2011 Movie Attendance the Lowest in 16 Years

[Via]

I'm with those that say it's the price.

I only went to one movie this year, and it was $45 for two people, 2 large sodas, and a large popcorn.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

1) People don't give a shit about 3D. They want good stories
2) The stories coming out of Hollywood suck
3) Special effects do not make a good movie
4) price doesn't bother me so much. A night out is not free.
5) Stop remaking classics. Just clean them up and re-release them. Why on Earth Hollywood is not re-releasing Alien a month prior to Prometheus is beyond me. That would be a quick $10M+ for little to no investment. maybe they need to see some independent or foreign film do it successfully first so they can just copy other peoples ideas.
6) Don't re-release everything once you notice that (5) works. That will just piss us off. Do it on occasion and for good reason. I'd see T2 in theaters again but atleast make it a 25 year anniversary type thing. And don't go all Lucas on us. We don't want you fucking with our childhood memories.

Did I miss anything?

 

[purbeast0]

i would DEFINITELY see t2 in the theatre again. same with saving private ryan or braveheart or gladiator.

 

[Ronstang]

I'm with those that say it's the price.

I only went to one movie this year, and it was $45 for two people, 2 large sodas, and a large popcorn.

And at least where I live for that amount you can grab a decent budget sit down dinner, a bottle of wine or some beer, grab a DVD out of the redbox or Netflix and go home an watch the movie naked.

 

[KlokWyze]

And at least where I live for that amount you can grab a decent budget sit down dinner, a bottle of wine or some beer, grab a DVD out of the redbox or Netflix and go home an watch the movie naked.

Not to mention the amazing television sets many homes have now.

+1 On the prices being absurd.

In reality the main thing is p2p.

 

[AlienCraft]

Piracy

More like pirates in some places.

 

[AlienCraft]

I didn't see this mentioned in the thread earlier, but I thought that movie theater attendance was interesting in terms of minimum wage. When I was a kid, minimum wage for 1 hour of work was more than the cost of a movie ticket. Now, minimum wage is significantly less than the price of a movie ticket.

Likewise, I started thinking about the cost of popcorn. As a kid, spending my hard earned money from my paper route, and later, minimum wage work in a kitchen, I cannot remember balking at the price of popcorn. A bag of popcorn and a soda certainly didn't approach the cost of the ticket back then, or at least I didn't think it did. So, I did a little research - seems my memory is just fine. I think tickets were about $3 back then, and popcorn and soda around 50 cents each. So, I researched it to see if my memory served me correctly; it did.

http://www.slashfilm.com/the-rise-of-movie-theater-popcorn-prices-over-the-last-80-years/

Popcorn has far outpaced inflation. Ditto movie ticket prices. It would seem that as a percentage of a middle class family's income, the cost for a family of four to attend one movie, including refreshments, has significantly increased. Is it any wonder then that the amount of trips to the theater has dropped? Especially last year, given the economy??


And lastly, the movie companies are simply playing that kids' game: Lemonade Stand - figuring out what level to set the prices for maximum profit; not for maximum viewership of their movies. If they're claiming incredulity at falling viewership, they're not being genuine. It's a numbers game - raise prices, lose some viewers, but make more profit. And, given that a lot of movies are steaming piles of crap that the movie companies know people will flock to regardless, simply because of who is starring in it (face it; someone out there must like Nicolas Cage movies), or the title of the movie.

There you go.

 

[Ronstang]

In reality the main thing is p2p.

I highly doubt that. It may look that way from your point of view because that may be what avenue you use but the average adult doesn't know how to pirate content. Considering the easy and cheap avenues these days to view the content legally piracy simply is not the hole in the bucket.

 

[K1052]

I didn't see this mentioned in the thread earlier, but I thought that movie theater attendance was interesting in terms of minimum wage. When I was a kid, minimum wage for 1 hour of work was more than the cost of a movie ticket. Now, minimum wage is significantly less than the price of a movie ticket.

