Edward Jay Epstein (The Hollywood Economist) explains why TV is replacing movies as elite entertainment:
Once upon a time, over a generation ago, The television set was commonly called the “boob tube” and looked down on by elites as a purveyors of mind-numbing entertainment. Movie theaters, on the other hand, were con sidered a venue for, if not art, more sophisticated dramas and comedies. Not any more. The multiplexes are now primarily a venue for comic-book inspired action and fantasy movies, whereas television, especially the pay and cable channels, is increasingly becoming a venue for character-driven adult programs, such as The Wire, Mad Men, and Boardwalk Empire.
(That reminds me, should I be watching Boardwalk Empire?)
Alex Tabarrok adds that you can understand what has happened with some microeconomics:
Advertising-supported television wants to maximize the number of eyeballs, but that often means appealing to the lowest common denominator. (This is especially true when there are just three television stations.) The programming that maximizes eyeballs does not necessarily maximize consumer surplus.
And, at home you don’t have to tolerate people inappropriately bringing children to adult-themed movies, or using their cell phones while the movie plays.
I still cringe when I remember the parents who brought along their five-year-old to see Gladiator.