Poll: Movie fans prefer home viewing to big screen

LOS ANGELES -- The parking's easy and there are no lines at the concession stand: Most Americans would now rather watch films at home than in theaters, according to an AP-AOL poll. At the same time, almost half think movies are getting worse.

Hollywood is in the midst of its longest box-office slump in 20 years, and 2005 is shaping up as the worst year for movie attendance in nearly a decade if theater business continues at the same lackluster rate.

In the poll released Thursday, 73 percent of adults said they preferred watching movies at home on DVD, videotape or pay-per-view. With more than two-thirds also saying movie stars are poor role models -- Russell Crowe's phone-throwing being the latest example -- it may take more than a blockbuster or two to reverse Hollywood's slide.

Just 22 percent said they would rather see films in a theater, according to the poll conducted by Ipsos for The Associated Press and AOL News. One-fourth said they had not been to a movie theater in the past year.

Some think the slump is a momentary blip due to so-so movies. They maintain the box office will rebound when better films arrive.

Others view the slide as a sign that theaters are losing ground to home entertainment options,particularly DVDs available just months after films debut in cinemas.

Many of this year's big films -- "Kingdom of Heaven," "The Honeymooners," Crowe's "Cinderella Man" -- have fizzled.

But the poll found that people who use DVDs, watch pay-per-view movies on cable, download movies from the Internet and play computer games actually go to movies in theaters more than people at the same income levels who don't use those technologies. That suggests the technology may be co

es climbed steadily as studios perfected their blockbuster marketing machines and cinema chains built new theaters with improv digital piracy of movies a growing threat, studios eventually will release films in theaters, on DVD and online at the same time. Homebodies could watch on their big-screen systems, while fans craving a mammoth screen and a communal experience could hit the theaters.

"You'll rent it for two dollars or buy it for 10 or see it on a giant screen in a social environment and have a good time," Lucas said. "I think there will be room for all of it altogether."