“This past summer was the worst since 1997 for movie attendance, rattling the complacency of studios. For the 18 weeks from early May through today, domestic movie grosses are expected to total $3.6 billion (all figures U.S.), down 9 per cent from summer revenues of $3.96 billion last year, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Attendance figures are even bleaker. Factoring in higher admission prices, the number of movie tickets sold should come in around 562.5 million, down 12 per cent from summer 2004. What went wrong?”