Jeff Rock

I’ll tell you why movie revenue is dropping…

The theater experience. Moviegoers above 30 are weary of noisy fanboys and girls. The annoyance of talkers has been joined by the plague of cell-phone users, whose bright screens are a distraction. Worse, some texting addicts get mad when told they can’t use their cell phones.

Maybe I am getting old, but I can’t stomach the experience anymore. It’s the number one reason I opt out. The disrespect the average moviegoer has for other people in a theater is simply unacceptable. Since I haven’t enjoyed going to a movie in 5 years, I just stopped going. I wait for everything to become available in the secondary market. I can watch movies closer to how the director intended it to be experienced in my own environment. No distraction. A respectful audience. A dark room with the sound up.

There’s no technical reason that all movies can’t be delivered on their release date to your display device of choice. This is another case of the messenger getting in the way of the message. Movie theaters were invented because there was no other way to show movies. That problem has long been solved. The Megaplex only exists because people keep going there. You can enjoy a blockbuster summer movie just as much (probably more) in the comfort of your own home in just a few short months from its release. If enough of us make that decision the industry will get the message and close the gap, just like they always do.

You shouldn’t have to go to the movies. They should have to come to you.