Summer Magic Disappears

A recent article in the NYT focused on the Hollywood box office slump experienced this summer. Both revenues and attendance figures were lower than last summer. So troubled by this, that several studio execs came together to discuss what might be responsible for this continual decline.

Multiple theories for the decline abound: a failure of studio marketing, the rising price of gas, the lure of alternate entertainment, even the prevalence of commercials and pesky cellphones inside once-sacrosanct theaters. But many movie executives and industry experts are beginning to conclude that something more fundamental is at work: Too many Hollywood movies these days, they say, just are not good enough.

Ain't that the truth!

Perhaps a few other theories should be included:

1) How about the fact that the Hollywood elites are out of touch with mainstream Americans.They have angered, annoyed, frustrated, demeaned, insulted, and been condescending to the majority of Americans who harbour more conservative, republican view points, opinions, political preferences, and lifestyles, and who are not secularists, but instead have a relationship with God, (something liberal Hollywood can't seem to fathom as being anything but archaic) and in doing so, Hollywood has DRIVEN AWAY moviegoers!

2) the scripts suck

3) the acting sucks

4) the storylines are boring rehashed liberal viewpoints being shoved down the throats of conservative Americans

5) Hollywood's vocal opposition and hatred of this President, his administration, his values, his relationship with God, and by fiat, all those who support the President, and the war on terror.

6) The public breakdown of Tom Cruise

7) The less than stellar, spoiled rock star mentality and actions of various celebs i.e. Russell Crowe

8) The OVER EXPOSURE of celebs in every freaking area of our lives.

9) A marketing savvy audience - who is tired of being marketed to!

10) the vocal hatred for President Bush, his administration, the war on terror and the unabashed support of dictators like Saddam, Castro, The Mullahs in Iran, and of course, the insurgents themselves, who the Hollywood elites view as "freedom fighters"!

You'll note a recurring theme in my reasons!

Bob Iger, Chairman of Disney, has it right, when he says "we can't allow tradition to stand in the way of where the consumer can go, or wants to go," he told analysts this month, warning that "the music industry learned this the hard way."

Bob was referring to the backlash he received from theatre chain owners about his idea of releasing films in theaters and on DVD SIMULTANEOUSLY. He is right: simultaneous releases WILL have to happen. If you ask me, in less than 10 years, theatres will be obsolete and irrelevant!I doubt they will exist...certainly NOT in their present format! Today, we have a whole generation of kids who now watch films on their computers!

I personally haven't set foot in a theatre in almost a year.Why should I??
I can watch anything I want anytime I want.....in my home.

No line ups, no people talking through the movie, no cellphones ringing during the movie, and I don't have to endure the smell of food I dislike, coupled with the sound of people MUNCHING LOUDLY on their food.

Instead, I can stay at home, in my pj's, eating what I want to eat; and with my PVR, I am the Mistress of my Domain - LOL! (get your mind out of the gutter!!)

So, with bad storylines, over exposed celebrities, overused themes, overused effects, and mediocre acting at best....combined with Hollywood elites who view the majority of conservative Americans with distain and condescention...does it come as ANY surprise that box office attedance and revenues keep declining??

I really hope some important lessons are learned by those power brokers in Hollywood:
The first one being that Liberal secularism and moral relativism does NOT represent the mainstream viewpoint. FULL STOP!

Maybe if the Hollywood elites MET the majority of Americans even halfway and wrote films that reflected conservative values and political perspectives in a more balanced way, it would be a good first step to helping recapture lost revenues and increase attendance.