Surprise! People Prefer Movies at Home
Filed under: Exhibition, Home Entertainment
A new poll conducted by The L.A. Times and Bloomberg has revealed the obvious: people prefer to watch movies at home rather than at the theater. The poll, which surveyed males and females aged 12 to 24, showed that in one demographic, 21-24-year-olds, less than 10-percent prefer the theater (the percent increases somewhat the younger the person). Aside from that old news, the poll did have some interesting results. The main attraction for going out to the movies, for instance, appears to be either the bigger screen or the chance to go with a group of friends. Most people could care less about seeing a movie when it first comes out. The factors that turn people off the most are the cost, either of concessions or tickets, and then rude/talkative moviegoers. As it turns out, bad movies aren't a deterrent, which means that people will see any old crap if the price is right. The last question in the poll asked about the time it takes for moviegoers to tell their friends about the movie they've seen. As far as word-of-mouth buzz is concerned, the results seem to show that studios should let it take its time to generate.
Other findings in the poll: Teens are interested in watching movies on a PC but not so much a cell phone or a video iPod (or similar); Only 10-percent of teens consult movie reviews; Young people in general are seeing fewer movies per year as they grow older; Pre-teens are offended by sex and nudity; Few young people are offended by violence, gross-out humor or bad language; Dan Glickman believes, "you can't have a thriving movie industry without having a thriving theatrical business." Okay that last one was in response to the poll, not a part of it. Anyway, I love when Glickman says such things while he does nothing to actually aid the theatrical business. If he has indeed looked at the poll results, he should currently be talking to studios about lowering ticket prices, since it is Hollywood that forces the price-increases upon the cinemas in the first place.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-09-2006 @ 12:22PM
bgdc said...
huh, I have a home theater system and two HDTVs in my house, yet I so prefer the feeling of a movie on opening night in a theater. As I only pay $7 in so cal for new flicks, the price seems right. Plus it's always fun to get out and people watch.
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8-09-2006 @ 1:05PM
tyler said...
I Agree, I hat watching moies at home, there older and not as much fun, i don't care so much about Bonus features as much as having an awesome viewing expiriance.
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8-09-2006 @ 1:21PM
Cath said...
There's something about the group experience you get in a theater you can't get at home. That's why people go to concerts even though they're loud, crowded, expensive and inconvenient (I have always worn earplugs at concerts and now at movies). I end up watching more movies at home for reasons not stated above: often because they disappear from the theater before I can get to them, or because theater times are ridiculously inconvenient (what adult can make a 7pm showtime midweek?), with expense being a consideration only for those so-so films. Otherwise, I try to support my industry.
I tend to pick up the slack with ridiculously expensive cable so I can get Sundance, IFC and AZN. But if you want to know the thing I hate the most about movie theaters: the freakin' ads. It's one thing to have discreet and tasteful product placements that have some relationship to movies (like the LA Times Calendar ads which provide behind-the-scenes information about the film business). It's quite another to have my tax dollars pushing the Marines, or obnoxious car ads screaming in my ears for ten minutes before the screening.
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8-09-2006 @ 3:12PM
Dave said...
You are all crazy! ..."There is something about a group experience you can't get at home". Yes, noise, sticky floors, uncomfortable chairs. ...Need I go on. As for comparing it to a concert, the two are totally different. At a live concert you can watch whoever you want: the singer, the drummer - a concert video forces you to watch pre-determined edits. In a movie, the film is the film whether its at home or in a theater. Only difference is at home the picture quality is fantastic, and for as little at 2K you can have 115 inch picture.
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8-09-2006 @ 3:27PM
Sam said...
To second Cath's comment: Me and my friend recently went to se Clerks 2 at a Regal theatre. We walked in and sat 1/2 hour before showtime. They had those slideshow ads playing for 10 minutes, then they fired up their brand-new professionally-produced infomercials that make it sound like you should be thankful you just had the privilege of finding out that Sex And The City reruns are on TBS. THEN we had to sit through more ads, and about seven previews. At one point I literally began to beat my head against the chair in frustration. For all the goddamn ads they show, my movie should have been free.
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8-09-2006 @ 6:29PM
Travis said...
Finally somebody decided to create a poll to show studio's how much they've ruined the film-going experience by jacking up ticket prices. Many of you who mention the difference between watching a film at home and watching it in a theater, probably don't have to deal with the inconvenience of hiring a babysitter or any of the other added expenses which can turn a $9 movie ticket into a $50+ dollar night. Lump quality uncertainty onto that and you wonder why films without built-in appeal don't do well?
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8-10-2006 @ 7:47PM
Karyn said...
I almost never make it through a movie at home. There are just too many distractions: phones, email, the dog... Besides, I'm at home all the damn time. I much rather prefer going to a theater and having, as Cath said, the group experience. I'd like it a lot better if I didn't have to pay almost $10 for popcorn and soda.
As for the ads, I get their early enough to catch the previews but not so early that I have to sit through the infomercials and other ads.
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