Likewise, I started thinking about the cost of popcorn. As a kid, spending my hard earned money from my paper route, and later, minimum wage work in a kitchen, I cannot remember balking at the price of popcorn. A bag of popcorn and a soda certainly didn't approach the cost of the ticket back then, or at least I didn't think it did. So, I did a little research - seems my memory is just fine. I think tickets were about $3 back then, and popcorn and soda around 50 cents each. So, I researched it to see if my memory served me correctly; it did.

http://www.slashfilm.com/the-rise-of-movie-theater-popcorn-prices-over-the-last-80-years/

Popcorn has far outpaced inflation. Ditto movie ticket prices. It would seem that as a percentage of a middle class family's income, the cost for a family of four to attend one movie, including refreshments, has significantly increased. Is it any wonder then that the amount of trips to the theater has dropped? Especially last year, given the economy??


And lastly, the movie companies are simply playing that kids' game: Lemonade Stand - figuring out what level to set the prices for maximum profit; not for maximum viewership of their movies. If they're claiming incredulity at falling viewership, they're not being genuine. It's a numbers game - raise prices, lose some viewers, but make more profit. And, given that a lot of movies are steaming piles of crap that the movie companies know people will flock to regardless, simply because of who is starring in it (face it; someone out there must like Nicolas Cage movies), or the title of the movie.

The economy in general has relatively little effect on the box office. The popularity of the film slate is far and away the largest factor. At most choices at the concession stand are influenced but that's expected.

IIRC, over the last 20 years or so base ticket prices have been falling back relative to inflation. The increasing addition of IMAX and 3D (which command heavy premiums) to the mix obscures the real picture of ticket pricing vs. attendance.

 

[K1052]

Heh, one thought I had was charge ticket prices based on the actual production cost of the movie. So if a movie cost 20 million to make, charge $2 a head for it. If it cost $100 million to make, charge $10 a ticket. Let the quality and production costs of movies sort themselves out.

I'm just throwing out random numbers. But the idea is the same. Almost every other industry that produces a "good" for consumers to buy has some impact in overall price based upon it's production costs. Movies don't. For the most part. A theatre charges the same exact ticket price for a $2 or $5 million self produced low budget flick as it does a $200 million dollar blockbuster.

Maybe that's what is flawed with the industry.

The inherent unpredictability of what films will be popular and what one's won't precludes that kind of market pricing. Not to mention the enormous legal complications of the studios telling theater companies what to charge.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That's only part of it. The other part is that the movie theater experience mostly sucks. You now have commercials and small screens and people on cell phones and a theater that's either too hot or too cold. It's not that it's easier to wait, it's that it's better. My home theater starts exactly when I want to to start, the temperature is exactly what I want it to be, the movie pauses on command, I sit exactly when I want to be sitting, there are no heads in my sightline, no giggling teenagers 2 seats away, no idiots on cell phones and better snacks. If the movie theaters want me to go to the theater it's going to take more than better movies, they have to give me a reason to see it there rather than seeing it here and so far they're failing in that regard. And I think they always will.

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.

This. Movie theaters are on the way out. Subscription online streaming services (for both the big HDTV and the mobile phone) are the way of the future.

 

[ShawnD1]

Did they blame piracy for the low turn out?

It certainly is a factor when movies are so damn expensive. If seeing it on the big screen cost $5, I would do it. Shit in Canada is always really expensive so movies are like $13 per person. Fuck that. I would rather download some shitty bootleg copy that was filmed inside the theatre. If I just want to see something on the big screen, I'll go to the $2 theatre that plays stuff everyone has already seen.

This. Movie theaters are on the way out. Subscription online streaming services (for both the big HDTV and the mobile phone) are the way of the future.

It's just the cost. I really like the seeing movies at the theatre. Video is good, the sound is good, the atmosphere is good. If the cost is too high then it's not worth it.
It's also worth mentioning that I won't pay $13 to see a movie that may or may not be good. It better be the best damn movie ever or it's not worth it. I don't care too much about quality when I go to the $2 theatre. It could be some low quality B movie from the 1960s and I would still think it's worth the $2.

3) Special effects do not make a good movie

Certain types of special effect have a very negative effect on the quality of the acting. When people are working with a real set, it's easier to act. You're actually seeing what you are supposed to be interacting with. Acting in front of a green screen is ridiculously hard. The director says "you're on a battlefield" and every person has their own idea of what that may look like. Actor 1 imagines something like the type of urban fighting that happened in WW2. Actor 2 is thinking about a battlefield like Vietnam. Actor 3 is thinking about the terrain of the game Fallout 3. They're all acting their own way and it looks like they're reading different scripts entirely.
Watch the Star Wars prequels. Lots of it was green screen. The acting is god awful.

