It's a vicious cycle, they put the prices up because people pirate the films because they put the prices up because people pirate the films...
Try substantiating that comment. (edit* now that I read it, this sounds a bit rude. Didn't mean it that way, but you get the point)
It is true that cinema attendance is down, but iirc it has been going down since the 70's, more for cultural reasons than piracy. Studio revenues, however, are booming off of ticket sales.
Studios charge so much because they can. They don't care if they price out some poorer people, because prices are high enough for them to rake it in even with less people going. It has got nothing to do with piracy and more to do with maximising returns.
If it was some valiant battle against pirates, you would expect revenues to stay steady as studios up prices to combat loss in viewing figures, while profits remain minimal. Instead, studios price up tickets, get huge net profits (correct me if I am wrong but 2009 was a record year was it not?) and don't give a damn if the kid that pirated the film doesn't go to the cinema.
Cinema's in return put up the price of popcorn because the studios demand 90 odd percent of ticket sales.
I don't begrudge them for doing so. That is the way capitalism works, but it annoys me to no end when studios make huge profits and then claim that they are entitled to "lost sales"... have they not watched minority report! Future crime is flawed
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