The reel thing.

A record number of movies has led to a box office boost--in both attendance and revenue--and makes it look like the tide has turned for Hollywood in 2006. A year ago, a downturn was blamed on DVDs and audience frustration with the theatergoing experience--too much talking, too many commercials. So the Business Journal asks:

Have you gone to the movies more often this year?

Tammy Lundgren

Marketing Director

AC Martin Partners

I went to more movies this year because they were more appealing than last year's productions. I think movie predictions are very unreliable because there are too many variables. Yes, the price of a movie ticket has gone up and there are those annoying commercials at the beginning of a film but the bottom line is that they made movies that people wanted to see. If the movie is fantastic then people will see it.

Brian Pass

Partner

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP 

I think the reason is better movies. I think the quality of the movies is always going to dictate box office. I don't think DVDs or High-Def can replace the communal experience of watching a movie in a traditional theater. There were more good films this year than last year.

Kene G

Marketing Director

Cinespace

I think when regular theaters weren't stepping up to the plate with food and cleanliness but were still charging prices like the Arc Light, it was insane. I definitely stopped going for a time but this year it's gotten better and better. The seats are getting a little wider, theaters are getting nicer, movie houses are making more of an effort to make it a unique night out. We thought we were going to get creamed with the influx of home theaters. But we've actually seen a dramatic increase in our attendance. There was this big push for high-def home theaters but then you have to go buy the cables--it's confusing, it's not simple. The promise of this home theater experience is just not there unless you have a lot of money to spend. At Cinespace we spend so much money on our sound system, you can't possibly match it at home. We've done a huge push toward date nights.

Dan Harary

President

Asbury Communications

I love going to the movies. I probably see three a month at least. If people are going less, they're probably picking more specific films and renting more. I think the urgency to rush to the theater isn't what it used to be because of DVDs, but I still like going to see movies on the big screen. I also think smaller independent films like "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Illusionist" are more entertaining than the big films.

Leron Gubler

President

Hollywood Chamber of

Commerce

AS president of the chamber, I guess I should be going to the movies. However we have a new baby, so it's hard to get out of the house. I think it all boils down to quality. There's nothing to compare to the movie theater experience--to see a movie the way it was meant to be seen. I think we're seeing an increase in the box office because the quality of the product is better than what was produced last year generally overall.

Tim Nett

Chief Executive

Trailer Park

One of the things that's easy to say is declining box office was a wake up call--but I don't think that's true. The fact is the movies you're seeing now have been in the works for two or three years. There hasn't been enough time for people to really say: "Well now we're going to make better movies." We saw a downturn, but we were coming off a period of unprecedented growth. If you average this out over a 20-year period I don't think you're going to find that the fluctuation is that big.