Iron_Giant

2014 Ticket sales = 1,274.4 Million
1995 Ticket sales = 1,262.6 Million

Highest year ever in Ticket Sales:
2002 = 1,575.7 Million

Ticket prices in 2014 was about 86% higher than ticket prices in 1995.

The trend is not looking good.

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The movies I go see are action/sci-fi/superhero movies.
-Marvel/DC/Star Trek/Star Wars (in a year), Gravity, Hunger Games, Planet of the Apes

My kids are older now, so we tend not to see Animated movies as much as we use to.
-Still love animated movies (Pixar and others), but I now tend to wait for it to come out on BR.

Comedies seem to be more "R" rated than they use to be. My wife and I enjoy more smartly written comedies that do not have to rely on language and sex to be funny.
-My Big Fat Greek Wedding is one that comes to mind that we went to see and had a great time. Not the garbage humor that is out today.
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Seems like about 1/3 of the movies my wife and I are disappointed we went to see them.
-The last Hobbit Movie was one of them, it was like watching the last 1/3 of a movie, which it was.

superdeluxe

The movie going experience has gotten worse, high concessions, rude movie goers.

Also the summer was a huge disappointment.

2015 will be a nice bounce back.

Iron_Giant

My wife and I enjoyed:
Guardians of the Galaxy
Cap America WS
X-Men: Days of Future Past (She did not see this one, but all my geeky friends loved it. One of the best for the summer)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Since Jaws, Star Wars, StarTrek, Indiana Jones...came out in the 70s/80s, I have not been willing to pay for a boring movies.
-Hollywood has made these kinds of movies so good (IMHO), it may be hurting their sales in other areas.

fumanstan

I remember there being talk here about the summer being a down year with Guardians being the only movie eclipsing $300 million and nothing breaking $400. Not a surprise that yearly ticket numbers are down, but I don't think it's because of any particular trend. Last year had 3 movies that finished over $400 million with Iron Man 3, Frozen, and Catching Fire, with 2012 having Avengers, Dark Knight Rises, Hunger Games.

Next year seems like it should be pretty big thanks to Star Wars and Avengers.

Spiderbite

Thank you Iron Giant for listing ticket sales instead of dollars. Much more accurate that way.

I wish the industry would go to that but there is no chance in hell.

Crocker Jarmen

I don't see why it is at all surprising ticket sales are down since 1995 when you remember DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download ect sales have gone way up since 1995. If anything, I'm probably spending far more money on Hollywood products now than I did in 1995, it's just that the money is being spread out to more than theater tickets.

Cusm

I go see more now than ever, but that is due to my son and a to of comic/sci-fi films. It helps that the closest AMC theater has $4 tickets before 6:00.

taffer

This.

I never go to theaters anymore period. I haven't been to one in about 15 years. I do still spend the majority of my entertainment money on DVDs and Blu-rays though.

I just don't see a point in going to theaters anymore when home theaters are becoming more and more common. At home you don't have to deal with rude assholes talking during the movie, overpriced concession food, and so on. Plus, watching a movie sitting in a couch is more comfortable than theater seats.

Fuck theaters. They can die for all I care. They are obsolete, like public pay phones.

Giles

the way ticket prices keep seem to be going up - the less I'm relunctant in doling out the cash to do the cinema route.

fumanstan

Not even close, but then again you're also the guy afraid of getting shot.

I can see where theaters have long reached their peak as home theater and media has become more prevalent, but it's not going anywhere anytime soon. I still love the premium movie experiences that I have, whether it be IMAX presentations, Dolby Atmos, or the upscale theaters in the area.

Alan Smithee

Was just thinking about this as I went to eat at a place outside a theater entrance, so I got to watch people buying tickets and going in (and getting further ass-raped on concessions.) Regular ticket prices at this theater are now ELEVEN DOLLARS, with $4 extra for 3D (I tried to see what movies they were showing in 3D but they didn't indicate any on the box office signage.) That's simply too much for a movie at any theater, and this one isn't even close to being big or upscale. There were a good number of people going in though. This theater has been consistently bad since it opened 22 years ago, even digital projection hasn't helped it much.

taffer

What?

fumanstan

Among your numerous hangups about theaters, you said you would be afraid to tell someone to be quiet out of fear of getting shot.

taffer

That has nothing to do with theaters though. I just said I don't confront anyone period because you never know who might be a psycho. It's not like I refuse to go to theaters because I am afraid of getting shot. I wouldn't even step foot outside my apartment if that was the case. I don't see what the big deal with that is. A lot of people are non-confrontational.

fumanstan

It was related to one of your hangups about noisy people in theaters though, hence the reference. Either way, the idea that theaters are obsolete is pretty silly.

taffer

If I remember right, I had mentioned that I don't like people talking during the movies. Then someone else replied and said to tell them to be quiet. Then I said I don't confront people because you never know who might be a psycho and shoot you for it.

That's not really a hangup about theaters in particular. It's just a hangup in general. I don't confront people period regardless of where I am. And it's not like I am that seriously afraid of a psycho shooting me because I wouldn't even leave my apartment if I was that afraid. I don't see what the big deal is about being non-confrontational. Some people are just naturally passive.

fumanstan

You basically just said the same thing again as before, so I could just quote my previous post here as it still applies.

