Box Office Blues

Box Office Blues

Movie theaters around the country are suffering a decline in moviegoers, it seems. I, for one, would much rather wait a month or two for some marginal movie to come out on DVD. That way, I don’t feel so bad about dishing out a little less than four dollars over a potentially very disappointing flick instead of at least twice the amount. If it turns out to be a good movie, then I will have enjoyed it from the comfort of my own home theater.

Of course what I’m mentioning here is nothing new to anyone who enjoys a good movie. It’s just that Hollywood kind of forgot to let the movie theater companies know that they’ve changed up their strategy. They’re pumping out DVDs and making them accessible to the consumer because that’s where the real revenue stream begins. Bad opening weekend? No problema, just yank it from the theaters and place it in retail outlets to be rented over and over again and watch the money roll in. Think I’m kidding? Well Walmart knows what I’m talking about. The company recently entered into an agreement with Netflix to cross-advertise rentals and sales of DVDs. http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/19/technology/personaltech/walmart_netflix.reut/

This way, both Netflix and Walmart can establish themselves as one big, slobbering DVD behemoth.

Let’s get back to the box office situation. I am the first to admit that I enjoy the excitement of opening weekend if there’s a movie I’ve been dying to see. The decision to make on which theater to attend, what time to view it and whether I want to catch the earliest show or the latest is all a part of the fun. There’s nothing worse, though, than to get one’s self all worked up to see a movie based on the trailers when it turns out that the ads for the movie were the only high points of the flick. After a few colossal movie disappointments I tend to shy away from the box office. Then, months later, the lure of another slick thriller or sci-fi movie will peak my interest and I’ll be waiting in line with my hard earned cash, only to be disappointed again.

Here’s the situation as I see it. Most movies offered to the general public really, really suck. In most cases, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. A few manage to surprise and actually be worthwhile, but they are too few and far between to even mention. If a company is going to spend millions of dollars on marketing, advertising, actors, producers and directors, why not take the time to make it as profitable as possible? Why not invest the time in building stories that more people can relate to?

I’ve been reading quite a bit that most moviegoers aren’t ready for a black (African-American) leading lady. Well how would anyone know if an honest effort isn’t put forth to make the casting enjoyable and believable? Why don’t we have more positive and interesting stories about all types of ethnic groups, Indians, Africans and Asians? Why, when Latinas are cast in roles opposite black (African-American) men are they usually lighter with straighter hair? If we are truly beginning to embrace Latino culture in mass media, why aren’t they truly represented in their vast array of shades of brown?

Movies tend to represent or reflect our own hopes, dreams, fears and occasionally even our own realities. Movie theaters will continue to suffer and moviegoers will continue to wait until the price is right before taking a chance on a movie. What happens to the movie industry remains to be seen, but until it gets better you know where to find me – in front of my Netflix DVD with a bag of microwave popcorn.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
AdrolitePress.com
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