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DVDs -- and even their more modern Blu-ray siblings -- are gradually fading to black, as VHS and LaserDisc did before them. Movie studios have seen this coming for some time. Problem is, it's part of a bigger trend they may not be able to overcome.
Hollywood has a problem. For the first time in more than two decades, the film industry is posting back-to-back years of falling box office receipts. Before the drama becomes a horror show, here are a few things that could beef up ticket sales.
Noticed that your local movie theater is a little quieter than usual lately? Don't go thinking that moviegoers have just gotten more considerate. The reason phones aren't ringing, babies aren't wailing, and know-it-alls aren't giving away plot twists before they happen is simple: People just aren't there.
When it comes to providing bewitchment for the buck, Harry Potter has notched some mesmerizing numbers. Fans who bought all the hardcover books, the DVDs, and attended the movies in first run, paid an average total of $401.08 -- not counting the $20 to $30 they'll pay for the DVD or Blu-Ray of "Deathly Hallows: Part 2."
Usually, the Oscars highlight the chasm between Hollywood's elite and average Americans. But, says one movie critic: "This is one of the rare years when critics and paying audiences backed the nominees." Also notable in 2011 is a youth movement in the nominees -- and the show's hosts.
At least one analyst is predicting that fourth-quarter box-office sales are set to fall 12% as most 3-D movies have failed to attract big audiences this year. Even worse: The trend extends beyond movie theaters to the living room.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" had the most successful opening of the series so far, bringing in $125 million in U.S. box office sales last weekend. That gives the Warner Bros. title the sixth-most successful U.S. movie launch ever.
"The Expendables" beat out new releases to hold onto the top box office slot at U.S. and Canadian theaters this weekend, taking in $16.5 million in ticket sales for Lions Gate Entertainment. The action film, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, is in its second week. "Vampires Suck,"...
3-D movie revenue doubled in 2010, and studios will release 18 3-D titles in the second half of the year, up from five. But higher costs worry theater operators, and not all 3-D movies can command higher ticket prices.
The latest movie in the vampire-based Twilight franchise -- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse -- netted $30 million on its opening night, beating the previous installment's $26.3 million. Will it also beat its predecessor's total proceeds of $710 million?

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