... almost a year ago.
2. "Advertising" I have to say this must not bother me too much. I like previews. Commercials are annoying though.
3. "Too much crap" Definitely agree. I've become very choosy with movies... but there are still so many that are just not worth going to... I feel cheated even renting them for 3$.
4. "Atmosphere" Have to say I also haven't had much of a problem with this. I have before, but not too much recently. Maybe I'm lucky.
5. "DVD". Bingo. Especially with kids, the pause button is just too important.
6. "Convenience" Another bingo. Again, with kids, we can stay home and watch something after they go to bed and not have to hire a babysitter.
I've always been a very laid back guy. I'm not a hot-head, and definitely fall under the 'live and let live" philosophy. But in the last few years the MPAA/RIAA has just really gotten under my skin. I have become convinced they are just absolute idiots. They are so out of touch with the real world. Quick to point the finger, and reluctant to take any blame for their own inadequacies, I can only hope these people are going to bury themselves under their own incompetence and short-sightedness. I can honestly say I have never pirated a single movie. I can only think of one person that I even know of who does, and they aren't even a friend. I think the MPAA needs to take a look at their moronic business model instead of blaming others for their drop in revenue. Frankly I don't give a crap.
Good post TomPTraynor. - sporty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I think it partially has to do with when you were born. Part of it is nostalgia, part of it is novelty of effects, part of it is an actual good story. In truth, I really think it is because we are inundated with entertainment. No longer are we stuck with a handful of tv channels and letter writting. We have hundreds of tv channels with tonnes of free movies, the internet and more.
Piracy is part to blame, yes, but so is the MPAA/RIAA. We have so many choices, it's sick. - tryferos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7REAL reasons why business is down:
MPAA's endless, meaningless pursuit of pirates, instead of investing in making the movie experience better
dirty, old theaters with terrible sound systems
irritating people at the theaters (cell phones ringing, talking on the cell phone, people talking during the movie, people bringing babies to the theater, etc.)
really bad movies
DVD's come out only months after the movie leaves the theaters
Netflix
Good home theater systems are cheap
I'm sure there are plenty others but thats all my ignorant mind could come up with...but eh the MPAA has to make noise every so often so people dont entirely forget about them - deepsub, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I completely disagree. There is an oversupply of flashy special effects bonanzas. I realize that a good chunk of the public has been -conditioned- to believe that the market needs more of these types of movies, but you can only skin a cat so many times before more and more of the cultural center of the country loses interest. The erosion of quality of movies and the moviegoing experience is about oversupply, not underdemand.
- HMTKSteve, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Anyone recall the scene of the "Movie Pirates" from "Amazon Women on the Moon" ???
If I recall correctly, one of the actors in that skit also played Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds...
The scene involved the pirates finding a treasure of VHS and Laser Discs... - apersaud, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6When will they realize that making GREAT movies makes GREAT money.
- BigPapi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6If movie theatres were more selective about which movies they played and significantly reduced admission, then I bet that they're business would improve dramatically. If the theatres enforced the power to NOT show a movie that really sucks, then it would change Hollywood's strategy of "Let's shoot a crappy remake for $30 million and hope it makes $40" to "Let's make a movie that people will go out of their way to watch".
- Ender1158, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6RM999: I think that was ThugEsquire's point - those movies are enjoyable in the cinema because of the special effects. When they get to a small screen where the plot is more important, they fall down. The current crop of movies from Hollywood have neither interesting special effects or intriguing plots, so no one wants to see them.
- GeniusCube, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Cinemas need big screen action flicks. Brokeback Mountain and the like are good films, but they dont need a cinema to be enjoyed. When did we last see a really good action film?
- clevershark, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Funny how there's no shortage of people who don't go to movies, buy bootlegs, OR download movies, and yet the MPAA in all its "wisdom" has figured that all the decline in movie-going is due to piracy. They probably got their stats at the same place where they usually get them, the Pulling Numbers out of our Arses Institute for Entertainment Studies.
- Firethorne, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"Not to mention, when Hollywood keeps cranking out remakes of old movies/tv shows, there's nothing being released that I can not wait to see until the DVD release."
