What's hurting box office receipts is Home Theater, not DVD per se. When you can have a great movie-viewing experience in your own home, why bother going sitting next to Joe talks-a-lot at the cineplex?

IMHO the words HD-DVD AKA Blue Ray, sell off all you can before the new format rolls in, the same thing they are doing with small analog TV sets before the FCC says Digital and that is 16 x 9.

I think it's more likely that high ticket prices, commercials, and obnoxious patrons are what's really hurting the box office. People flocking to DVD is just a side effect.

Price and convenience are the two main factors why DVD is hurting box office receipts. Think of the cost for a family of four to go to the movies (tickets, refreshments and even parking at some venues) versus buying a DVD to watch (and re-watch) at their leisure.

Wearing your tin foil hat right now? FCC says analog should be gone 2006, I'll tell you what, not gonna happen. stations aren't ready for it and if push comes to shove you will have a lot of smaller markets not ready for it left without signal to broadcast. The issue at hand is and always will be the issue with the latest technology, the companies have not yet made the money back that it took to invest in the new technology and thus, the prices are still not as low as they should be in order for you to have your average consumer take advantage of them.


yes, because it is apples and oranges and we can not get the basic idea out of this example.. It's a medium that the public uses to view film at home. Like most anything, consumers skip a format and adapt a new one. Once that new consumer level format is around it is hard to get the public to buy the newer technology and typically you get the skipping a generation to the next big one. LD's were skipped, mini disc, VCD's were skipped and all because why? Because the consumer got used to the previous on average good item. the consumers are happy to buy a dvd and they will not be pleased, nor accept a new technology that they will have to re-buy the same things they already did. Why would they want to buy Scarface twice? one on dvd and one on HD-DVD? they wont. they will be satisfied with the DVD version and not even bother noticing the slightly improved, if that, picture of the HD-DVD or Blue laser version. In order for the new technology to be welcomed you have to sweeten the deal by making the new tech. work with the old. have players that play both.

Now you say that it is hurting box office reciepts? How exactly? I can understand the arguement that lower prices and more knowledge about Home theaters might be hurting box office intakes, but the same could be said about the above mentioned higher ticket prices, more crappy titles to choose from and other outside factors on this. The ability to gain extra's on a disc doesn't hurt it. If I didn't see a film in theaters then me buying the disc will not be dependant on the amount of behind the scenes or extras on a specific disc. that would be a bonus if I did see it in theaters.

You keep saying this but provide nothing to back up your statement.

Please put up or shut up.

One thing that seems to be getting overlooked here is that most people will simply not be able to use HD-DVDs because they do not own an HD TV. A product that only a small fraction of the population is capable of using will not overtake a product that is highly accepted and in widespread use. They can coexist, but the current DVD format is certainly not in danger for several years.

I don't buy that we are building libraries for nothing. Look at the way VHS has been able to co-exist with DVD several years, for some simple and good reasons. J6P hasn't wanted to make the switch. We film lovers aren't truly what changes the market......the average Joe does because he is the masses and he is the buyer. VHS is going away for several reasons. DVD prices are dropping, hardware prices are falling, and J6P is making the transition for less than $100, even less than $50, from his VCR to a DVD player. Laser discs didn't do any of that and was always a niche market as a result. The current DVD format is not in danger because of J6P......they've managed to gain his acceptance by lowering the prices on DVD movies and players. How many people do you know own computers with Windows 98 and use them only to surf the net year after year, not wanting or needing anything more than that? Lots of em are out there. DVD prices needed to drop if the market was going to be cleared of VHS as the standard. Now I can and do buy movies on DVD for $5.50 at Wallyworld I've seen friends buy at $20 and much more a few years ago.....Medicine Man is a good example. It's kind of a catch 22.......the corporate faction wants to go to HD-DVD, but they have managed to do something very difficult, build a new market to replace one that had been the standard for about 20 years. Now if they want to do this again the market they JUST created will have to die away. J6P isn't likely to change again so quickly, and if he DOES change, it will again have to be because of low pricing. When the music industry made the switch from vinyl to CD they did something smart and ruthless......they took vinyl away altogether, so you either bought CDs or cassettes. The industry didn't do that with VHS.....why? Greed. VHS rentals....and the ability to record on VHS. Vinyl didnt have that rental market/audience. VHS and now DVD has it. I for one won't make another transition quickly, and with hundreds of DVDs in my collection which I am VERY satisfied watching I see no reason to unless it's shoved down my throat, in which case it would have to be forced down J6P's throat. I know this sounds sacfiligious, but we have J6P to thank for the falling prices of DVDs. They'll pay $5-$15 and buy several, seeing it as an impulse buy and a good investment, knowing they and their kids can watch it as often as they please once it's in their shopping cart. They won't pay $20 or more and see it as an impulse buy, not when they have to make house payments and take care of 3 kids.

