由于过高的汽油价格和电影门票，驱车去电影院享受一场精彩的电影对许多人而言已经变得没有意义了。更多的用户选择了在家中观看DVD，或者在线观看电影。

    据《今日美国》10月11日报道，如今，如果好莱坞片商不能解释电影票房收入每况愈下的原因，也许去了解一下电影爱好者们发生的变化是最好的选择。随着家庭影院技术的发展，越来越多的人更倾向于在家中观看电影。毫无疑问，这种大趋势对电影院的盈利造成了极大的影响。据市场调查机构Nielsen

    EDI提供的统计数据，截至到9月25日，好莱坞电影门票收入比去年同期下滑了21％，仅为8870万美元。

    据分析家透露，造成这一局面的原因有许多。首先，电影门票价格日益提高；另外，随着汽油价格的攀升，驱车去往电影院的成本也无形中增加了许多；而最为重要的原因是，人们越来越感觉到坐在电影院中看电影是一件非常耗费精力的事情。有关人士表示：“人们不得不担心交通问题、过高的汽油价格甚至担心孩子的安置问题。不得不承认，我们的生活正在变得越来越复杂。因此，生活的琐事耗费了我们所有的精力，乃至于我们发现，坐在电影院中悠闲的欣赏一整场电影成为了几乎不可能的事情。”于是，更多的观众选择坐在家中欣赏电影。

    与此同时，互联网电影租赁产业的蓬勃发展也制约了传统电影院的盈利。例如美国最大的视频连锁店Blockbuster于去年引入的Blockbuster在线业务。通过此项服务，用户可以随时收看到多达4万部DVD在线电影，目前该服务的收费为17.99美元包月，相对于昂贵的电影票，区区这样低廉的价格无疑很具有吸引力。据市场调查机构统计，Blockbuster的用户数量在明年将会超越200万大关，而作为世界上最大的在线电影租赁公司，Netflix在今年年底的用户数量也有望超过350万。

    Trend-watcher Faith Popcorn says contributing factors are high ticket prices, high gas prices and the fact that many people are just too tired to sit through a film.

    If Hollywood is wondering why box office receipts are down, they may want to go knock on the doors of some fans.

    More and more are content to stay at home to watch movies. The trend has taken a toll on theater ticket sales, down 21% to $88.7 million through Sept. 25, vs. the same period last year, according to Nielsen EDI.

    Trend-watcher Faith Popcorn says contributing factors are high ticket prices, high gas prices and the fact that many people are just too tired to sit through a film.

    "People are worried about traffic, gas prices and getting a babysitter. It's impossible. Life has become too difficult. You're too exhausted to go out," she says. "People don't have the concentration to sit through a whole movie anymore."

    So, instead, many are watching at home. Some are choosing services that mean they don't even have to go out for the DVD.

    Blockbuster, the biggest video chain, has tried to make renting more appealing by eliminating hated late fees. And in August 2004 it introduced Blockbuster Online, a subscription service offering 40,000 DVD titles online that can be received and returned by mail. It costs $17.99 a month for three movies out at a time.

    The service is looking to catch up with Netflix, the largest mail service brand, founded in 1999 in Los Gatos, Calif. Blockbuster expects to hit 2 million subscribers next year, while Netflix will hit 3.5 million by the end of this year. Netflix has various levels of service based on how many movies a subscriber can have out at a time - for three, its monthly fee is also $17.99.