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Falling ticket sales for hollywood from prices quality Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/10/051010215252.pirx7x44.htmlhttp://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/10/051010215252.pirx7x44.html
Young men lead audience flight from struggling US cinemas: survey
Oct 10 5:52 PM US/Eastern
Teenage boys and young men lead disillusioned US movie-goers in staying away from cinemas as ticket prices rise and the quality of home entertainment soars, a new survey showed.
As Hollywood wages an epic battle against falling ticket sales, the poll revealed that one of the industry's most crucial audience groups, males aged between 13 and 24, are opting to stay home to watch DVD and play video games.
Boys and young men in the key demographic group reported watching a whopping 24 percent fewer films in the all-important summer cinema season in 2005 than they did over the same period in 2003, consumer research firm Online Testing eXchange (OTX) said.
"The perception among young male moviegoers that there wasn't much to see his year was a difficult barrier to overcome, regardless of price," said Vincent Bruzzese of OTX.
"This demographic, more acutely than any other, is weighing the value of the in-theatre movie experience compared to many other lower cost, more immediate and convenient entertainment options. And increasingly, young males are deciding to grab a DVD or video game to watch or play at home," he said.
The survey of 2,000 movie-goers who said they had seen at least six movies in the past 12 months revealed that males aged between 13-24 watched 56 percent more videos or digital video disc (DVD) movies this year than they did two years ago.
In 2003, the same demographic group reported watching an average of 30 videos or DVDs a year, while the figure had jumped to 47 for this year.
Young men also complained there was a lack of appealing content on cinema screens, with just 35 percent saying they were satisfied with the choice compared to 60 percent two years ago.
In addition, a growing number of the young men polled -- 53 percent -- said they played video games on platforms including Playstation, Xbox and Gamecube, while 62 percent surfed the Internet regularly.
Overall, some 35 percent of American moviegoers reported seeing fewer films in 2003 compared to 2004, compared to only 27 percent who reported seeing more, as movie ticket prices rise and the lag time between theatrical release and DVD release becomes shorter, the survey showed.
Hollywood studios are fighting a bitter battle against falling box office returns in North America as ticket receipts dropped by around 10 percent in 2005 compared to the first nine months of 2004, box office figures show.
"Consumers are saying that when they get to the theatre what they see there is as good as it's ever been," said Shelley Zalis, co-Founder of OTX.
"But the rising cost of tickets, gas and babysitters, combined with the improving nature of the in-home media experience are major factors keeping consumers from leaving the living room," she added.
Copyright AFP 2005
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