It's the DVD, Stupid

Highly interesting piece in The Weekly Standard about the evolution of movies. Essentially, the piece says that movies no longer make money at the box office. The real money is in the DVDs and the spin-off toys and games. The results have reverberated throughout the industry, from blurry screens at the multi-plex to different industry emphases. If you're interested in movies, the lengthy piece is worth perusing. LINK. Excerpt:

During the 1960s and '70s, the demise of the Hays Office, combined with the liberationist mood of the time, led to a no-holds-barred race to a bottom that was not only salacious and controversial, but also thoroughly spattered with fake blood. Many people believe that this race is still being run. But as Epstein notes, the huge popularity of the DVD is starting to slow its pace. Because DVDs are so cheap to produce, they are easier to sell than videotapes (which are more profitable as rentals). But with the shift toward sales, new pressures have appeared. Mega-retailers like Wal-Mart prefer to sell movies it considers family-friendly. So, quite often, movies are re-edited to meet this requirement. (This is basically what Mel Gibson just did with The Passion of the Christ.) For the same reason, mass merchandisers like McDonald's prefer to sell product tie-ins that do not frighten little children--which means more Spider Man vs. Green Goblin Dioramas and fewer Texas Chainsaw Massacre Leatherface String Light Sets.