Morons its the price. You are too greedy.

[Anton Bruckner]

Movie theater owners fire back at studios

By Nicole Sperling Fri Aug 19, 5:10 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tired of being blamed for the box office slump, the nation's movie theater owners returned fire Thursday, accusing the studios of delivering sub-standard product.
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"Here's what we know about 2005: The movies are not as good," said John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners.

"They're not terrible; they're just not as good. And so the industry has experienced a temporary drop-off compared to 2004, the biggest box office year in movie history."

His remarks were part of a direct rebuke to Robert Iger, who is about to take over as CEO of the Walt Disney Co. Iger said last week during the firm's third-quarter conference call that the industry should move toward the simultaneous release of theatrical films and videos. In 2004, the average gap between a film's release in theaters and on video was four months, 16 days.

Fithian said that compressing windows "to placate this instant-everywhere appetite" would result in a world with "no viable movie theater industry ... at least not a theater industry devoted to the entertainment products of Hollywood.

"(Iger) should know that Hollywood studios would be merely one shriveled vendor among many in that new world of movies-as-commodities-only," he added.

Neither Iger nor Disney chose to respond to Fithian's comments.

Year-to-date box office sales stand at $5.57 billion compared with $6.05 billion at the same time in 2004. Pundits have cited exhibitors' pumped-up onscreen advertising, rising ticket prices and rude patrons as primary reasons moviegoers are staying home.

During the earnings call, Iger said, "I don't think it's out of the question that a DVD can be released in effect in the same window as a theatrical release. Although I'm sure we will get a fair amount of push-back on this from the industry, it's not out of the question. I think that all the old rules should be called into question because the rules in terms of consumption have changed so dramatically."

While no major exhibitor has suggested taking aggressive action against Disney based on Iger's comments, theater owners in the past have shown tremendous resistance to anyone who advocates a compressed windows strategy. Many in the industry believe it's just a matter of time until a major studio attempts such an experiment in the hope of reducing marketing costs and maximizing profits across the various platforms.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

 

[Anton Bruckner]

you make the theatres expensive to the tune of $10:50 per person, you then overprice sodas, popcorn and nachos, and you jerks expect people to put up with it, when they have mortgages, car notes, kids and bills.

I went to the movies twice this year, to see Be Cool and Star Wars, and no other movie has interested me that much to shell out the money, eventhough I think I would have liked Batman. When push comes to shove, I say wait six months and rent the DVD to $2.70. It works out way much better, and you will always have a good flow of movies to watch.

 

[Average Joey]

Originally posted by Slippery
you make the theatres expensive to the tune of $10:50 per person, you then overprice sodas, popcorn and nachos, and you jerks expect people to put up with it, when they have mortgages, car notes, kids and bills.

I went to the movies twice this year, to see Be Cool and Star Wars, and no other movie has interested me that much to shell out the money, eventhough I think I would have liked Batman. When push comes to shove, I say wait six months and rent the DVD to $2.70. It works out way much better, and you will always have a good flow of movies to watch.

Hehehe,we in the south have it easy.Only $7.50-8.00 in the evenings and $4.75 in the afternoons for us to see a movie.

 

[Anton Bruckner]

for living in the cursed north

check this out, $4 to use the subway. Let's say you and your spouse go to the movies. That's $8 in transportation plus $21 for the theatre tickets plus $10 for sodas and popcorn. That's $39. yikes. I say that movie better be good to cost that much.

 

[Poimen]

Originally posted by Slippery
you make the theatres expensive to the tune of $10:50 per person, you then overprice sodas, popcorn and nachos, and you jerks expect people to put up with it, when they have mortgages, car notes, kids and bills.

I went to the movies twice this year, to see Be Cool and Star Wars, and no other movie has interested me that much to shell out the money, eventhough I think I would have liked Batman. When push comes to shove, I say wait six months and rent the DVD to $2.70. It works out way much better, and you will always have a good flow of movies to watch.

No kidding! That's why when I go to a movie I simply buy a ticket and that's it. Oh wait I don't go to movies anymore.
I can hardly justify spending all that money on the trash that they offer nowadays.

[Edited on 8-19-2005 by poimen]

 

[fredtgreco]

Moving to Entertainment (not movies subsection).

 

[Anton Bruckner]

Roger that Daniel. I can see the Hollywood Execs sitting in on a conference call.

Exec: I have an easy way. Instead of wasting our time producing quality movies, thereby increasing our costs, why not produce trash to cut back on our costs then increase the price per ticket.

Exec2: But who would go to the theatres?

Exec: They will go. Movie is American as apple pie. Its the standard part of a date. Trust me, they will go.

Exec2: But isn't that, um, unethical?

Exec: We're in the movie industry for crying out loud. If we produce trash to begin with, all ethics can reasonably go through the window, unless for Public Relations, they do come in handy.

 

[Puritanhead]

I like the theater while in college that charged $0.50 on tuesday and $1.50 every other day! That's all their worth anyway!


In the last three years, I never paid the full freight of $7-9 for other movies except Gods and Generals and second part of Lord of the Rings.

 

[Puritanhead]

Originally posted by joshua
I'd rather have a good book and the internet in front of me.

Though, I've found even the Internet can be a distraction... I waste too much time on it-- books are the best! I was going through this phase in college where I hardly watched any TV... I don't regret it!

I love to read a good book-- several at time even!