
Now that may be the case for a generation raised with basically every television show or movie ever made available on demand and in a time when giant HDTVs and surround sound set-ups can realistically supplant the theater experience. As much as I like some of these "gimmicks," the underlying message risks becoming something akin to the fact that merely seeing a movie in a theater isn't enough. And that's part of the notion of Paramount/ Viacom Inc.’s periodic "Super Ticket" events and other studios offering gimmicks in order to get people to see a film in a theater and create the notion that theatrical movie going should be something of an event. That's part of the appeal of IMAX and the various unaffiliated Premium Large Format screens that have popped up over the last few years. That's part of the 3D boom, with the caveat that 3D was also sold as an anti-piracy tool since you can't cleanly record a 3D film on your 2D video camera or cell phone.

So we find ourselves with Hollywood fighting a potentially contradictory battle, trying to get audiences back into the movie theater while also trying to maximize the number of people who chose to watch a big film via after-theatre streaming services (as opposed to buying or renting a DVD). The inconsistency of the movie theater experience, be it rude moviegoers with their texting and talking, or the audio/visual quality which is something of a crap shoot outside of prime film going markets, has made going to the movies almost a risk for much of the country.

The upswing in the quantity and quality of offbeat and adult-skewing films available on Video On Demand channels makes it that much easier to find something to watch without leaving the coach. General audiences either don't want to see what Hollywood has to offer or they are willing to wait until VOD or Netflix. Ticket prices and concession prices have soared as television has begun to offer top-tier quality scripted entertainment. Home theaters have advanced to the point where they can closely mimic the quality of most multiplexes in one's own house. Younger kids don't see the movies as a vital entertainment option.

It is no secret that movie theater attendance is down in America, even as overseas box office is soaring accordingly.
