According to the New York Post, this summer’s doldrums have put previous years to shame. The article they put out is titled “Tinseltown Wilting Under Historic Box Office Lows” because according to the numbers, this summer has been the worst one for movies in over a decade.
Why is this? Speaking from my own experience, I can tell you I definitely don’t go to the movies like I used to. Part of it might be my life stage, but really, I think we’re going to see this shift more and more with the rise of ticket prices, and the option of convenience technology has brought us.
Money
Ten years ago, I was graduating high school and movie tickets were running just a little over $6. It’s now over double what it used to be. With most Americans paying attention to their budgets these days, I think I speak for most of us, when I say, I don’t go to the movies anymore unless its something I really want to see because I just don’t want to pay that much for a movie I don’t really want to see.
Convenience
And then, there’s the culture shift we’re all part of – where we’ve gotten comfortable consuming our entertainment from the comfort of our own recliners. Now that we have the option of waiting a few weeks and then spending less money than we would at the theater to rent movies on iTunes, it’s kind of a no-brainer. The theater experience in incomparable, but I think that our love for convenience usually trumps our love for the grandeur of the big screen.
Just Not What it Used to Be
Are there any movies coming out this year that you will see in theaters? I’m hoping to catch “This is Where I Leave You” with Jason Bateman and Tina Fey in theaters, but other than that, I’ll probably be sticking to iTunes, further contributing to the the Tinseltown slump. Some people think that movies aren’t as good as they used to be. Can you tell that this was my mother’s answer, when I asked for her opinion? I think every older generation says that about he new kids. But, I can see what my mom is saying. They don’t make many movies that teach you something or make you think. This summer, we had so much that was simply commercial – Transformers, Ninja Turtles, Planet of the Apes.
Why do you think people are buying less movie tickets?