To Rent or Not to Rent

There is probably no form of entertainment in American life more enjoyable than a trip to

the local movie theater. Everyone, young and old, male and female, looks forward to the newest

on-screen production. It is safe to say that many people like watching movies. A Hollywood

blockbuster movie has the potential to transport the average stressed out businessman, harried

housewife, or bored teenager out of the ordinary routine of their daily lives and into one of

hundreds of worlds of adventure, intrigue, laughter, or horror. Even a mediocre film gives people

the opportunity to take a brief vacation from reality and enjoy someone else’s life for a change.

Americans love the movies, whether they watch them in the darkened theaters in front of

huge screens, or on the couch in the comfort of their own homes. According to the BBC News

World Edition, December 31, 2002, Hollywood box office receipts for 2002 topped 9.2 billion

dollars. DVD sales followed shortly behind with 8.1 billion dollars, as stated in USA Today,

December 18, 2002. Finally, as reported in the October 4, 2002 issue of the Silicon Valley/San

Jose Business Journal, DVD rentals brought in more than 2 billion dollars. These figures do not

take into account revenue from other sources, such as VHS rental, declining but still popular,

movies aired on Cable channels such as HBO or Pay-Per-View, and movies shown on regular

network television. What accounts for the almost equal figures for theater attendance and DVD

rental and sales? Why do people watch movies in their homes rather than enjoy the larger than

life experience offered by a trip to the local cinema? What does the small screen have to offer

that the large screen does not?

 Droskinis 2

Attending a new movie release, especially the first weekend it comes out, can be quite a

production for an individual or family. People drive to the theater at a specific time, look for a

spot to park, wait in a long line to pay upwards of ten dollars per adult ticket, enter the lobby for

expensive movie snacks, and try to find seats together in a large, often crowded theater

containing lots of strangers. Despite these inconveniences, watching the chosen film, especially

if it is a science fiction, action adventure, or horror film filled with incredible computerized

special effects, is an experience unparalleled by the average television set, even one of the new

larger sets. Additionally, modern movies enhance the sensory experience for the audience with

state of the art digital surround sound effects. Seeing a movie under these circumstances, on a

huge movie screen, immersed in sound and sight, sharing the experience with a crowd strangers,

intensifies whatever emotional response the film intends to invoke. The movie is scarier, funnier,

more ghastly, more dramatic, or sadder not only because the audience sees it larger than life, but

also because it is a shared experience. There are no interruptions to distract the viewer from

feeling the full effect of the movie’s dramatic buildup. There are no phone calls, no visitors

coming to call, no chores to be done. Though not true sensory deprivation, the movie theater

experience goes a long way to removing the outside world and placing the audience squarely in

the middle of the action on the screen, and all while munching on overpriced but delicious

popcorn, which so far has not been duplicated for the home market.

So why then do a growing number of consumers choose to forgo the theater experience,

and instead watch movies in their own homes? An obvious answer is that many are perhaps

purchasing or renting a movie they have already seen and enjoyed very much. Another

possibility is that the movie was not appealing enough to go to the trouble and expense of seeing

in the theater, but worth the four dollars rental fee to see at home. Also, the fact that a movie is

2
 Droskinis 3

particularly realistic could be the reason a viewer chooses the home location. Some people like

to be scared, but not terrified. Watching a graphic film such as Final Destination 2 on the small

screen could be the difference between nightmares and a small thrill. Sometimes the large screen

is too powerful for some people.

Renting or even purchasing a movie for home viewing is much less expensive than going

to the theater. For the same price, the entire family can enjoy the movie. If the movie is for adults

only, the adults will save the cost of a babysitter by watching the movie at home. Instead of being

locked into the four or five times daily that the movie runs in the theater, people can watch any

time of the day or night, and they can dress however they please. Watching a movie at home also

allows the person to see a movie that is no longer being shown in the theaters. Although there is a

lag time of anywhere from three to six months until a movie is released on video, it is possible

that by waiting and renting or buying a DVD, the film makers will incorporate additional

material or deleted scenes on the disc.

A DVD that is purchased has the added advantage that it can be watched many, many

times without paying again. This is a particular bonus for parents of small children. Movie

viewing is no substitute for parental interaction, but what mother does not enjoy thirty minutes of

peace while the little ones watch Shrek yet another time? Although watching a movie without

interruption in a theater might make the experience more enjoyable and powerful, the ability to

pause the movie at home is a great convenience. One can rewind the movie to see a scene again

that was misunderstood, to get a snack, to walk the dogs, or for any reason at all. The home

viewer is not at the mercy of a theater schedule. Watching a DVD at home also gives the viewer

the option of turning on the captions. This is especially helpful if the movie is hard to hear or if

3
 Droskinis 4

the actors have accents that are difficult to understand. A person seeing the same movie in the

theater might not enjoy it for this reason, or if the rest of the crowd is noisy.

When all the evidence is in, watching movies at home or watching movies in the theater

are both enjoyable experiences, but for different reasons. The home movie experience is a toned

down version of the theater experience, but is more convenient, more comfortable, and less

expensive than going to a theater. The theater experience, on the other hand, is costlier and

inconvenient. But driving to the theater, parking, standing in line for tickets and expensive

snacks only to sit in a crowded room with a lot of strangers, can be balanced by the exhilaration

of seeing a multi-million dollar blockbuster Hollywood extravaganza filled with special effects

and enhanced with digital surround sound. It just might be worth all the trouble to take a little

two hour vacation from reality and plunge into the world of cinematic magic in all its glory.