Halo vs. Hollywood

I know it's already been brought up before but I just think it's interesting that Hollywood execs are blaming low box office sales on the release of Halo 3. Granted, some estimates have put Halo 3's revenue at over $300 million. That's a significant chunk of the entertainment change that the box office relies on.

What I don't get is the assumption of the overlap. Do many people consider Halo 3 as a replacement for all other entertainment? What about movies in particular? I think I'm more inclined to agree with this assessment posted by "Jonathan". Yes, a video game could keep people from going to the movies. But bad movies, bad plots, and bad advertising can also keep people from going to the movies. Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller seems to be the poster child of movies that were "robbed" by Halo. Maybe it wasn't Halo. Maybe it's related to the fact that every time I saw a commercial for the movie, I reaffirmed my decision not to go see it in theaters.

I won't try to recreate the satirical pro-Halo 3 viewpoint, despite how tempting it may be. I just think that if they are worried that the 18 to 34-year-old male demographic has been swayed away from theaters, just come out with a decent flick. I think we all could have found $8 and 3 hours away from our couch to see something like Bourne Ultimatum, had it come out in October.