Roger Ebert Blasts Theaters for 2011's Down Year at the Box Office
1/2/2012
by Lauren Schutte


Though 2011 ended on an up note with Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol taking in a total of $134 million over the Christmas and New Year's holiday weekends, it's no secret that the year has been a tough one for the movie industry.

American audiences have simply not turned out to the theaters. The domestic box office was down 3.4 percent from 2010, bringing movie attendance down to a 16-year low.



It' a disappointing statistic; especially for a year that started with projections of a box-office rebound due to a plethora of 3D releases.

But, that didn't happen, in fact, in 2011 audiences often chose the 2-D version of a film over its 3D counterpart.









While many in the movie industry have cited still-emerging technology, the absence of an Avatar-like hit and piracy issues, movie critic Roger Ebert has penned a new essay saying none of those factors are really to blame.

Ebert acknowledges the lack of a "must-see mass-market movie" was a factor, but he places the rest of the blame for poor attendance squarely on the shoulders of the theaters that screen the films.

"Ticket prices are too high," he writes, noting that movies used to be a cheaper entertainment alternative than concerts, sporting events and eating out. "Not so much any longer. No matter what your opinion is about 3D, the charm of paying a hefty surcharge has worn off for the hypothetical family of four."





The same applies to refreshment prices.

"It's an open secret that the actual cost of soft drinks and popcorn is very low," says Ebert. "To justtify their inflated prices, theaters serve portions that are grotesquely oversized ... today's bucket of popcorn would feed a thoroughbred."





The critic also says the overall movie-going experience is no longer enjoyable due to texting and talking. Instead of dealing with the nuisance, many would rather watch a film from the comfort of their home...which they are doing via Netflix and online-streaming says Ebert.





He also blames the large theaters for not carrying smaller niche films.

"The bright spot in 2011 was the performance of indie, foreign or documentarty films," writes Ebert. "Most moviegoers outside large urban centers can't find those titles in their local gigantiplex. Instead all of the shopping center compounds seem to be showing the same few overhyped disappointments."





And if there was any doubt about the target of his essay, Ebert ends by saying, "Americans love the movies as much as ever. It's the theaters that are losing their charm."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-roger-ebert-netflix-mission-impossible-3d-277228

I say it is the half hour of commercials and pre-views before the movie even starts :( and the fact the movie is available 3 months later on dvd etc... :crazy:

I say it is the half hour of commercials and pre-views before the movie even starts :( and the fact the movie is available 3 months later on dvd etc... :crazy:

You hit the nail on the head! I can pay $15.00 to watch a Movie at the Theater and eat a box of Popcorn and wash it down with a Soda, or I can wait four months and for the same amount of money I can watch the Movie and eat a box of Popcorn and wash it down with a Soda, and get to keep the Movie after I watch it! :D

istil watch movie at the theaer. we usasl don't do 3d we saw avtaro and trasnfomer in 3d. i like to see the new journay 2 in 3d. i just think it waste of money they should just mayyou payfor then they could make it were you kepedthe glasses then us them agig instead of paying for new glases then it wouldn't cost much nowtheir making tv and videogames in3d. now thier making tv in3d with out the galsesess. i usual don't get candy i usual snaek candyin the theatehr my dad gets pop corn and coke. i hateee the commericals it the same one come on tv. it just gotten expenison to go to the theater that why mostpeople doing the dollor rent boxs or netlifx. it just not worth painy 20 or 30 bucks to go see a moive. nowif their a movie i been looking forwardor if my mom and dad or brother went to see a movie i moslty like to see ones im looking forward t olie the agnvver spider-man or the dark night rises then i'll go to the movie. i did go see we broguth a zoo i higly reocmedi t it based on ture story

I say it is the half hour of commercials and pre-views before the movie even starts :( and the fact the movie is available 3 months later on dvd etc... :crazy:
I also agree with that.Plus modern movies for the most part are garbage.And something is really wrong when people like Justin Timberlake and many other of his fellow zero talents are considered movie 'stars'.

I think the two main reasons for the current low box-office is the economy and pirating / downloading.

Unfortunately many people don't have the money to go the movies that often nowadays. It goes back to what Ebert was saying, that "the prices are too high." It's even more if you want to see the picture in 3D or IMAX.



Also, it is very easy today to get movies by illegal means on the countless websites out there. There are also tons of bootleg vendors out in the streets.

People aren't going to want to go out to the movies and spend $10.00+ at the theater when they can get the film in seconds for free on the computer.

There's also the legal downloading that goes on through iTunes or video game consoles.

As a former box office cashier, I can't agree more with you guys. Boy, did I get tired of hearing complaints about the ticket prices, as if I had anything to do with them.

