Say Goodbye to Blockbuster in 2011?

I can imagine why you wouldn't forget about that. Ouch. I gave myself a concussion once while taking the springs off a old freezer. That wasn't bright.

Anyway, Movie theatres are next. I think we’ll be in the same spot saying the same things about them in not too long. They’re like blockbuster, too dependent on blockbusters and just rising ticket prices (or late fees for the rental stores) to compensate for decreased traffic, and an inferior product compared to other entertainment mediums.

Oh, i dont know if I would go that far, to suggest it has an inferior product compared to other entertainment mediums.

A trip to the cineplex is still a whole lot cheaper than a night at the theatre, or the arena/ballpark for a sporting event.

I do believe they have become crazy dependant on the youth market in terms of filling multiple rooms with the latest CGI-fest.

However, there is a niche to be had imo, that I guess doesnt work numbers wise idk. ( i dont have 1st foggiest clue what the cost is to show a movie)

There is no getten around that, as good as home theatres have become and at a competitive price, they are simply a less than alternative to watching on the big screen.

What I'd like to see the Multiplexes doing more of is setting aside a screen for "festival" type viewings, not unlike what the Drive-ins use to have when i was a teenager and the dusk till dawn deals were the norm.

I am convinced for instance, that if Silver City announced they would be presenting say.. the LOTR trilogy back to back to back , and encouraged, or rather didnt discourage patrons from dressing the part, they would sell out no probs @ $25 a head flat fee. The dough they bring in on Concessions over that span would be sweet.

When i was in College in Toronto many moons ago, the Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight viewings were a blast.

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I think the product itself can be superior, sometimes far superior, it's just that they don't use it right. For example why don't they have price variation for movies to allow cheaper to make films to compete against the hype/marketing of blockbusters? This will let the theatre showcase more variety of films, like the examples you just described. They shouldn't depend, like Blockbuster did, on everyone wanted to see the few blockbusters released each month.

And the theatre may be kept afloat because it is sometimes a good night out, but i don't think that will be enough traffic to keep the infrastructure in place. Or at least a major part of it. For example between 1990-2000 screen capacity increased by 50%, while revenue only increased by 16%. They are hugely over-capacity.

sites.google.com/site/footstepsofgm/article

You're absolutely right about that. When the world ends in 2012 there won't be anyone left to make, show, or watch movies.

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Nah, I don't think Movie Theaters are next to go. Going to the theater is an event in itself. The whole atmosphere is a lot of what it is all about. Yes the ticket prices are rising, but so is everything else.

I really think that it will be a sad day if DVD's as a whole die out. But I'll always have the ones that are in my collection to cheer me up for that day.

I've been saying it for a while, but once the studios can get people to watch and, more importantly, pay to stream movies, that's the business they'll build on. I don't know about them being 'next', but I don't see half as many around in 20 years.

Yeah I agree with that, probably a better way of saying it. By next i meant more that they'll be in serious trouble, but not necessarily gone. Although i would say without the grandeur and communal experience of lots of people seeing movies in the theatre, than movies will also begin to lose their popularity. Because I think the the medium of being told a story in a theatre, is more what made movies so popular, rather than the content itself.

If they are going to head into streaming movies online as the primary viewing and place to get movies then a lot of people are also going to upgrade on the size of the monitors that they have. People will have Flatscreen monitors as big as the ones they have for television.

the problem will be when your DVD player breaks down

I remember with absolute clarity my dad seething when he brought his 8-track player to the dealership to be fixed.

Cassettes were the new king, so there was my dad with a truck he didnt want to trade-in, an Am radio and a busted 8-track player, with dozens of tapes that became little more than paper-weights.

We had a place like that in my hometown growing up (no Blockbuster there), and an even better place in my college town. As a kid, my brother and I used to go all the time. They only ever had one or two copies of the latest movies, and you had to put your name on a waiting list to get them. We mostly went to pick up whatever random video looked like it was worth watching. Agreeing on a movie was ridiculously hard, so we'd be there forever arguing until one of us caved (or, on a good day, until my parents go so fed up that they let us get two movies).

The video rental places also did five movies/ five days/ five dollars deals on older films. We took advantage of that a lot, mostly during summer when our parents wanted us out of their hair.

I remember being completely shocked the first time I went into a Blockbuster to actually rent a movie (I was a freshman in college at the time). Couldn't believe how many copies they had of new releases, and how limited the rest of the selection was. It was so expensive too. The worst part, though, was that the people working there weren't very chatty. IMHO, the best part of walking into a video rental place is asking the guy at the front desk for a recommendation. I stuck to local places after that, except to get used DVDs on the cheap. Can't say I'm too surprised that they're not doing well; Netflix is a much better model for me, and the "gotta watch the newest releases" type of people seem pretty satisfied with Redbox.

I've never rented from Blockbuster. By the time we had one here, I'd long since stopped renting videos. I was actually expecting this news last year, as I know one of the lawyers who's somehow involved in this and he told me to get ready for the closing down sale last year.

I can't believe there used to be a time where I'd rent VIDEOCASSETTES for $4.00 each for a night or 5.

Blockbuster Video might as well be Blockbuster Museum now.

Don't go away Blockbuster!?

The problem with those conveinence RedBox places is they are all newer movies so if you want to see a classic film the only place you have now to get that is NetFlix and you have to wait a few days for it to be mailed. It is a shame that Blockbuster had to charge so much for there rentals or maybe they would still be around.

I find it absolutely awesome that live in Canada where Blockbuster is still open till 12 and its relatively busy. I know many people who use their laptops to tv to watch downloaded movies but I still prefer paying the 2.99 to rent a movie and watch it legit.... However the beginning of "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" did throw me for a loop calling me cheap!!

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They are only $2.99 to rent in Canada at Blockbuster?

2.99 to rent for 2 days so I have no problem picking a movie for tonight and bringing it back by Wed noon

That is almost the same as RedBox here in the states.

um yeah.... ah idk redbox....