It could also be that most movies out right now completely suck.  I can't think of anything I'd like to see, ever.  I think there is a trend of people waiting for the DVD to come out so they can either buy or rent.  For families going to see a new movie these days you end up paying 20-30 bucks for tickets, 20 bucks or more for food.  It adds up and creates a big expense.  When you can use Netflix, XBL Video Marketplace, iTunes or Amazon Unbox to watch movies on demand and then you add a blockbuster like Halo 3, BioShock or The Orange Box (lest we forget Mass Effect coming around the corner) into the mix, then you start to wonder why some people even bother going to movie theaters anymore.  Movie theaters are going the way of VHS, floppy drives and cassette tapes...innovation and technological advances create better experiences and accessibility.  Halo 3 rocks, and movie producers and publishers should take note.  I think Halo in general raises the bar on entertainment experiences and easily can rival blockbuster movies.  I would gladly watch a movie that used in game engine graphics such as the Halo series.  How about that, watching a movie that runs through a game engine on your Xbox? Sign me up.

Maybe its time for the movie execs. to realize that it is time for a Halo movie.  Too bad they already shut the first go down though, Neil Blomkamp could have done a great job.

Im the Map nailed it - last time I went to the movies was to see Halloween (the new one) and the douche bag assholes in the theater made me SWEAR ill never go again.  Not to mention costs, and DVDs seem to arrive instantly after the movies run in the theater.  I think in your previous post about dying business models, the theater may have needed to be in there as a "honerable mention" ;)

Im The Map is right. The cons outweigh the pros when it comes to watching a movie in theatre, and the cost is one of the major cons. The same thing goes for family day outs to big amusement parks... it used to be fun and didn't have to be planned, but nowadays (here in Europe) it costs the same for a family of four as a week-long vacation in Turkey.

Give me a DVD, my 32" TV and the freedom to watch it when and how I want any day. Once my 360 comes back that is, 'cause I gave up using a separate DVD player a long time ago.

Also agree with Map.  One thing that really irritates me, is now there an influx of ads that run before the movie begins.  I don't go to the movie to have products rammed down throat, while the theater is taking my money.  This practice should offset the price of the tickets at least.  Food at theaters is understandably pricey for this is where the theater gets most of it's money.

I love movies as much as i game, but i try to get to the theater at least once a week. I wont let Halo get in the way of that :) Damn played till 04:55 this moring, the mp is addictive as hell.

I love playing Halo but c'mon, Halo alone with its 5 million customers worldwide is not the cause of any significant drop in theater/movie sales.  5 million is nothing...I would change my tune if there were closer to 100 million XBox 360 & PS3 gamers out there.  In the future as the gaming community grows I do believe there will be more competition for customers.  Just as with the internet, consumer leisure time is being shared by increasing number of outlets.

Whilst I don't doubt that over time, the gaming entertainent industry will become as powerful as the movie and music industries, I suspect that this case in question is not an example of that.

I think the situation here is that cinema is beginning to feel the pinch in competition with a meduim that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, and trying to find a scapegoat.

Well, actually, right now I would probably say the specific case here is more to do with the quality of the films currently on offer - had there been a major blockbuster or franchise movie on the screens, this probably wouldn't have been such a marked dip in trade. But most of the stuff out now is average, blah-blah dross. There's the dip.

But what the games industry has as an advantage, and the movie industry is possibly starting to realise, is that medua such as videogames offer more bang for the buck, and in more comfort. Sure, it's fun to go to the movies to watch a film you are looking forward to, but at the the end of the day you are paying a lot of money to sit in an uncomfortable chair, surrounded by sweat smells and disruptive fellow viewers, dying for a pee half way through and unable to go, and offered ridiculously priced snacks, when as an alternative you could just wait and get the film on DVD, watch in the comfort of your own home, take a bathroom break whenever you like, stock up on beers and snacks, and watch it as often as you like, with no disruptions. Also, when compared to gaming, gaming offers both a longer-term entertainment option and also a more social aspect (i.e. online gaming). Given a choice between $20 to go see a movie, or twice that to get a game that will last me months or even years and also allow me to play against people online, I know where my money will go.

I don't think the movie industry will die; but I do think they need to look at what they have to offer, and see how they can compete with other forms of entertainment that fit in better with a comfort-driven society. Why get off your ass when you can stay on the couch?