Free Republic

Mainstream Media Meltdown II On the occasion of today's gruesome statistics on the continuing fall of newspapers, here's an updated look at mainstream entertainment and media in decline (April's version is here). Down: Box Office: down by 7% this year (tickets per capita have fallen every year since 2001). Newspapers: circulation, which peaked in 1987, is declining faster than ever and is down another 2.6% so far this year. Music: Sales are down another 5.7% this year; although digital downloads (still just 6% of the business) are climbing nicely. Radio: down 4% this year alone, continuing a multi-decade decline. Books:...

From the spookiness of "Signs" to the old-fashioned wizardry of "The Lord of the Rings," the long-lasting trend is clear. Comedy and action still draw crowds, but fantasy is the genre of choice for filmmakers and audiences who want to tap into cinema's most imaginative possibilities. At one end of the spectrum are sword-and-sorcery sagas set in exotic places. At the other end are science-fiction stories, which are more grounded in reality, but use their futuristic technologies as perfunctory backdrops for magical adventures. Some pundits think the wave of fantasy filmmaking will subside, especially if war movies continue to grow...