Movies available sooner on DVD

During the last four years, the average time it takes movies to go from theaters to DVD has shrunk by one month (from 5 months and 22 days to four months and 8 days).

This shrinking window has understandably provoked the ire of theater owners. Will moviegoers blow off going to theaters if they know the movie will soon be available on DVD? One does not need a doctorate in economics to assume that a significant portion will. And, as a result, theater owners will be forced to raise ticket and concessions prices. These prices are already ridiculously high. But, if this trend continues, they will soar into the stratosphere!

According to the MPAA, 63% of movie fans prefer watching films in theaters as opposed to in their living rooms. Hence the rising costs of seeing movies at the multiplex negatively impacts millions of people. Yes, millions of movie lovers are being deprived of the unique, communal experience of seeing a movie on a giant glowing screen. How sad.

The making and marketing of a major motion picture is a complicated, multifaceted process. I do not have the expertise to propose a spectrum of cost-cutting measures (though common sense tells me they exist). However, I do know that a very high percentage of movie production costs go to paying the obscenely high salaries of A-list movie stars. If movie stars did not demand and command such monstrous salaries, the savings could be passed along to their fans in the form of cheaper ticket prices.

Perhaps I'm being delusional to even ponder this, but wouldn't it be lovely if Brad Pitt and his ilk lowered their asking price from $20 million per film to, say, $15 million per film? Dare to dream.