Movie tickets are like everything else these days--it's all going up. This trend isn't going to change any time soon, either. As long as corporate greed continues to rule the economy the prices of everything will continue to be jacked up in favor of making more profit. The difference between movie ticket prices rising and most everything else going up is that going to see a movie is a luxury and not necessary to live life. As a result, theater owners and Hollywood at large will continue to see a drop in audience members attending.
It's also interesting to note that within the last number of years, we've seen more films that have a laundry list of A-list actors in them (look at the Oceans movies, holiday themed movies like Valentine's Day etc). Why does this happen? Most likely it's because these actors surrender some of their normal salary in order to be part of a film after lots of studio convincing. The more actors there are, the more likely it is that people will go and see your film because one of your favorite actors is in it.
I remember a couple of years ago there was a big stink because Hollywood business was looking in to direct-to-home opportunities for new release movies, like On Demand and other services, to alleviate the time and planning it supposedly takes for someone to go to a theater and sit through a film. The idea was to make movies available to the audience in their home on premiere night, or at least within the first week, in order to generate more revenue. I could be wrong, but I also recall that the prices were going to be more than your normal On Demand for films (2 to 4 bucks) and be close to that of an actual movie ticket--all in the name of convenience. But this did not really get off the ground because theater owners cried fowl, claiming that Hollywood was giving up on them after years of driving revenue, and basically accused Hollywood studios of abandoning them and dooming their business if this occurred.
While this business model certainly would have cut into the profits of theater owners, I don't think it would have completely put them out of business immediately. Personally, it does sound convenient to be able to watch DS 2012 at home even now, having seen it twice. But movie purists like me enjoy going to the cinemas and watching it all play out on the big screen, with the sweeping sound systems. There is nothing like this anywhere else, unless you're one of those Hollywood corporate bigwigs who can afford to have a theater in his or her own home. Eventually the audience would dwindle down to nothing but these purists, and we might see the demise of cinema houses everywhere, but I don't think it would've happened for a long while.
The lack of an audience is also why there are more 3D films and "IMAX Experiences" being promoted, because those tickets cost significantly more than a $5 matinee during the middle of the day. It's been proven in business time and again that the model of convincing someone that they're paying for an "experience" means that you can eek out just a little more money from their wallet in exchange for promises that may or may not be fulfilled. I've seen several movies on IMAX screens, but I can say that there is a major difference between seeing a film that is shot on regular stock in IMAX and seeing a film that was shot in IMAX on an IMAX screen. For example, the IMAX sequences of The Dark Knight were much more clear and engrossing that those that were shot with regular film, and I plan on seeing The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX the first time I see it, as opposed to waiting for the second (or potentially third) viewing.
In relation, the lack of an audience is also why indie films are catching the eyes of corporate Hollywood more and more--because they are produced cheaply, have messages that resonate, and are very profitable when they connect with people.
As far as the box office success of DS 2012, I think it will make back it's budget if it hasn't already. We can't really know given the various reports of what the budget actually was. I am still shocked that the budget could have been as high as $150 million, because I simply cannot see where all of that money went. The only thing I can figure is that having to build all of those intricate sets, and a whole town really, drove the budget sky high. Truthfully, there have been movies that are just as visually stunning that have cost a lot less.
Topic: Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!! (Read 350626 times)