 

[n7]

So much crap released in the past year.

Sure, lots of good movies too, but it seemed like a mostly crap-filled year to me, and i went out less myself as i just didn't care to spend money on movies i know i won't enjoy much.

And yeah, pricing...

Having a projector at home doesn't help either as i can watch them on a decent sized ~ 100" picture at home.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Maybe they need to do what Steam does If a movie isn't selling tickets, lower the price...oh wait, can't do that. It must be something else.

The entertainment market as a whole is suffering. Not just Movies. Concerts and other forms are also seeing lower sales and turnouts. Sure there are big names people turn out for, but most others are struggling.

Maybe someone knows, but I'd say the only one not having difficulty is the sports side.

 

[randomrogue]

Maybe they need to do what Steam does If a movie isn't selling tickets, lower the price...oh wait, can't do that. It must be something else.

The entertainment market as a whole is suffering. Not just Movies. Concerts and other forms are also seeing lower sales and turnouts. Sure there are big names people turn out for, but most others are struggling.

Maybe someone knows, but I'd say the only one not having difficulty is the sports side.

I used to go to a concert about once a month or every other month. Some small ones, some big ones. Now it's years. I thought I was getting old but I think it's just a lack of good artists. I mean is there an artist out today that is even in the same entertainment league as Nirvana or Michael Jackson (picking dead artists on purpose)?

I only go to sports games when it's minor league baseball or I get tickets from my work. Who the hell really has $250 for decent Lakers tickets? I thought I'd save a couple bucks and see a clipper game once but even there the $55 seats were at the top of the staples center. Not sure if anyone else has ever sat up there but it's downright scary. The floor looked like 2 postage stamps and I just watched the jumbotron. Much better to just stay home at that point. Some cities are better. I think I bought last minute Mariners tickets on the spot and they were pretty affordable but overall forget it. It was never worth the money to just sit and yell profanities at Barry Bonds like an idiot. I can do that at home.

Where I live movies are priced based on their length, if it's 3D, or IMAX. So yes a 2.5 hour movie is slightly more expensive than a 1.5 hour movie.

Another thing that might be affecting the industry is that theaters generally have completely eliminated jumping theaters. As a kid if the movie sucked ass I could walk out and go to another movie. I never got caught (did anyone even care?) and this solved a lot of the "this movie sucks" problems. Up until I graduated college I ALWAYS saw 2 movies when I went to the theater. My record was 4 but that was just to see if I could do it. That was painful. I can't even find 2 (let alone 4) movies that I'd even bother seeing now though so that's got to be part of the problem.

As a kid they had lots of double features. I would take my piddly allowance and go spend only a fraction of it to see 2 movies the legit way. They don't do that anymore.

$2 Tuesdays (or whatever your town had) seem to have completely disappeared. There's a huge difference between a $40 date and a $12 date when you're in high school.

Cheap theaters, if your town has one, are generally clear across town in the ghetto. Then again it seems like lots of theaters today haven't upgraded or cleaned up their place since they put in stadium seating which was quite a few years ago. Worse yet my town has a few theaters that don't even have stadium seating and I always forget which ones they are and get pissed when I show up to one.

I used to just bring in my own food/drink. I sometimes still do. Why spend $6.50 on a drink that is too big when I can have a bottle of water in my bag? I'll buy popcorn since I think it's part of the experience but honestly I'm a bit disgusted by this new thing of only being able to buy a tub of popcorn. It's gross. I don't need to spend or eat that much.

Like I said above though, I generally avoid all the crap and spend a few extra bucks to see movies in a nicer adult theater.

 

[dabuddha]

I saw tin tin this last week with my wife.
$15.50 per ticket for the 3d version.
$7.50 for a large popcorn.
$4 something for a candy box ( I know, told my wife to bring it from home and she forgot).
We had 2 free large drink coupons so we didn't get raped by that.

So overall, over $40.00 for a night out at the movies. Fuck that bullshit, they can go out of business for all I care.

