Hollywood Revenues Drop More Than Eight Percent

The latest statistics show that Hollywood revenues and ticket sales are down a record 8.7%, which is the highest decrease since 1985. Experts are working hard to find out why income is dropping, and why fewer and fewer people are going to see movies.

From an outside perspective, it would seem that the Entertainment industry should be booming. Hot stars, exciting movies, scandalous media breaks, and fame are flying through the air as the holiday season continues, but apparently, the general public is less enthused than people thought.

There are several factors that might contribute to these types of drops in revenue. Human interest is, of course, difficult to predict, but the high-tech, action-packed movies of 2005 should be drawing in the crowds from every city and town in the world. Are people losing the desire for the hype and extravagance so commonly flaunted by Hollywood?

Piracy

Obviously, piracy has its hand in the drop of movie and video sales. The knowledge that we can acquire any movie we like for free sometimes stops people from buying them at stores. Hundreds of piracy companies overseas sell boot-legged copies of American films at extremely discounted rates, and with the ability to copy DVD's on computers keeps friends and family from buying multiple copies. Renting movies and then taping them at home has become a popular practice, and the legality of these issues does not seem to be much of a deterrant.

Technology

Sure, movies are bigger and bolder and more exciting than ever before, but is that what people want? Since the issue of the Matrix, producers and directors are producing more and more movies that boast CGI and complicated animantion. Some of the movies that I have seen have been obnoxiously created with affects that are unrealistic and overly done.

DVDs

I don't know about the rest of the general public, but I prefer to wait until movies come out on DVD so that I can see the additional scenes and footage that typically come with the Director's Cut. I would rather see it all at once than watch it at the theater and have to wait several months before I can see the rest. Maybe the rest of the viewing audience feels the same way.

Disenchantment

It is entirely possible that the American (and foreign) public has become disenchanged with Hollywood. It is obvious that over the last fifty years, Hollywood has become more about "who's dating whom" and "who makes more money" and "who's been to rehab" than about the movies themselves. Magazines like "People" and "Us" thrive on this type of scandal, and promote more about the actors' lives than about what work they have accomplished. Money and fame are fine, but why is middle-class America concerned with million-dollar contracts when we ourselves are just seeking entertainment?