Here’s Lewis Beale’s assessment in today’s issue of Newsday about the summer slump. He agrees that admissions have been down since ’02 (how can he not agree to a fact?) and acknowledges that exhibitors are getting hurt the most, but he also explains how moneybags Hollywood is doing fine. I’m quoted saying the following: “The issue isn’t that movie attendance is soft this summer. The issue is that the fundamental idea of ‘going out to the movies’ is losing its hold on the moviegoing public. Seeing movies in theaters is being slowly depopularized and retired by different groups for different reasons.”
