Apparently Hollywood is having it’s worst slump in the last 20 years. http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/16/news/newsmakers/boxoffice_sales/

I would like to think that my Box Office Boycott had something to do with this but that would be highly optimistic of me. More probable is the fact that for a couple to go to the movies costs roughly $36.

$21.00 ($10.50 per person) Tickets
$6.00 Large Popcorn
$5.00 Large Soda
$4.25 Large Candy
$31.25 Movie Night

That’s without children. Now for the same $36 dollars you could rent around nine movies and watch them at home. You could also purchase two DVDs and get to watch all the special features. You could go out to dinner and actually have a nice conversation for that amount.

Although prices are to blame, that’s not all. Aout of the 600 or so movies released a year, I personally only enjoy around a dozen of them. If I’m going to pay $36 I would hope to at least enjoy the time. How many movies coming out of Hollywood do you actually enjoy? Probably around 25% are good, 25% are horrible and 50% are bearable, just bearable. I don’t enjoy bearable. Sitting at at my girlfriends brothers wedding is bearable, that doesn’t mean I enjoy it.

The sad part is that Hollywood and the theatres don’t even get it. They think that home consoles, DVDs and home theatres are to blame. They blame everyone but themselves. I would love to spend a night at the movies but I know I’m going to get crap most of the time so I don’t. Start making good movies, charge a fair price and you will see an improvement in sales.

Motion pictures started as an artform. Hollywood needs to bring the industry back to its roots.