2011 Movie Attendance the Lowest in 16 Years

[Fingolfin269]

I mainly just go to drive in theaters now. Much cheaper and an overall more enjoyable experience. I hate losing out on the sound you get in a good theater but the value for both ticket and concession price is untouchable.

 

[Gibson486]

Here's one I went to about a year ago:
http://www.thetheatres.com/

Tickets are $10 + meals

Edit: The food selection there isn't fantastic, but the prices are not bad at all...and that is in the middle of the NOLA tourist district, so you actually pay far less for a meal there than at most of the local restaurants.

Yeah, they have this in MA

http://www.chunkys.com/

In the AMC in Natick, MA, they have a similar thing for the newer movies. However, the menu selection is all fried fast food.

 

[waggy]

http://social.entertainment.msn.com...spx?post=f3710b54-370c-4812-95fc-ac66fa5a9bed



My opinion is that movie attendance is falling because:

1) Movie tickets are too expensive.
2) The vast majority of movies are of such low quality that they insult your intelligence.
3) The economy continues to drag along ... and ...
4) There may be some resentment against "Hollywood" as many over-paid actors' paydays continue to get bigger while the common-person sinks into a lower income bracket.

5) other movie goes suck. they are rude and obnoxious.
6) i can pause the damn movie at home when i need to piss
7) my home theater is damn good. good enough for me anyway
8) did i mention other movie goes suck?

i don't see #4 actually being a reason. they have always been overpaid compared to common people. most do not give a shit. i think the fact that hollywood movies suck and getting far to expensive are more likely.

 

[gevorg]

I'm sure they'll blame piracy and even Netflix, but the real reason is that there are very little good movies out there. I wouldn't mind paying today's prices to see a quality movie, but there is barely any good ones to watch. Hence why I rather go and find them on my own in Netflix indie and foreign archives. And my surround sound system is superior to anything I've heard in theaters.

 

[Paul98]

Why go to movies when it's a better experience in your own home when it's sooo expensive to go to the movie theater. Plus it's much nicer being able to chill around your house.

 

[Xstatic1]

not surprising. there's netflix and redbox...and good ol' blockbuster. no point in spending more $ on movie theatre tickets, unless u're on a date or something.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I think part of the problem is that the prices have gotten to the point where people don't take risks on their movie selection anymore. Blockbuster or bust.

As for the experience, look I have a good home theater but nothing I have compares to a quality flick in a real IMAX whether that movie was filmed to fill that screen entirely or not.

 

[momeNt]

Make better movies

With critic websites posting reviews the day the movie comes out, you aren't able to snag as many people into shitty movies.

 

[SKORPI0]

Why go to movies when it's a better experience in your own home when it's so expensive to go to the movie theater. Plus it's much nicer being able to chill around your house.

This.

1. No rushing to get a parking space and good seats.
2. Dealing with noisy kids/cellphones, etc.
3. Choice of what I eat.
4. If I had to pee, I can pause the movie.
5. if I missed something, I can repeat and playback that portion.

I'd wait till movie is on On Demand or Blu-ray.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Oh one other thing, went to see a matinee showing of Sherlock Holmes yesterday and figured it would be ok to show up about 10 minutes early and still get a good seat. No, they put the movie on one of the small screens for some reason so we ended up on the front row. You should pay less for that shit!

 

[Xstatic1]

This.

1. No rushing to get a parking space and good seats.
2. Dealing with noisy kids/cellphones, etc.
3. Choice of what I eat.
4. If I had to pee, I can pause the movie.
5. if I missed something, I can repeat and playback that portion.

I'd wait till movie is on On Demand or Blu-ray.

yup! :biggrin:

 

[KaOTiK]

My dad and I went to go see the new Sherlock Holmes movie when it came out and he was really surprised at the price of tickets now as he doesn't go to the theater often (tickets were like $10 each). Without me even having to say anything he turns and goes, I can buy the movie on blu ray the day it comes out for cheaper then going to see it in the theater. That pretty much painted how I feel as well.

 

[Imp]

I blame people and having a job...

I had a hell of a time in 2009 when I was unemployed for months and brain-dead bored: I went to matinees a few times a week alone. Theatres were had about 10 people at most, minimal kids (school was in), and minimal cell phone users. It was mostly other matinee'ers. Damn job...

 

[KK]

This year I went more than any other year. Of course they were to all kids movies, but the carmike 5 dollar matinee and there popcorn bucket made it kinda worthwhile. Now the matinees are 5.50 and the popcorn will be 3.50.

 

[Ronstang]

So it seems the idiots running the movie business are as dumb as those running the music business. Things have changed and the movie theater experience has simply gotten too expensive at a time when there are a host alternatives.

With large and beautiful TVs coupled with great surround systems why would most people even need to go to a theater anymore except for special films? I don't have to get dressed to watch a movie at home. I can pause it if I need to go to the bathroom. I can eat as much as I want for not a lot of money and if I fall asleep I can simply go back and watch it over again from where I left off.

