Does the fast turnaround to dvd hurt movie sales?

[Dagger75]

I have also read cell phones are killing the box. And I don't mean them ringing in the theater.

Movie goers are on the phone telling their friends the movie sucked even before the credits are finished rolling. Thats why the first weekend is so important now. A movie only has about Friday and Sat before everybody knows if a movie worth watching.

 

[Chaldfont]

Coat?! Hah! I have a friend who can carry two 2-liters in his trouser pockets! Not even noticable either. Finally a use for the ultra baggy clothes. .

And I thought he was just happy to ...

Ahh forget it.

 

[ddvmor]

I have also read cell phones are killing the box. And I don't mean them ringing in the theater.

Movie goers are on the phone telling their friends the movie sucked even before the credits are finished rolling. Thats why the first weekend is so important now. A movie only has about Friday and Sat before everybody knows if a movie worth watching.

This is a really good point and, coupled with the speed that reviews appear on the interweb (I mean, we have a ratings thread up here almost before the movies open), goes a long way to explaining any drop in box office takings (do we have any figures on this?). I put a lot of faith in viewer reviews such as the ones that appear on this site and almost none in the ones written by the critics.

For myself, I really enjoy going to the movies. I like the big screen and the big sound. That said, my TV is only 28” and the sound is a little ropey. Maybe when I have one of these, I’ll think differently. Oh and I almost never buy snacks at the flicks since a box of popcorn costs more than my house.

As has been said above, the quick release to DVD is mainly to combat piracy. It’s my understanding that most of the profit from a movie (at least to the studios that produce ‘em) comes from DVD sales. I don’t think this is the thing that has the most significant impact on box office sales. Everyone likes to see a great movie at the cinema. If you make it… they will come. If you don’t… well…

I remember reading a couple of months ago that Lucas and Spielberg were putting their heads together to see what they could do to improve the movie-goers experience. One of the things they were talking about was 3D. I heard that George planned to re-release each of the Star Wars movies in 3D over the next few years (and did anyone else notice the scenes in RotS where lightsabers were waved unnecessarily at the camera, hmm?).

 

[Hand of Evil]

I have also read cell phones are killing the box. And I don't mean them ringing in the theater.

Movie goers are on the phone telling their friends the movie sucked even before the credits are finished rolling. Thats why the first weekend is so important now. A movie only has about Friday and Sat before everybody knows if a movie worth watching.

I don't know about the phone thing, the reverse should be ture if this were the case, everyone calling to tell their friends how great a movies is but if you look at the returns, people just are not going to movies. Case in point Serenity, great movie from all accounts but out of the top 10 in three weeks, a flop by all accounts.

 

[Turanil]

What do ya think?
$8 for a movie ticket or wait 2 months and for $16 get the 2 disc dvd of it?

I don't know about others, but personally I almost don't go to theater anymore, except for the big movies (LotR, Star-Wars). Here in France, the theater ticket is at 10 euros, which is the price of a great number of DVDs. New released DVDs rarely exceed 20 euros nowadays, which is the price of two theater tickets (for my wife and myself). As such, I prefer to wait 8 months to get a movie rather than wasting money for only one viewing.

 

[Henry]

Add in Soda (6$ for the biggest size, 4 for the smallest which is not worth getting) for another 12.

Sounds like they're shafting you on the drink ounces. In my local theaters, the small costs about $4.00, but is something like 40 ounces, and the large is like 64! I couldn't drink that much in a single sitting, because I'd miss the movie via the restroom.

Still, you're dead-on. The "stereotypical movie experience" (one ticket, a drink, and a popcorn) costs something like 15 to 20 dollars per person these days. (Tickets are around $6 for a matinee, and $7.50 for an after 6pm showing where I live, and the smallest popcorn and drink are the same price as a full-price showing.)

 

[Rykion]

As others have mentioned, I believe ticket prices have a more negative effect on movie going than the fast turnaround of DVDs. Some movies really are better on the big screen, but many movies are just as good on a home theater system. It also hurts that behavior at the movies seems to be at an all time low. I won't even walk into the cheap second run theater as people are so distracting that watching the movie is next to impossible.

 

[Wombat]

With me it is often a case of "Is this a big screen movie?" anymore.

If a movie would probably work just as well on a small screen, I'll wait. If it is a big, panoramic film or one where the claustrophobia works best if the screen fills the eyes, I go to see it in the theatre.

Then again, I haven't been able to see many films in the theatre of late due to finances; hopefully this will be changing in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I think the increasing cost of a movie are hurting much more than the rapid release to DVD.

While many of us wait to see many movies until they come out on DVD, the median age here at EN World is around thirtysomething, isn't it? High School and perhaps college students (mostly during vacations) are and will continue to be the main movie goers. Unless things have changed in the past 15 years or so, most highschoolers would much rather go out to see a movie, meeting up with lots of friends, checking out other guys and girls, than sit at someone's house with parents around watching a DVD.

My own theory about dropping movie viewership is that the cost of movies and gas has outpaced the pay scale at McDonalds and supermarkets. They are less likely to go out and see two or more movies a weekend like I used to do.

 

[Dark Jezter]

As somebody who likes going to movies, I'm saddened that the movie industry is shifting towards home theater systems and away from the big screen. While I definately agree with the above posters that cell phone gabbers and noisy kids are irritating, there's nothing quite like seeing a good movie on the big screen with an audiance that is clearly excited to be there. This is why I rank my opening night viewing of Star Wars Episode I as one of the top moviegoing experiences of my life despite the venomous hatred some people have for the film.