The price of seeing a movie in theaters has been too much for some Ball State University students — especially if the movie stinks.
Movie theaters across the nation have been experiencing quiet June weekends after having the lowest attendance during the Memorial Day holiday in 17 years. However, for Ball State sophomore Ami Rife, the biggest reason for this dip is the quality of the new movies.
"There haven't been very many movies that have come out this summer that have really gotten me excited," Rife, a nursing major, said. "Most of the hype recently has been about Twilight and other cult movies that don't appeal to college students as a whole."
Rife is one of many college students who have been choosing to spend their money elsewhere as the cost of going to a movie continues to rise, especially when considering extra costs such as seeing a movie in 3D or purchasing snacks at the theater.
"My friends and I are choosing to spend our money on things such as food and gas; the cost of going to a movie really adds up after you consider the price of the ticket, popcorn and candy or a drink," Rife said.
Whether it is the types of movies being made this year or the continued increase in price, when compared to years past, the moneymaking heavyweight that is the summer blockbuster has seen disappointing numbers thus far. Some of the season's biggest movies that were released in the month of May, such as "Iron Man 2," "Sex and the City 2" and "Robin Hood" failed to live up to their own hype as the month's revenue was down 11 percent and attendance dropped by 19 percent, compared with May 2009.
This decline has continued into June, where the first weekend of the month saw movies such as "Get Him to the Greek," "Splice" and "Marmaduke" fail to match up with the same time frame of last year, plummeting the weekend gross by 28 percent.
For some students, such as junior telecommunications major Cory Book, the price of movies is driving them to spend their money on other forms of entertainment.
"Lately, I've been playing more video games instead of going to the movies. There are a lot of games coming out today that are really interactive," Book said.
While the film industry is attempting to cope with the shrinking attendance numbers, games such as Red Dead Redemption for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have been receiving critical claim and high sales. Red Dead Redemption sold more than 5 million copies just three weeks after its May 18 release.
Looking at the remaining summer months, there are a few movies that could potentially turn a profit and save this summer from being one of the worst in recent memory. The now showing blockbusters "A-Team" and "The Karate Kid" look to draw audiences of different generations; those who revel in '80s nostalgia and those who are experiencing the films for the first time.
The end of June will bring the release of "Toy Story 3," arguably one of the most anticipated films of the summer.
"Toy Story 3 is really the only movie that I'm looking forward to this summer," Book said. "I grew up with Toy Story, and I can't wait to see the new one."
Like the previously mentioned new releases, "Toy Story 3" hopes to draw in children and their parents, as well as young adults who grew up with Toy Story years ago.
Local theaters such as the Muncie Showplace 12 have been trying to find ways to spur an increase in attendance. Recently, the price of movies being shown Monday through Thursday has been dropped to $5, an act that some hope will bring more people in to the theaters.
Rife, who has worked in movie theaters before, said changing the aesthetics of theaters to make them more inviting will also help bring more people in.
"Becoming more creative with the advertising and offering free stuff like movie posters will get people more interested in coming to the theater," Rife said.
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