That 1999 article saying DVD would kill movie theaters still cracks me up

I was cleaning out my dad's basement last month and found a stack of old tech magazines from the late 90s. One had this bold prediction that DVD players would make theaters obsolete by 2005 because nobody would pay $8 for a ticket when they could watch at home. But here we are in 2024 and I just paid $18 to see Dune 2 in a packed theater last weekend. The guy also claimed we'd all be watching movies on 13 inch laptop screens instead of TVs. Has anyone else stumbled across predictions that just completely missed how people actually behave?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey94316d ago

That line about $8 tickets got me, my buddy was so convinced DVDs would kill theaters he sold his stake in a local movie house in 2000 to buy a plasma TV. Two years later he was sneaking snacks into a theater to see Spider-Man and admitted he missed going out.

jones.grace16d ago

$8 tickets" REALLY got me too, I mean that's practically a steal now compared to what they charge. Your buddy selling his stake over a plasma TV is the most 2000s thing I've ever heard, those things were like furniture back then. At least he came to his senses and snuck snacks in like a normal person, we all have our phases.