Making Movies for Grownups - Or Not

David Card | November 15, 2005, 09:52 AM

My favorite movie business columnist, Slate's Edward Jay Epstein, strikes again with a counterintuitive take on whether studios should make movies for teenagers rather than adults:

The studios, recognizing that most of the former habitual moviegoing audience is at home watching television—and soon their iPods—create audiences for each of their movies through advertising on television, an enormously expensive—and risky—enterprise. To make it work, the studios look for a group of people that both regularly tune into TV programs on which the studios can afford to buy commercials and who can be motivated by a 30-second ad to leave the comfort of their houses to go to the multiplexes. And for better or worse, that means teenagers.

Jupiter Research surveys show why people are going out to the movies less. It's not just to stay home and watch DVDs -- though there's evidence cocooning is back. Especially for heavy moviegoers, it's a deadly combination of cost, crummy movies this year, and competition from DVDs.