Posted on 10/14/2009 8:02:11 AM PDT by 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...
(Excerpt) Read more at bighollywood.breitbart.com ...
Still haven't seen it. IMO, the Coen Brothers topped out with THE BIG LEBOWSKI.....
Of course he purchased his fewest the year sales peaked. And like so many stories of Hollywood poverty this one is blown out of proportion, they’ve “collapsed” to about 7 billion dollars this year, plus another 4 or 5 on rentals.
My favorite Coen Brothers movie is “Intolerable Cruelty.” Very funny.
Last year, I put together a big load for the Salvation Army Store. Nearly 80 DVDs, almost 200 music CDs and over 100 vinyl LPs. Why? I can download almost any song I like from Napster or Rhapsody, and rent almost any movie from Net Flix.
You can watch it FOR FREE on Netflix.
Most of today’s movies are junk. there are a few but you have to sort through the garbage to find them.
We all have our personal favorites. Mine are...
El Cid
Fall of the Roman Empire
Gladiator
War and Peace (1967 Rissian version)
Waterloo (1971)
Saving Private Ryan
And that is just the short list!
some are more personal..
The Court Jester
20,000,000 miles to Earth
Southwest Passage
Commanches
Tribute to a Bad Man.
There are also many others. I have found I enjoy some of those really bad si fi movies from the 1950’s!
I noticed that many foreign films have brought new creativity to the screen. Some of the modern Si Fi from Korea is definitly worth watching!
And almost any 1940’s WB releases with Humphry Bogart or Errol Flynn. they have a quality that has not been matched.
Very true. And the VHS sales collapsed for the same reason, right?
Just watched it for free on Netflix.
Downfall was excellent. We also recently watched CitizenX. The story is based in Russia during the Cold War and deals with a detective who is assigned to track down the worst serial killer in history. The movie is based on a true story.
Agree. No Country ended badly. I didn’t see the point.
The morality of the psychopathic killer - a man who didn’t lie, and never failed to keep a promise.
The futility of the law man - a step behind, too old and slow, and too scarred to retire at peace.
The intervention of fate - moral psycho is T-boned. Purchases shirt from boy, who’s clearly seen his face, yet fails to kill the boy.
Bad movie.
re: >Splash the zeros...
The filming of that caused quite a few raised eyebrows up the Navy chain of command because some of the Tomcat pilots were really hot-dogging and pushing the envelope. One of the Tomcats went down to the deck and almost flamed out and splashed himself, but recovered nicely. It’s clearly visible in the movie IF you’re looking for it... /g
There are several websites which track upcoming DVD releases. Some of them allow you to register and to flag titles for an email notification when they’re going to be released.
Some of those I picked-up this way over the last couple of years were:
The Final Countdown
Taras Bulba (Yul Brynner)
Kings of the Sun (Yul Brynner)
El Cid (Charlton Heston)
The other great thing is that some of these have been digitally re-mastered and restored before release. And, as VR noted, they’re usually price quite reasonably.
Sadly, the one I’m really waiting for, so far in vain is:
Paradise (Phoebe Cates)... /g
Yeah, I always wondered about that pilot taking his F-14 down that close to the water, and also how close in they were playing with the “Zeros” (really Texans). Oh well, by the time the brass found out about it, the Nimitz was probably already back in port.
You too, huh? ;)
Check on Youtube...I think you may find what you're looking for, if it has not already been removed.
Instead the financial rewards are on instant gratification “hits”. Never mind that the public will watch a King Kong, Gone With The Wind, Greatest Story Ever Told, or Laurence of Arabia for decades bringing in much money to the studio (and those involved).
Was it the “biggest non-holiday opening weekend ever”? If not, pull the ads after 3 weeks.
Or it may have something to do with the fact that if you buy a movie, at some point you will have to buy it again in some new format. I’m speaking as someone who has entire film libraries in CED, laser, VHS and DVD formats and who is refusing to buy ONE DAMNED Blu-Ray!!!!! Got IT, Japan?
The difference is that VHS sales gave way to DVD sales at comparable prices, vs. DVD sales are giving way to cheap streaming/rental. Where retailers were selling VHS or DVD for $5-50 a pop, those sales are being replaced by rentals at $0.50-$5 per viewing. People aren’t watching much more, but they’re paying 1/10th to watch.
What can I say? I love the old classics... /g
Check on Youtube...I think you may find what you're looking for, if it has not already been removed.
I'm sure a clip can be found, but it really merits the fully-remastered hi-definition treatment! (3-D would be great!)
BTW, another great flick I found from the source above which only became available a year or so ago was "The 300 Spartans", with Richard Egan. It was a well-done but much more historically accurate retelling of the tale.
Oh there’s plenty to watch via Netflix. Almost anything you want to see is available; I’m adding to my queue much faster than I can empty it. Sure a lot may be drivel, but it’s drivel _I_ want to see, when I want, on my own terms, without commercial interruption.
With 150+ in my queue now, there’s no point in buying a movie when it will be an optimistic 3 years before I get a chance to watch anything a second time (and that’s without any more additions to the list).
I expect my only movie purchases in the next 5 years will be a dozen Blu-ray discs for those very few I re-watch and want to possess (Koyaanisqatsi, Watchmen, Matrix, Blade Runner, Being Human, Truman Show, etc.).
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