“In the 1940s, [going to the movies] was the national pastime. Approximately 67 percent of the American public — every week, on the average — went to a movie. And they didn’t just see movies — they saw newsreels, they saw cartoons, animation, shorts, a second feature — but it was their weekly pastime. Today, less than 10 percent of the public, on the average, go to the movies in a week.”

I don’t have to go back as far as the 40’s.  I can take a trip down memory lane to the late 80’swhen I spent an afternoon in a movie theater around the corner from my apartment on West 71st in NYC and sat through a double bill of Lina Wertmüller ‘s – Swept Away and Seven Beauties. (If you’re familiar with Ms. Wertmüller ‘s work, you’ll understand when I say I needed oxygen and a trip to a relaxing spa when the credits rolled.)  Regardless of my emotional state – I loved the fact that I could spend an entire afternoon in a movie theater.  It was normal to go to the movies at least once a week.

So, what happened?  Why is it that only 10 percent of the population goes to the movies now?  Is it the price of the ticket?  Perhaps it’s the fact that I can download a film on Netflix soon after its release.  Or could it be there’s a dearth of good films being made?  I can recall going to the movies a few months ago and watching the trailers for upcoming films.  My comments ranged from “Oh, that’s definitely a rental,” to, “I wouldn’t see that film even if I was locked in the bathroom on a cross Atlantic flight and it was playing on a screen in front of me.”

So the question is – Do you go to the movies?  How often? And why do you think there is such a dramatic decline in movie going?