Quote:
Richard W. Haines wrote:
 When attendence was more than half of the US population in the forties', there were only 20,000 screens and that seemed to be the right number until the nineties when the megaplexes began their major expansion. |
Some other facts:
- The US population has more than doubled since the 1940's (130M to 300M).
- The average theater from the forties would have had more seats per screen than todays average.
- TV's were pretty much useless during WWII due to little or no broadcasting, expensive cost of a set. TV didn't really pick up until the late forties. This meant more people in theaters to watch movies, news reels, etc.
- Theater attendance is directly proportional to the quality of home entertainment devices. As TVs and its programming improved through the 50's and beyond, movie theater attendance declined.
- With every new home media invention that catches on, theater attendance declines. VHS Beta had a slow start as movies tended to take a very long time to be released on tape (years rather than months). As the video market took off the release times improved. DVDs today are released typically 6 months or less after it was released in theaters. Many people just wait for it to come out on video rather than see it in the theater. This was not really an option 25 years ago if you wanted to be up on the latest movies.
- Home theaters are the next evolution in the game. DVDs Dolby Digital and DTS made this more enjoyable, and less expensive projectors and LCD and Plasma displays bring the other facet the theaters had the advantage in (screen size).
- Theaters will close completely once it becomes more profitable to release straight to video. Theatrical releases still bring in millions and generate hype plus there is a stigma attached to the direct to video movie so theaters won't close any time soon.
- There will still be a need for high end presentations of movies. Even if theaters change as we know them today they will still be around in some form. Not everyone can afford a deluxe system. Theater technology will have to offer things not available or affordable in home theater technology.