Maybe DVD Sales Collapsed Because Movies Suck

BigHollywood.Breitbart.com ^ | 13 Oct 2009 | John Nolte

[AreaMan]

Maybe DVD Sales Collapsed Because Movies Suck

Posted By John Nolte On October 13, 2009 @ 2:31 pm In Entertainment, News | 163 Comments

Everyone seems to have an opinion as to why DVD sales have cratered since hitting their peak in 2006, but no one’s looking at the obvious answer. Plunging sales have been blamed on piracy ^[1], competing technologies such as video games ^[2]and low-priced rental outlets like Redbox ^[3]… everything but the quality of the actual films.

First and foremost, I’m a movie lover. Nothing competes for my attention in this regard, including dollar rentals and the like. But I’m just not buying anywhere near the number of new releases I did just ten years ago. Obviously, this is anecdotal evidence, so make your own comparisons:

1998 ^[4] – I purchased 15 of the top 20 money makers…

1999 ^[5] — 18 of the top 20.

2000 ^[6] — 16 of the top 20.

2001 ^[7] — 14 of the top 20.

And nothing’s changed. My tastes are the same. I still enjoy and don’t regret a single purchase (well, maybe “Planet of the Apes” — but I keep watching thinking it will get better). Now flash-forward to the last few years  and the numbers collapse:

2006 ^[8] – 5 of the top 20.

Excerpt...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I have a hundred DVDs I bought in a cabinet under the TV.

I have probably not watched more than one or two of them more than once.

I can rent movies from Netflix for about seventy-five cents apiece.

Why would I buy any more movies?

[RexBeach]

My wife and I use Netflix. Mighty hard to find a movie worth ordering. Most of it is drivel.

[Bryanw92]

I’m home with the flu, so I went to Blockbuster yesterday to rent some movies. I walked up and down the New Release wall, hoping to find something that would be entertaining. With the exception of a few that I had already seen, they were all crap.

Forget buying...there are very few movies out there worth the $5 rental.

[Slicksadick]

Watched “Downfall” from netflix last night with my two older kids, great movie.

[Patrsup]

I have to somewhat agree - I haven’t seen a recent movie in years. Ive bought several DVD’s over the last several years but they are old movies. Cary Grants, John Wayne’s and some of the old tv shows that are now boxed. I just bought Green acres, Hogans Hero’s and As Time goes by from England.

I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only person I should vote for is myself. - Jack Nicholson

[raccoonradio]

Haven’t been to too many movies at the theaters or bought DVDs with movies, lately. Some DVDs I bought recently were stuff like old Underdog cartoons, and an edition of “Cinematic Titanic” (with cast members of Mystery Science Theater spoofing Santa Conquers the Martians). But, new?

I got a couple movie passes won off a radio show; admittedly some of the theatres of the chain are slightly far from me but I can’t think of any movies I want to use the passes for.
I do remember seeing what I think was an indie release last Feb., at a theatre down the street from me (an old time theatre that features weekly magic shows, too)—it was
Cadillac Records, loosely based on the story of Chess
Records. It was okay...but not enough to make me want to buy the DVD.

[stevio]

How nice of you to give the gift that keeps on giving. I sure the Blockbuster employees thank you too.

[PeteB570]

It’s getting to the point that I’ve not seen any of the lead actor/actress movies put up for an Oscar.

Have to get down to the Special Affects to find at least one movie I’ve seen.

Hollywood and I don’t see eye to eye on what a good movie is.

P/C Red Dawn? Just say - No!

[Tolsti2]

This year has been dreadful really for movies. The last good ones were The Dark Knight and No Country for Old Men. However, I was really happy with Paranormal Activity, probably the best movie of 2009 so far.

[dfwgator]

The only good movies these days seem to always be foreign movies.

[ClearCase_guy]

Slightly off topic -- but I continue to be amazed that there is nothing good on TV. We have over 50 years of past television programming, and about a centuries' worth of film from around the world.

I turn on my TV and I see "The Bachelorette" and shows like that, and I see endless re-runs of "The Andy Griffith Show". That's about it.

[hot4plasma]

I for one, cannot watch these liberal millionaire idiots, pretending in front of a camera anymore. I think half the population of America is conservative, and generally speaking, we are tired of the communists in Hollywood, calling their propaganda art.

[Patrsup]

I just snorted my diet coke with that comment!

[GonzoGOP]

I buy only those movies that I want for my permanent collection. The Bad of Brothers series, Lord of the Rings, Kelly's Heroes, the complete works of Mel Brooks. But other than that they are DVD’s I got as gifts or netflix bootlegs. I also have hundreds of DVD’s made from documentaries I downloaded before they shut off the source. They form sort of science reference library, and make good background noise. But as for movies, there isn't much our there worth watching.

[raccoonradio]

There’s YouTube too; recently while in Miss. I visited a museum dedicated to the movie My Dog Skip which was filmed there. Figured I’d want to catch that movie for the second time so I watched it, divided into segments, via YouTube
(fairly short film) a week or two later, back home. No rental cost, no return. (Some movies pop up on my cable’s On Demand but they were movies from the past, presented for free; “I never did get to see Coal Miner’s
Daughter—ah, here it is, for free” (well, of course, actually part of my paid cable package.)

No trip to the DVD store.

[canuck_conservative]

Al Martino just passed.

Where’s The Godfather’s of this century?

Y’know, movies with plot, character development, intrigue ... not just flashy special effects ....

[a fool in paradise]

Netflix.

And market saturation at home. People now have sizeable libraries of movies and tv shows in boxed sets that they still need to pour over.

Plus economy.

And I can buy “remaindered” titles new at Half Price Books for a fraction of the retail price ($50 4 disc King Kong/Son of Kong/Mighty Joe Young boxed set is available new and unopened for $10).

[TWohlford]

When you calculate the number of DVD’s (and VHS tapes) that are out there, wouldn’t a logical conclusion be that we’ve started to reach a saturation point?

I mean, how many more copies of “Grand Prix” and “Bringing Up Baby” do I need? Do I really need more Disney movies in anticipation of coming grand kids, since I still have the entire collection from when my kids were young?

I also suspect that there was some confusion as the whole BlueRay DVD war thingy was fought out.

[Night Hides Not]

Forget buying...there are very few movies out there worth the $5 rental.

AT&T U-Verse has plenty of movies "On Demand", and their DVR function is awesome.

It will really come in handy when the NFL owners lock out their teams in 2011.