In an extension of my discussion on Music Piracy, I’d like to draw a comparison to the movie industry. This industry has been equally affected by the the advent of file sharing. Torrent websites are shut-down weekly, but at this point the attempts to supress movie downloading are futile. This is the same thing that happened with music downloading. Napster was the pioneer and was shut down in a lawsuit by band Metallica. However, out of the ashes rose more and more programs providing the same service. I believe the movie industry has recognized this fact and accepts that times are changing. Film studios have begun the evolution by finding new ways to market there movies in a way that maximizes profits. The two fundamental sources of revenue for movies are theatre sales and dvd sales. Of these two, dvd sales has taken the enormous hit as a result of movie downloading. A consumer can download a movie, attach it to their TV as satisfy the same need for free.
Film studios are now emphasizing theatre sales are their main profit driver. Several changes have been made to the way movies are produced and marketed. 3D technology has become increasingly popular among movie goers. This, along with being a technological progression, is a way of driving up theatre attendance for a movie. At this point, 3D technology does not transfer well to a flat screen at home and it certainly can’t be downloaded and viewed off of a laptop. This causes a call to action as consumers are forced to see the movie in theatres if they want full value.
Film studios have changed their marketing methods to increase attendance, but at the expense of movie quality. Nowadays, I find movie quality has taken a precipitous fall (partly due to lack of movie ideas available). Trailers, the primary way to spark interest around a film, are beginning to reveal the entire plot line of a movie. They don’t care if this has a negative effect on theatre experience as long as the seats are full on opening day.