Cinema sidelined by new home video rentals
The best movie theater is at home, students say
Adam Bickel, Reporter
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Entertainment
With the Oscars wins and loses still fresh, one question remains. When is that movie coming to DVD or on-demand?
According to ABC News, theater ticket sales are down 12.6 percent since 2002.
"It's too expensive to see a movie unless you go to the dollar theater," said sophomore Jessica Green. Stacy Doepker, a junior sitting nearby, agreed.
"Last week I went to see 'The Bucket List,' and after the tickets and snacks it cost over $25 for two of us to see a movie," Doepker said.
"That could fill my car up with gas," she said.
Green had another reason for declining theater profits.
"My brother used to be the downloading king. If I wanted to see a movie that was in theaters, I got a bootleg," she said.
Pirated copies are not the only films being watched at home these days either.
Web rentals from Netflix and Blockbuster are enormously popular. A monthly price with no late fees makes and DVD delivery in the mail beat theaters in terms of convenience.
Netflix said it currently has more than 90,000 titles and has mailed over one billion movies since it started in 1997.
Graduate student Jamie Durig not only skips movies in theater, but passes on DVDs too. But she still watches movies.
"I rarely ever go to see or rent movies. I have a high definition flat screen at home and movies on demand I can rent at anytime from my couch," she said.
She said the advances in home theater technology have made movie theaters practically unnecessary and at times annoying.
Durig said for her, going to the theater really isn't a treat anymore.
"I am a middle school teacher, and the last thing I want to deal with on my days off are kids talking and answering their phones during I movie I just paid 20 bucks for," she said.
An online poll last year by Techdirt.com found that 73 percent of people would rather watch a movie at home. Doepker didn't find that high number surprising.
"After I spend all day at school and/or work, I am too tired to sit in a theater," she said. "If I am going to fall asleep during a movie, it is going to be on my couch."
According to ABC News, theater ticket sales are down 12.6 percent since 2002.
"It's too expensive to see a movie unless you go to the dollar theater," said sophomore Jessica Green. Stacy Doepker, a junior sitting nearby, agreed.
"Last week I went to see 'The Bucket List,' and after the tickets and snacks it cost over $25 for two of us to see a movie," Doepker said.
"That could fill my car up with gas," she said.
Green had another reason for declining theater profits.
"My brother used to be the downloading king. If I wanted to see a movie that was in theaters, I got a bootleg," she said.
Pirated copies are not the only films being watched at home these days either.
Web rentals from Netflix and Blockbuster are enormously popular. A monthly price with no late fees makes and DVD delivery in the mail beat theaters in terms of convenience.
Netflix said it currently has more than 90,000 titles and has mailed over one billion movies since it started in 1997.
Graduate student Jamie Durig not only skips movies in theater, but passes on DVDs too. But she still watches movies.
"I rarely ever go to see or rent movies. I have a high definition flat screen at home and movies on demand I can rent at anytime from my couch," she said.
She said the advances in home theater technology have made movie theaters practically unnecessary and at times annoying.
Durig said for her, going to the theater really isn't a treat anymore.
"I am a middle school teacher, and the last thing I want to deal with on my days off are kids talking and answering their phones during I movie I just paid 20 bucks for," she said.
An online poll last year by Techdirt.com found that 73 percent of people would rather watch a movie at home. Doepker didn't find that high number surprising.
"After I spend all day at school and/or work, I am too tired to sit in a theater," she said. "If I am going to fall asleep during a movie, it is going to be on my couch."
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