PhantomStranger

The number of total tickets sold will only continue downwards unless some new, fantastic technology is invented. Many of us have excellent home theater systems and there are more hassles than ever when going out to see a movie, not to mention rising ticket prices. Hollywood's blockbusters continue to get dumber and louder, pandering to international audiences. Hollywood knows this, which is why they are embracing digital retailers and shorter theatrical windows.

mcnabb

The reason I don't go to the movies much anymore is that I believe movies overall pretty much suck these days. Now I am not saying, "When I grew up movies were much better..." As I grew up in the 80's, and I think the 90's was a great decade for movies. Something happened at the turn of the century where the movie quality just dropped? Talentless 'good looking actors' like George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, etc all getting the major roles these days doesn't help. You look at the major actors from the 70's like Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicolson, etc, and none of them compete in the looks department with a George Clooney, but they're 10 times a better actor then he will ever be on his best day.

Plus I think TV (or atleast Cable TV) is where all of the good quality stuff is these days. Over the holiday weekend, I binged on a host of TV shows whereas 10 years ago, I would have binged on the numerous DVD's I got for Christmas.

Don't get me wrong, there are still good movies out there every once in a while, but nothing that compels that I can't wait for them to come to Cable or OnDemand (there are exceptions like Star Wars Episode 7, but that's cause its in my DNA.)

Bottom line is I watched most of Mad Men Season 2 over the Holiday, as there was no movie in the theaters right now that could match that quality and compel me to spend $12.00 to sit with a bunch of people playing with their cell phones for 2 hours.

Solid Snake

That's just stupid.

There have always been grand amounts of shit films since the beginning. An interesting thing about it is that thanks to digital tech the shitty shit is a lot easier to be thrown at you than ever before. Also may depend on what types of films you like. Some genres are not all that great in quality. Not sure how much you branch out either but... maybe try more foreign stuff for variety. They probably have a quality issue like any other too. Shitty films have always been problem. The problem has always been there. There isn't anyway we have such a quantity of bad flicks that it's more apparent somehow in the now.

If you're talking about looks, I'm pretty sure they were good looking for their time. Think about eras and how attractiveness itself is different even. There's always a crossover but there is no template for all of film either.

Troy Stiffler

I go to see what seems like the "good" movies. Probably 20-30 per year. Everything else, I'll catch On Demand or Netflix.

Ten or fifteen years ago, I watched everything that came out.

mcnabb

I think 99% of the summer blockbusters are mindless action films that cater to teenagers, so I don't even bother going to the movies from March-September. The only time of year when good films come out are this time of year (drama's, historical movies),

But think about the great films since 2000, and I can probably count them on both hands? I grew up in the 70's and 80's and have loads of BluRay's from that era, but I have just as many BluRays from the 90's as I feel that was a great era in the movies. Something happened around the turn of the century, as I can't explain it. I just think that there isn't much originality in Hollywood anymore, because Franchises are such an easy money maker these days to the studios. There aren't many films that I am itching to see during this holiday season, but I can name a bunch of TV shows I am dying to watch that I haven't watched during their intial run.

I won't disagree with you that looks has always (and always) be a huge part for actors in movies or on TV. My point is that really talented actors like Paul Giamatti rarely get top billing because he doesn't have 'leading man' looks, where a George Clooney will get any starring role these days, despite the fact that he has no range as an actor.

The Gene Hackmans, the Dustin Hoffmans, and even the Meryl Streeps (sorry but none of them are stunningly beautiful people compared to a George Clooney or Julia Roberts) were getting big time movie roles in the 1970's, whereas now it is ALL about looks and less about talent.

hanshotfirst1138

Even with Frozen? Avengers and Star Wars are going to knock record out of the park this year.

Between digital projection, a diminishing interest in many releases coupled with my increasing apathy about a lot of things (Blame lack of therapy rather than the cinema, but still ), high prices idiots at the cinema, and having to juggle having a job, I do find myself going to the cinema less and less. Mostly because I know that I can just get the Blu in a few months. If it's a special event (Got to see a 35mm print of Seven Samurai last year, reserved a ticket for 15/70 Interstellar, and THAT won't be happening anymore .) maybe I'll do it, but mostly, I'm running out of fire. There's absolutely a mystique to the communal magic of cinema-going, but it's dwindling for me.

taffer

You're just getting old. The blockbusters of the 80s-90s are no different than today. They mostly appeal to younger people. You were just younger back then, so they appealed to you then. It's nostalgia. Everyone has nostalgia for their younger days when things were "so much better" but in truth those "good old days" never actually existed.

You're also biasing your comparison of "beautiful" actors. You don't even mention the truly beautiful actors of the 80s-90s like Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, or Johnny Depp. Yes, they're still around today, but they had big presences back then as well. Seriously, you use Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman as your "beautiful" actors? Seriously? That is incredibly biased.

mcnabb

Sorry, but I don't buy the nostalgia argument. Every genre has a great era of films. The 70's were great for gritty movies like Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, French Connection, TaxiDriver, Deer Hunter, etc. I was born in 1972, and saw NONE of those movies til the 90's when I was in Highschool and College, yet they are all great movies.

The summer blockbusters movies of today don't even compare to the 70's/80's. Movies like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future are timeless classics. Most summer blockbusters are generic comic book movies that will be forgotten 10 years from now.

The 90's were a great decade for what I call the 'potpourri' of great movies. You had great movies range from Goodfellas to Pulp Fiction to Apollo 13 to Shawshank Redemption to Silence of the Lambs. There was no defining genre of this decade, but there are alot of great movies that came out in this period.

So I have given you 3 decades of movies I love, and I only really grew up as a kid in the 1980's, so this nostalgia blinders argument doesnt work. I call movies as I see it, and I honestly can't name that many great movies since 2000 that I care to revisit like I did in the previous 3 decades.

Yet, there are so many great cable TV dramas that I love to watch now. How come you aren't calling me on the 'nostalgia' argument with TV, because there is no way the TV drama's of 20-30 years ago even compare to today's TV drama?