THE MPAA WILL PROBABLY BLAME PIRACY for declining movie attendance, but this Zogby poll suggests an alternative explanation: the movies suck:

High ticket prices (30%) and a dislike for the movie selections (30%) are the top reasons given for falling movie attendance – 13% said they don’t like the crowds in the theater. Those age 18-24 are most likely to complain about costly tickets – nearly half (46%) said high ticket prices have kept them away from the theater. Among older adults, dissatisfaction with the film selections is the main deterrent – 46% of those age 65 or older said this.

More than a third (37%) of respondents said they go to the movies fewer than six times per year – 21% said they don’t even make it to the movies once a year. Overall, 10% said they never go at all.

Upside: If the movies are bad, nobody will pirate them! To these complaints, I’d add ridiculously overhyped sound: It’s more like an arcade game than a movie, most of the time.