Busy schedules, buying options give public good reasons to bypass box office sales
Fri Jan 27, 7:05 AM ET
Will someone please pass me a tissue so I can wipe away my tears? Hollywood had a "dismal" - translation: not a record - 2005 and attendance continues to drop. Boo hoo ("Hollywood needs a good run," Cover story, Life, Monday).
It's no accident that movie theater attendance continues to fall. Watching DVDs at home is more convenient, cheaper and far less aggravating than having to endure the growing rudeness of the moviegoing public. But Hollywood executives still beat their heads against the wall in frustration when box office totals don't break records each year. They'd better invest in helmets because they're probably in for a lot more of that.
I understand that business is business and that their duty is to aim for record returns for their shareholders. But I don't understand why any downward fluctuation in box office revenue gets the "Hollywood is in a crisis" treatment by the media, particularly in USA TODAY. The public's appetite for good - or even passable - movie entertainment will always be there, but seeing movies at the theater is no longer the first or only option.
Because of the high cost and people's busy personal schedules, seeing a movie at the theater is fast becoming a luxury instead of a necessity.
Public preference has spoken.
John S. Harris, Memphis
Small-town mentality sells
A recent letter to the editor addressed the impact of rising movie ticket prices. Well, we have the solution ("Ticket prices wallop wallets," Letters, Jan. 9).
Come to Madelia, Minn. Population is roughly 2,340 in the south central part of the state. There, you will see a quality movie, utilizing the most current equipment, including surround-sound stereo and a big screen. All tickets are just $4 each - and popcorn and soda pop are priced starting at $1 each.
Movies are shown only on weekend evenings, and if there are no good family-oriented movies available, we don't show anything. But that only happened eight times last year.
Since the beginning of our fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2005, the top five movies, in order of customer preference, for us have been:
Chicken Little
Walk the Line
Yours, Mine & Ours
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
Incidentally, our attendance was off 17% last year from the previous year - and the national figure also dropped - so the decrease is probably caused by more than just ticket prices and movie quality.
Everett Christensen, owner, Madelia Theater, Mesa, Ariz.
Cut actor's fees, favor charity
Discussion about low box office sales brushes over a significant point: the high cost to the moviegoer in tough economic times.
Quality and appeal are still relevant in figuring the entertainment value of a film, but the high ticket prices are too much. Things don't get any better when you factor the new technologies and movie-watching alternatives pointed out in USA TODAY's cover story.
Price concerns reach beyond the cost of a movie ticket. The cost of a medium beverage could probably buy a movie theater patron three 2-liter bottles in the nearby grocery store. Purchasing candy or popcorn is the equivalent of a full meal at a fast-food restaurant. Assuming many couples would like to have dinner before a movie, and adding in the cost of gas, it can become a very expensive evening.
Maybe if Hollywood stars - some of whom command millions of dollars per film - took a little less money for their acting, the overall costs could come down. Highly unlikely. I would certainly like to see some financial sacrifice on the actors' part as opposed to hearing their views on political and social issues.
How about donating a percentage of box office sales and concessions to a charity? I would be more inclined to take in a few extra films if I knew a portion of the money would go to a good cause.
Jeff Cabral, Cranston, R.I.
Consider quality and appeal
I have a hard time sympathizing with downtrodden movie executives. I can't figure out why they expect people who work hard for their money to spend it on the tripe they've tossed out to theaters.
Many of the movies listed in USA TODAY as not doing well had shoddy scripts. Once they hit DVD, my friends and I threw a party and rented the films to make fun. The movies were bad, but we got some great one-liners from watching them. There was absolutely no incentive to see them in a theater, where our silence could be requested.
It appears to me that movie executives across the board are sacrificing content and coherency for glitz and shticks. That's fine, if that's what they want to do with their money. But they shouldn't expect anyone to give them money for it.
Meredith Milewicz, Birmingham, Ala.
ofc i like rent movie, i havent much go movie theater lately 
*goosebumps* While Markus went to see Harry Pottter. 
I meant more of PG-13 maybe a few R-rates. 
you're too funny Wolfy! HEE!
