Honey, let’s just stay in and watch Netflix — like everyone else.
Americans are increasingly skipping going to the movies, primarily because of ticket prices, but also because they’re not thrilled by what’s playing, according to a new survey released by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
More than half (53%) of respondents complained that ticket prices were too high and 41% noted that current movie genres, themes and titles didn’t interest them. Another 30% said they prefer to watch movies at their convenience, and 29% said they preferred to spend their discretionary income on other recreational activities. (Another 19% said they preferred to spend their money on dinner, indicating “dinner and a movie,” may be seguing into an either/or experience.)
And 18% said they “don’t have the same disposable income” as they did the year before. Only 10%, incidentally, cited the annoyance of other patrons using cellphones and other technology as one of their top reasons for staying away.
Movie attendance took another hit in 2014, slumping to a two-decade low, but respondents indicated they would be responsive to incentives such as monthly movie subscriptions and last-minute cheap seats.