We only go to the theater when we are really bored an only during matinee pricing. Even then that is only a couple of times a year. I would rather stay at home and stream Netflix, wait for the next DVD/Bluray in the mail, or simply go to the Redbox 1 mile away if I am impatient to see something.

 

[Jeff7]

So, will the movie industry:
A) Adapt to the changing marketplace, and end up profiting immensely as a result?
B) Piss and moan and whine to the government with cash-laden lobbyists to get restrictions put in place to try to force people back into theaters?
C) Do option B, then when it fails, do option A anyway?

 

[Rage187]

Theatres are the new Tower Records. They'll be a thing of the past (in the US at least) in 10 years or less.

 

[IronWing]

It's not my fault. I went to a movie theater for the first time in at least a decade this year.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

 

[umbrella39]

The selection was shit this year, that doesn't help. That said, I attended 2 movies this year. Paranormal 3 and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark with my teens. This is 2 more than I usually attend each year so I did my part. I think we will get to a day, sooner than I ever expected, where all new movies will be available to stream/dl (legally) within 1-2 weeks from theatrical release date. I'm of the opinion that piracy is not to blame at least as far as movies go, perhaps for the decline of CD sales and PC game sales but not movies.

Cam/Telesync/Workprint/Screener/R5/DVDRip weren't keeping people of the theaters before HDTVs came out and people certainly aren't staying at home in any larger numbers now so they can watch a CAM release on their 60" streamed from their PS3.

 

[slayer202]

it has nothing to do with the quality of this year's movies. nor does the price to go see a movie. netflix and all the other options to watch movies are the reasons.

 

[RelaxTheMind]

Movie theaters are generally dirty. i hate the smell of popcorn + fart sponges. funny part is ive never really had to ever pay for movie tickets either. Free food and drinks sometimes too if they arent busy.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

The last movie the wife and I went to see was in 2004, and we haven't been back since. Instead, we built a home theater and learned to be patient for things to come out on DVD, and then Blu-ray.

Two things led to the change in our lifestyle for movie-watching:

1.) The audience just was too inconsiderate of his/her fellow viewers.
2.) The presentation was severely lacking.

The 3-5 year cost differential made it even more enticing, and when we put together our first DIY home theater that presentation was a leap forward compared to what the pillbox cinemas were providing.

Add to this the ability to take an intermission, repeat viewing, and avoid the public audience was a triple-win situation.

 

[mcurphy]

Theater income for movies will only continue to decrease. Anymore, the only audience that is willing to pay to see a movie in the theaters is teenagers on a date, or young families taking their kids.

I only pay to see a movie at the theater if it's for my kids. I pay the extra price so they can have the "experience". And even then, we only see 1 or 2 movies a year. The prices are ridiculous at the theater. We have a more comfortable time at home watching a blu-ray on our 50" plasma with surround sound. eating snacks, and lounging on comfy furniture. Fuck the theater.

 

[randomrogue]

You guys need to go to better theaters. A home theater is nice but it's a COMPLETELY different experience. I generally go to dinner theaters if I'm bringing kids or if it's a date I spend the extra $2 to $3 to go to one of the VIP theaters where there are maybe 20 spots, it's 21 and up, there is an usher who brings you drinks, and the seats are love seats. It's plush and a great experience.

 

[Doppel]

Anybody in doubt about Hollywood's originality (or lack of) need only see that they are rebooting Spiderman AGAIN.

Movies are a sh*t ton of money to see in theater and more people have decent home setups. This conspires against movie theaters. Also, it's fact that the time between theater and DVD has shrunk over the years. No longer are we waiting seemingly a lifetime to rent it if we miss it in theater. It won't be long before we can pick it up at Redbox for a dollar and watch it on a 40-something inch screen.

Last movie I went to I smuggled in my candy. The ticket was $10, the large coke zero I got was $4.80. This is a sad damn day indeed that even after candy smuggle I'm still paying through the nose for my movie-yummies.

How many game arcades do you see now? There used to be one on every corner and they were all busy because the arcade experience was superior to the home game console system. And that gap shrank and people lost reasons to go to arcades and arcades pretty much disappeared. And movie theaters are going to do the same. They're dinosaurs, their days are numbered and the current business model is doomed. Every single year home theater gets better and cheaper and every year movie theaters get worse and more expensive. It's time for Hollywood to cut the cord and face reality. It's over and in 20 years movie theaters are going to be more rare than drive-ins are now.

I don't know about your timeline but I agree with the rest of your post. I can get a 50" screen and 5.1 surround blu-ray system for $700. I won't have to cock my head up to stare at the screen if I'm stuck in the front row, i can drink a large coke zero for a dollar, no need to smuggle, drive anywhere, etc.