Obi-wan Kenobi wasn't Hollywood's only hope in reversing its longest box-office slump in 20 years, but so far, none of the summer blockbusters -- not even the Caped Crusader -- has been able to save Movie City. Results from a recent Gallup survey* likely won't relieve industry-watchers' concern about sagging box-office figures, either.
Movie Habits
Asked directly if their moviegoing habits have changed in the last five years, nearly half of Americans (48%) say they are visiting movie theaters less often, 36% say they go about the same amount, and only 15% say they think they're going out to see more movies than they did five years ago.
Settling In
Why do more Americans say they're less likely to go out to the movies these days? When given a choice of four reasons why they might not go to the theaters more often, 33% say they "prefer to watch movies at home." Twenty-four percent say that "it costs too much to go to the movies," and 19% attribute it to the "poor quality" of movies today. One in five (21%) say they just don't have the time.
The poll asked Americans whether five factors would make them more likely to see a movie in a theater. Seven in 10 say they would be more likely to attend a movie showing if "the tickets and concessions cost less money," including 43% who say this would make them "much more likely." Roughly the same percentage say that better quality films would make them more likely to go to the movies, although somewhat fewer (36%) say it would make them "much more likely" to do so. About half would be at least somewhat more likely to attend if "the theaters were better" or if "there were better controls on audience behavior." Forty-two percent say a delay of two years before movies appeared on DVD or VHS would increase their likelihood of seeing a movie in a theater.
The poll also asked the public which of four factors would be most important in getting them to see a movie in the theater. Personal recommendations from friends and relatives was most likely chosen, and by a 2-to-1 margin over the other options. Twenty-one percent said commercials for the movie are important in getting them to see a movie in a theater, 16% say the starring actors in the film, and just 14% say positive reviews from movie critics.
Bottom Line
Perhaps the new crop of blockbusters, such as War of the Worlds or Fantastic Four, will help lure Americans back to the cinema. But even if people prefer their living rooms to the multiplex, they needn't worry about seeing studio executives living on the street. Things have changed since Hollywood's golden days, when movie studios were totally dependent on box-office revenues. DVD sales now contribute more to a movie's profits than tickets sales; according to a recent Variety article, to date 2005 income from DVD sales is three times higher than box-office ticket earnings.
* Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,006 National Adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 20-22, 2005. For results based on the total sample of National Adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
