Annual theatrical market statistics from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) released last week showed the U.S. box office dipped 6 percent and the worldwide box office dropped 7.9 percent last year compared to 2004.
In 2005, 1.4 billion theater tickets were sold in the United States, generating $9 billion in revenue. Worldwide box office intake was $23 billion.
According to a press statement from Dan Glickman, chairman and CEO of the MPAA, the movie industry “faces new challenges” for “consumers’ time and entertainment dollars.”
Acknowledging that technology has changed how people are able to watch movies, Glickman said the movie industry is “exploring new ways to reach more people using innovative methods of communication and distribution.”
The MPAA coupled its report with the release of an August analysis of consumer movie going conducted by Nielsen Entertainment/NRG. The nationwide survey showed 81 percent of moviegoers who saw at least one movie in 2005 believed the experience was a good investment of their time and money, versus 15 percent who preferred to watch the movie on DVD and 4 percent who said they should have not seen the movie at all.
The survey also showed that moviegoers who owned or subscribed to four or more home technologies, such as DVR service, large television, DVD player and VOD, actually saw an average of two more movies per year than the moviegoer who owned or subscribed to fewer than four.
For more information, visit www.mpaa.org.