No kidding. I easily think of almost a hundred recent movies that were a remake of something. Bewitched, The Longest Yard, Flight of the Pheonix, Italian Job, The Manchurian Candidate, Dukes of Hazard... I'll stop there because it would be a very long list. Perhaps if the list of new ideas comming out of Hollywood was as long, I might be more interested in going to the movies. - socket, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Personally I just want to see the well dry up for these spoiled Hollywood actors. I also want to stick it to the RIAA and the MPAA. I won't pay to see another movie or pay for another CD until these power hungry asses get the idea.
When did the consumer lose all their power? No more fair use... well not as long as the MPAA/RIAA don't think it's fair. Screw the law and what the people want. They want your money and if they have to get it from you at gun point they will. If they don't like the law they'll throw tens of thousands of dollors at backwords congressmen to get what they want.
Do the only thing we can do. Stop buying their ***** and sooner or later they'll get the idea. - brandonhines, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7"I also have a hard time feeling sorry for industry folks who get $100,000 + gift bags at award shows."
Haha. Excellent. I've never heard that slam before. It's always a salary issue, but that is so true. - Fentekreel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Though i think most people will agree on the following 2 points...
1.) Movies cost too much....
2.) The movie industry is just "pumping out" movies not producing them.
These two points aside.....
I don't understand why the theaters just don't put the film on the walls that blocks cell phones....then people don't have to think about turning them off. :) no more warning for them to ignore...just silence...Also does anybody remember when movie theaters had ....whats that word..... oh yeah ushers....who booted people and quieted people for being stupid....guess their jobs got sent over seas also ;)
But seriously....with all the annoyances that come along with the theater (kids, cell phones, excessively priced popcorn....etc) What is the point of going to the movies? the giant screen....the slightly uncomfy chairs...i don't know anymore....LOTR was a good idea for a movie...and was produced quite well....it wasn't rushed at all...IMO ... Though you don't see that kind of craft work out of movies anymore....hell some of the movies that come out seem like anyone could have made it...look at saw....touted to be a horror movie and just ended up being like another teen "thriller" hell it would have been better to have never seen the screen or at least a lame video game....
I don't really see any previews that make movies look "good" most of the time its just highlights of the best parts of the film .... look at AVP a great concept....great roots....and then it was pg 13 with very little AVP action...damn the PC game was better ...and a better story line... heh doom.... sorry had to laugh at that movie too.....
The reality is that piracy doesn't bring them down and the idiots in the public cant see past their televisions...it speaks to them...look at the music industry....their sales haven't changed much from what I've seen...last i heard they were up and not on the pop music either....then again that was a year or so ago last time i looked into music...
ugh back to class..... - Henge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I agree with most of you fellow diggers. Has Hollywood considered making an original movie? The number of remake movies they put out last year is ridiculous (like, 20 or something). It has more to do with people not being as dumb as Hollywood assumes (and thus not willing to see whatever those douchebags put in theatres) and more to do with poor quality of movies. The inflated ticket prices don't help either. Also, I think Jerry Bruckheimer sucks, but that isn't all that relevant.
- asdren, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I'm sure it has nothing to do with remaking old movies / TV shows into even crappier versions.
ex: http://www.darkhorizons.com/news06/060314c.php
"Welcome Back Kotter" with Ice Cube as Kotter - Hieremias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Boy these numbers keep inflating. Last week the Hollywood Reporter said it was a 6% decrease from last year. Today CNN is saying 8%. Now it's 9%? When are they going to get it right?
Frankly, a 6% decrease from the last two record-breaking years is by no means a cause for panic. The movie studios just want to cause a media frenzy to justify why they can charge so much for DVDs.
Memo to the studio execs: quit releasing crap, and stop with the fake self-pity, and then we'll talk. Until then, I'm hardly going to take you seriously. - RodeoRobot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Special thanks to the MPAA for informing people like me who were mistaken about why I don't really go to the movies anymore.
I just thought it was because Hollywood was putting out crappy movies and theater prices were ridiculously expensive. Now I know better.
