I think it's a question of "value", Nick. Plus, we're The Ownership Society. I don't perceive movies in the theatre as a "good value" on a number of fronts.
JP has hit the nail on the head relative to home theatres. That's the real comparison here. Not that I want to give the MPAA any ideas, but the quality of DVD's and the promptness of their release have really made me cool to going to a theatre. Now, I need to get something measurably "better" than a home theatre experience in order to sacrifice the time and money. In my case, consuming the content sooner is never enough. We sometimes go to IMAX feature films because they are very clearly a more powerful and immersive experience than sitting in the living room.
My "others" include
- Seating comfort
- Availability of beer
- Schedule flexibility
- Brew-your-own social environment. If my fellow viewers want to offer insightful comments or inquiries from the group, we CAN do that at home without fear of disturbing anyone. OR we can all just sit and watch.
- Whole-family activity diversity. I can be home with the kids, and they can be either watching the movie or sleeping or playing a computer game or whatever, and I don't have to worry about childcare.
