Last year saw the fewest tickets sold at movie theaters since 1995. Ticket sales were down during the “blockbuster” season of summer, and the year’s “best” films—in terms of critical acclaim and awards like last night’s Oscars—had their worst performance at the box office in years.
The bizarrely dedicated fans of the McDonald’s McRib sandwich are overjoyed that the barbecue-sauce-soaked boneless pork patty treat is returning for a limited time to all U.S. Golden Arches locations. But are McRib devotees simply being McManipulated?
I recently walked through the children’s section of a big box bookstore for the first time in a long time, and I was stunned. Then depressed. Then angry.
Americans just aren’t flocking to the movies like they used to. During the period from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day of 2011, theaters were projected to have sold 543 million movie tickets, the smallest figure since the summer of 1997. Why are people skipping trips to the theater?
Especially during the hot and humid days of summer, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to go to the movies in icily air-conditioned comfort as much as you want—without paying for tickets each and every visit? A new startup allows you to do just that.
The price match-o-rama continues. Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Target, which are already engaged in a sub-$10 price war over new books from bestselling authors, have begun matching each other’s DVD prices discount for discount. The results are prices so cheap that the stores are guaranteed to lose money on the sales.