Paid Tickets to Movie Theaters:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/

2003 - 1,524 billion tickers sold
1997 (1st year DVDs were released) - 1,387.7 billion tickers sold

About 10% increase in ticket sales from 97 to 03. Not as good as 91 to 97, but still better than 85 to 91.

1997 (1st year DVDs were released) - 1,387.7 billion tickers sold
1991 - 1,140.6 billion tickers sold

About 18% increase in ticket sales from 91 to 07.

1991 - 1,140.6 billion tickers sold
1985 - 1,056.1 billion tickers sold

About 8% increase in ticket sales from 85 to 91.

Growth rates change through the years. DVD/VHS have helped and hurt the movie industry. Because of VHS, T2 became possible and bacame a huge blockbuster. Many other movies became sequels (Austin Powers...) because of VHS.

DVDs are making studios more money and will enable more big budget movies to be made (LOTR...), studios know there will be hundreds of millions of $$$ made just on the DVD/VHS/Cable/World wide theaters..., which make it easier to make a movie they were afraid it might not make any money (L. of Ex Gentlemen).

I do not think DVD are hurting movie attendance, it is a inexpensive way to have a good time with friends. And I like going out into public watching movie, the reaction (laughter, screams, jumps...) of the crowd adds to the movie experience.

Long live Movie Theaters and DVD.

Really crappy movies are what's hurting box office receipts. Um...let's see: Cradle 2 the Grave, Dreamcatcher, Darkness Falls, The Core, Hollywood Homicide, Basic, Dumb and Dumberer, Timeline, My Boss's Daughter, How to Deal, The Order, Gigli, and few more just from 2003...

Yes, movie theaters certainly aren't hurting. Look how many movies have grossed 200-400 million dollars (in the U.S. alone) in the last couple of years.

The same could have been said about the color TV. Technology moves forward and while I will disagree with you on the fact that HD-TV's will not become mainstream in say... 6 years As it stands, the FCC has set it so that by 2006, broadcasters have to be able to broadcast in HD. though much talk in the industry is that there is no way that the broadcasters can do that and at best, by 2012 it will be done. Either way, I will agree that HD-DVD will not take over dvd's standing because frankly, the masses only like to re-buy titles after every so often. folks with video collections when VHS was around were nothing compared to your average dvd buyer. the convience to store dvd's have really taken the market by storm, I doubt it will be like this with a new format for some time.

I'm surprised that there has not been a push by the movie houses of the world to eliminate VHS as a medium alltogether. We are possibly less than a year or two away from seeing a $20 DVD player (without the hassle of mail in rebates). At current prices of DVD players, I dont understand why those that like movies (and still rend/buy VHS) have not migrated to DVD. Its getting harder and harder to find content on VHS these days.

I may one of the few who will say this but I'm damn glad that dvd is beating movies now. I mean they are asking people to pay way to much to go to a movie. I mean like $12 per person is madness. If two people go you can just get a dvd for the same price and if you like the movie you can wacth it again and wacth extras most of the time. I was at the movies not to long ago and a family of 4 was there and the dad told the mom the tickets cost $50. That is just damn madness and ****ing dumb. I'm lucky I find a nice place that is only $5 for a Matinees and it has them chiers that go up so nobody blocks your view. I will not spend over $7 to see a movie.

Movies prices are nuts I'm gald they are hurting maybe they will learn something.

Opps I got off topic anyway prices are coming down cause places like CC and BB are trying to beat each other and cause alot more folks are getting into DVD.

Not precisely. As I understand it, the TV stations have to be able to broadcast digitally by 2006. But they can use a channel to broadcast several standard format digital shows or one HD show. There is some worry that they may choose to go with more standard format broadcasts (more shows = more advertising = more money) rather than tie up their resources with HD broadcasts. There was some talk of Congress mandating at least some HD programming, but I don't know if that ever happened.

Places like BB and CC lower there prices on DVDs to get you in the door and hope when you buy that plasma TV that you choose them for the purchase,its almost a bait tactic by companys but im not complaining.

I was in BB today. The prices are okay but Wallyworld is really doing the damage price wise, as well as internet outlets like DDD. Prices are falling because of competition, no doubt, but as stated elsewhere in this thread, alot of movies just aren't gonna sell after the first 2 months or so for anywhere near the $20 people paid on release day. Then again, look at movies like Scarface, and the recent Alien Quadrilogy and BTTF Trilogy and Indiana Jones sets........these movies are making money for their studios yet AGAIN, after a decade and much more of not being in the theatres. Prices should fall on DVDs. It's mostly gravy, LOTS and LOTS of gravy, to the studios.

Home Theater is not killing anything, as most people don't have one. It is DVD which has penetrated the masses which is hurting box office.

Box office revenues dropped in 2003. Television ratings among young men virtually disappeared. Both DVD and computer games share responsibility for these events.

The bottom line is that buying a DVD for $19.99 is cheaper than going to the movies for two people, which typically costs $30.00 for two people. It isn't too difficult to figure out the eventual economic impact.