Plus, now that I don't work in a theater anymore and don't get free tickets, I wait for a movie I'd like to see to come to DVD and get it out of the library so I can see it in the comfort of home for free. You never know who you'll be stuck with in a show, be it a bunch of unruly teens or gabby older women or a couple who decides to sit in front of you and proceed to make out through the whole picture.

That's why I haven't seen a movie in the theater since 2005 - the last one I saw was Walk the Line!!! :lol:

^

When did you work at the theater? The standard price for an adult ticket at my local place is $9.00 now. It used to be $6.00 back in 2001.

Really, since 2005?? That's a while...

I worked at a movie theater from 1999-2005. At the time I left, matinee tickets were $6.25, children and seniors were $6, and nighttime shows for adults were $8.75. Keep in mind that these were Ohio prices...I can only imagine the grief box office cashiers are getting now. :eek:

Also, it is very easy today to get movies by illegal means on the countless websites out there. There are also tons of bootleg vendors out in the streets.

IMO there are actually TWO kinds of Pirates, and I call them "Black Pirates" and "White Pirates".

Black Pirates are those who copy Movies and TV Shows and sell them as soon as these shows come out (Sometimes even BEFORE these shows come out!) to those who simply cannot wait for these shows to be released officially on DVD. Last May, while I was on a Mission Trip with my Church in Brazil, I saw countless Street Vendors and a bcouple of Stores that were selling copies of Captain America, Cars 2, The Green Hornet & Thor, among others. They were charging 60 Reals (About $25.00) for their copies. Personally I think people are foolish to go for these kinds of titles, as these are often of extremely poor quality, and those who attempt to download these to their computers may ene up getting more than they bargained for. (That's Viruses and Spyware for those of you in Rio Linda! :lol: )

White Pirates are my name for those who sell Movies and TV Shows that Hollywood simply REFUSES to release on DVD, usually due to Corporate Greed Issues such as Ownership Problems (The 1966 Batman) is a prime example here), "Music Rights" (The Wonder Years stands out here) or "Political Correctness" (Walt Disney's Song of the South stands out here) not to mention countless obscure Titles Hollywood says would not generate enough profit for them to release. There are those who would be glad to purchase these titles, and hundreds more like them legitimately, but since Hollywood refuses to sell them, people go "somewhere else" to get them. Two wrongs may not make a right, but there are times you have to fight fire with FIRE! :angryfire

^ I purchase from the "White Pirates", as you call them, because there is no other option. I have many things that have never been officially released.

I don't bother with the "Black Pirates" because most of their material is of poor quality.

I worked at a movie theater from 1999-2005. At the time I left, matinee tickets were $6.25, children and seniors were $6, and nighttime shows for adults were $8.75. Keep in mind that these were Ohio prices...I can only imagine the grief box office cashiers are getting now. :eek:

I haven't been to a matinee in a while. Those were $7.00 back in 2008.

^ I purchase from the "White Pirates", as you call them, because there is no other option. I have many things that have never been officially released.

I don't bother with the "Black Pirates" because most of their material is of poor quality.

Neither do I. Why should I fork over $25.00 for a crappy copy when 3 or four months later I can get the Real McCoy for $15.00 or less.

If I buy something from the "Whites" and Someone (Either the Studio or a Licensee) comes out with an official release (And they don't screw things up like the did with :angryfire My Three Sons, WKRP In Cincinatti or The Fugative :angryfire) I'll purchase the official release and introduce the "Boots" to Mr. B.F. Hammer! :lol:

Neither do I. Why should I fork over $25.00 for a crappy copy when 3 or four months later I can get the Real McCoy for $15.00 or less.

If I buy something from the "Whites" and Someone (Either the Studio or a Licensee) comes out with an official release (And they don't screw things up like the did with :angryfire My Three Sons, WKRP In Cincinatti or The Fugative :angryfire) I'll purchase the official release and introduce the "Boots" to Mr. B.F. Hammer! :lol:

That's what I did with the tv-series "The Crow: Stairway to Heaven".

I purchased the whole series from one of the Comic-Cons because it wasn't released at the time. It officially came to DVD in the U.S. in 2007 and I bought the real thing.

pluSE now day if you wait 3 to 6 weeks it come out on dvd or blu ray if you wait couple more month you can see geti t really cheap on sale or or see it at the cheape theaather or rent it on netlifx.

We have a $1 theater in my hometown, where the movies are shown about two weeks before they come out on DVD. If you want to have a movie theater experience, then this is where you go because it is so cheap. Of course the $8 theater is in nicer shape, but you really can't beat a dollar these days!