How the DVD Ruined The Movie Experience
Ten-Dollar Tickets, Five-Dollar Soda, Noisy Crowds - Who Needs It?
For example, NATO (National Association of Theatre Owners) reported that the average price of a movie ticket in 2008 was $7.18. Factor in a five-dollar popcorn and a five-dollar soda and the average family of four could spend almost seventy dollars on a weekend excursion to Angels and Demons or Monsters vs. Aliens. (Source: http://www.cinemark.com/theater_showtimes.asp?theater_id=374)
Compare That to Netflix And Factor In The Home Theatre
Netflix offers memberships as low as $5.99 a month for two movies delivered in the mail. Most home televisions can't equate the sound quality of the cineplex but five hundred dollars will buy Bose home theatre speakers and an additional seven hundred dollars will fetch an Aquos flat-screen television (www.bestbuy.com).
Now, assume six percent sales tax on the two items. The total tab comes to $1272.00. Divide $1272.00 by $27.50. What do these numbers mean? On tickets alone the theatre system would pay for itself in forty-six movies. That's without factoring the money saved by snacking on previously purchased groceries as opposed to buying outrageously priced popcorn and soft drinks.
Add the Human Factor and the Theatre Experience Loses in a Landslide
Since video rentals became popular in the mid-1980s the movie viewing experience has changed a great deal. People can pause or rewind any movie if they want to review a key point or if they want more popcorn (which is, of course, easy to do because it's much cheaper). People can also feel free to carry on sidebar conversations at whatever volume they choose, text their friends, receive phone calls or do other multi-tasking why the movie is playing.
If people want to do this in their own home, that's their business. But let's say the family of four that trucked through Friday night traffic to hustle in time to make the 7:30 showing of Monsters v. Aliens (since unlike at home they can't pick what time they want to see the movie) finds the last available seats right next to people who are unaware they aren't at home. Because of this, they choose to talk about unrelated subjects through key points of the movie, receive phone calls despite the theatre's requests to turn the cell phones off and generally act like a distraction to the family of four, which is considering their seventy dollars as money well-spent (sarcasm intended).
Stay At Home Or Go Out? What To Do?
Considering each factor certain movies do benefit from the cineplex experience (summer blockbusters that cut across target markets are good examples). But for the most part the average moviegoer will save lots in money and aggravation by staying at home and waiting for the DVD.
Everybody stayed home and waited for the DVD.
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