 

[dud]

I saw tin tin this last week with my wife.
$15.50 per ticket for the 3d version.
$7.50 for a large popcorn.
$4 something for a candy box ( I know, told my wife to bring it from home and she forgot).
We had 2 free large drink coupons so we didn't get raped by that.

So overall, over $40.00 for a night out at the movies. Fuck that bullshit, they can go out of business for all I care.

So as good as the movie might have been it wasn't worth the $$$? I would be insulted if someone handed me a bill for $40 to see any movie ... in 3D or not. Overall, the movie "experience" has soured so badly because of rowdy movie goers, high prices, etc. that I may never go to the movies again.


After readingni most of the posts within this thread I agree that the proliferation of large/huge TVs at home ... coupled with the avaialbility of media is affecting the industry. There is part of me that wouldn't mind seeing Hollywood fail and a part that would mourn the loss of jobs for people all over the country (except the overpaid actors).

 

[Fingolfin269]

You guys should all google your local area for a drive-in. I was shocked to find we have a couple within 45 minutes driving and have been going there almost exclusively for the last couple of years. Best bang for your buck experience by far.

(Obviously this is a seasonal only option which is why we saw Sherlock Holmes in a standard megaplex.)

 

[slayer202]

I saw tin tin this last week with my wife.
$15.50 per ticket for the 3d version.
$7.50 for a large popcorn.
$4 something for a candy box ( I know, told my wife to bring it from home and she forgot).
We had 2 free large drink coupons so we didn't get raped by that.

So overall, over $40.00 for a night out at the movies. Fuck that bullshit, they can go out of business for all I care.

yet you still went...

 

[Fenixgoon]

my brother, his wife, and i went to see avatar in 3d. it was $47 for the three of us. he almost had a heart attack.

movies are rarely worth going to now.

 

[Wyndru]

easier to just wait for these crappy movies to come out on bluray and watch it then.

I can't even rent unless I travel far, so waiting for HD streaming on time warner is the only option :\

Blockbuster and Hollywood Video have left my area.

 

[dabuddha]

yet you still went...

Well duh, the wife wanted to go

 

[dabuddha]

So as good as the movie might have been it wasn't worth the $$$? I would be insulted if someone handed me a bill for $40 to see any movie ... in 3D or not. Overall, the movie "experience" has soured so badly because of rowdy movie goers, high prices, etc. that I may never go to the movies again.


After readingni most of the posts within this thread I agree that the proliferation of large/huge TVs at home ... coupled with the avaialbility of media is affecting the industry. There is part of me that wouldn't mind seeing Hollywood fail and a part that would mourn the loss of jobs for people all over the country (except the overpaid actors).

Yep! I enjoyed the movie itself and my wife loved it cause she grew up reading the tin tin books but $40 is just way too much for a movie.

 

[lokiju]

No one really cares about 3D so stop forcing all the desirable movie times to be the 3D showings. I will almost always pick a movie in 2D vs 3D given the choice for both the cost difference and the fact that most 3D is horribly done.

When The Hobbit comes out, I'll pay to see that in 3D, but that's next winter, otherwise everything else does not become somehow a better movie by adding the 3D post production.

Even then, movies in 2D are still way to expensive.

It's one of those situations where they're raising ticket prices to squeeze out more money but it's hurting how many people attend over the long run as they catch on that a movie cost $25 for 2 people just to get in plus however much more for concession if they elect to get some.

That's double the cost of owning the movie on a disc if you just wait a few months.

I personally have always loved going to the movies as long as I can remember but since having a kid it's hard to go as he's not old enough yet to bring along. So on the rare times that my wife and I either have family in town that offer to baby sit or fork out the money for a baby sitter we sometimes will see a movie also for our evening out. But with the cost of a baby sitter, a meal and a movie it's easily a $100 night for just 2 people.

 

[OutHouse]

way too expensive.

i have a family of 5. me the wife and 3 teens. for us to go out and see a movie it is easily a $100.00 event. the last time we went to the theater as a whole family was to see avatar in 3D and yes it was worth it.

ill continue to do what i have been doing. using netflix, renting from redbox/blockbuster kiosk and on occasion rent from directv cinema for 5.99 a movie.