I'm just going to have a talk with the Chinese DVD pirate, who's selling $5 DVD's on the sidewalk outside, and tell him that he's stealing from the MPAA, and he'd better give all that money back or else. - flossingtoes, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6The majority of people that go to the movies are 13 to 25. Could it be that there are more options for people in that age group: video games, pot, sex?
Also, is that group shrinking or growing?
I don't have much of an interest with many of today's movies, but I'm not in their demographic anymore. At 36, I'm old. - rebrad, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Hmmm, let's see;
Trip to the Movie Theater
$ 20 Tickets for two
$ 15 Popcorn and a large coke
Sitting through 30 Minutes of really crappy commercials
Wondering if that sneezing scummy jerk sitting behind has the bird flu
hearing five different cell ringtones
hearing 20 different conversations about who knows what during the movie
why do they allow babies in an R rated flick
Pirating a Movie;
low quality, long download, having to worry about getting busted
Watching the Movie in HD on my 65"
having to wait 3 months for a blockbuster, 2 weeks for a crapfest
great quality, fantastic sound system
no commercials
great food cheap
tossing back a beer with a good smoke
hitting pause when I need to take a break.
I don't know about anyone else but I'll take the 65" HD widescreen. Theaters are nothing but another disease vector and piracy just isn't worth it. - awhite2600, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I agree with everyone else. There are two main reasons that I don't go to many movies anymore:
1. Most of the movies released these days suck! Stop making lots of crappy movies. Make a few good movies instead. Come up with good original stories, not remakes of classics or TV shows.
2. The prices are too high. To take my family to the movies costs $60 or more. If my wife and I go out then we need to pay a babysitter and the cost is the same or more. When I watch a rented movie at home the snacks are cheaper, the bathroom is cleaner and I can skip the commercials on the DVD.
I used to download the occasional movie, but I have stopped not because of the poor quality of the downloads, but because the movies aren't worth sitting through. - catoutfit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I paid £7.20 for a movie the other day, that's about $13...it's SICK.
If movies where half the price, surely 3 times as many people would go...
£6 for 3 pints? probably living in Wales... - LucasOman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+41) $8-$12 for a ticket
2) $5 for a coke, $8 for popcorn
3) 30 minutes of trailers and commercials
4) cliche plotlines
5) substitution of special effects for convincing acting
And they want to blame someone who makes a shaky camcorder recording with muffled sound. Hollywood and everyone who is a part of it are ridiculous fools. - keslacr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Movies used to be a family event but now with the high ticket prices, it costs to much for a family of 4 to go to the movies. It is costing a family around $50 to go see a movie around where I live and with the high gas prices and the rest of the economy doing only so so, no wonder why people are just renting.
$34 = 4x $8.50/ticket (at least around me)
$20 = 2x $10/Family Backs(Large pop, Large Popcorn)
Priceless = MPAA blaming crappy movies on everything else but the crap they put out for the price we pay. - DenZ88, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Does MPAA really think people will watch camcorder releases and enjoy them?
- richiejp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The best movie I'v been to see recently was "lucky number sleven" (or however it's spelled) and I wasn't that impressed. I'm not sure if it was worth the £6 it cost me to get in, I could have bought 3 pints of beer and some pork scratchins for that much!
Last film I saw which I thought was money well spent, was Lord of the Rings: Return of the king. - truspector, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Or 25% off ticket prices and a good handjob.
- brandizzle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The movies just suck. The movie theaters just suck. I have yet to see a headline that says "MPAA blame ***** movies for revenues falling 9%"
I've never downloaded a movie, but I also haven't been to a movie theater in years.
There's a place around here (I don't know where else it is) that I used to like...Chunky's. It was fun. We were served dinner and watched a movie, and I used to enjoy it... If I remember correctly it was geared more towards kids though. Make movie theaters worth going to, and people might go. - clickwir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The whole "piracy" bit is just a front. A front by the RIAA and MPAA to make people think it's ok for DRM. That it has to be there. They are trying to lock out each other, not pirates.
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