Tivo was perhaps, in my humblest opinion, the biggest customer-centric breakthrough. And we are starting to see the followers – Microsoft, cable companies, satellite companies – realize that Tivo got it right.

NetFlix also breaks the mold of paying for product versus a service. And customers are becoming more service-centric. Again, cable companies sort of do this, but rather than PPV on a per product basis, they should consider PPM (pay per month) viewing service. If my cable company offered that capability in HD, I would pay the additional cost of the HD cable box to have the service.

Theatres need to modernize, and I don’t mean by building them bigger. The experience hasn’t really changed in 15 years and as a few other posters noted, the quality in most screens suck. I go out of my way to watch something like SW3 in a DLP screen theatre because that was really the way Lucas wants his audience to see it.

And the overhead cost of theatres (popcorn! hotdogs!) is just crazy. It really puts me off going, unless it is one of a handful of films I really want to see on a big screen each year.

So in summary – I would buy into a Netflix model through my cable provider, where if I wanted to buy the film, I could unlock it and burn it from the cable-box PVR to a dual-layer DVD (or BlueRay!) or keep it permanently. That would go for new and old (like “A Bridge too Far”) films. And what would be great is if the film was ever upgraded (e.g. higher definition, extended version, etc.) I could subscribe to get that upgrade (Pro vs Standard software models).

Keep up the blog, Mark. It keeps my noodle working!

a) Put better screen or Display systems
b) Put better chairs
c) Better sound system
d) Put in more Ticket booth ( people hate waiting in line )

2. Give out a booklet with a dvd , make it a more personnal event , like a premier in the booklet you have the actors bios and some site to go and visit online for more detail about them , producer bios , production house who made the movie and some of there other movie.

a) On the dvd only include the movie nothing else , fill the first 15 min with promo for other movie.

c) Lower the price of everything by half , make it more affordable for couples and familly.

a) Lower the price of popcorn but double every size.
b) Lower the prize of drinks by half.

3. Use the movie tickets as lottery tickets where you add 1$ on the ticket just so that there is a amount of money to be won and half of the proceed can go to a charity or local teen sport club.

4. Give online prizes with the ticket where people go online and can win HDTV subscription or anykind of prize.

5. Use the drinks cup for lottery like : http://www.timhortons.com/en/about/marketing.html
rool up the rim.

6. Offer Limo and Restaurant package at low price.

7. Offer Series package at low price with dvd offer :

- Hitchock
- Indiana Jones
- Back to the futur
- Star wars entire series
- Jaws
- etc …

- Offer some Indi or B movies , no one else will be showing on big screens

- Put some English Anime night or showing.

All reasons given by Marc are valid, but I think it is simply the ammount of money they charge for a movie (with drink&popcorn) makes is inviable for a normal american family to be able to do it as frequent as they used to…

Roni

I absolute agree with everyone that said home is preferable over a theater; the comforts of home and friends in a clean pleasant environment is more enjoyable than cell phones, screaming kids, chairs that are dirty, waiting in line, unhealthy fattening foods, etc., for $20+.

Not too mention, the movies aren’t that original or good. Dialog is pitiful. They prefer to put one or two “stars” on the screen at the expense of the quality of the entire movie; and then those very “stars” can pitch any and everything in commercials to us. Just because some “star” is in a movie, we are now suppose to ask our doctors about a certain medicine, buy a certain deodorant, or car, or financial service; not!

I read Gary Marshall’s book and he talks about movie marketing that he wasn’t even aware of. For example, the marketing folks falsely promoted “Runaway Bride” as a sequel to “Pretty Woman”, but it wasn’t; that didn’t matter. How many times can they do this; how many movies can be “must see” before we suffer burnout. Then again maybe we are all wiser because of blogs and newsgroups who rate movies better than the professionals. We never see a movie on opening because the best advertisement for a movie or any product is word of mouth; besides we have higher priorities in life. If there is a movie the marketing folks are hyping I just go to a spoiler site and the marketing hype no longer works.

I also dislike the practice of offering the movie on DVD and then a year later offering the same movie but with additional scenes. For example, Lord of the Rings did this with the 3rd movie. They came out with the 3rd movie on DVD, and then some period afterwards they offered the 3rd movie on DVD with about an additional hours worth of new scenes. I’m not going to buy the new version of the DVD, so my only recourse is not to buy DVD’s in the future, at least not right away, because I know they play these games. Walmart always has movies on sales for less than $10; you just have to be patient.

As I get older, I understand better why my cousins did not have a TV at home; today they are lawyers and doctors and having a great life. Most successful people are
a lot more discretionary in what they put into their heads, and watch TV and movies sparingly. I always find it fascinating when people like Oprah, Viggo Mortensen, or TV stars say they don’t either own a TV or that they don’t watch it.

And then there is reality, we are at war, we are uncertain about our economic future with globalization, an aging demographics, and attacks on Social Security and defined benefit pensions, and we are told ten times a day that Americans aren’t saving enough.