Stores blame 'Shrek' for poor sales

[MGKrebs]

"The International Council of Shopping Centers' weekly sales report shows sales decreased 0.5 percent in the week ended May 22, compared to the previous week..."

"As potential shoppers flocked to the theaters, chain-store sales were a little less robust," said a statement from Michael Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the ICSC. "

So let me get this straight. Because people are going to the mall to see a movie, they are spending less at the mall. Hmmm.

And why aren't movie revenues considered "retail" anyway? What could be more retail than a movie and some popcorn?

edit: I forgot the link: http://money.cnn.com/2004/05/25/news/economy/weeklysales/index.htm?cnn=yes

Steal my button!

[gasperc]

1. they are fucked in the head

they could have been more creative though, since most of us here in the midwest are dodging flash floods daily

[prodigal_green]

2. Why not blame The Passion of the Christ then?

besides, I would think that Shrek-related crap would be boosting sales.

Shrek/Abu Gharib/Higher Gas Prices: we've hit the trifecta!

[displacedtexan]

3. What a great Kerry button!

Mind if I steal it?

BTW, movie theaters in malls pay rent, too! Right now, it's all about competition!

[JHB]

4. Well, at a nearby googleplex...

...it was playing on so many screens there was a show just about every 15 minutes, so I wouldn't completely discount it. But it is a bit fishy to assign an immediate "cause" to "explain" the drop.

[StaggerLee]

5. Could it be

That people are flocking to a movie that they can take the kids to see AND at the same time escape the ugly realities of this world for a while? (A failed war, massive unemployment, yaddah yaddah...)

OR

Gee maybe people aren't spending much on retail since it so expensive to gas up the family car.

Maybe??

[Pab Sungenis]

6. "Shrek I" ticket sales went back up...

...after 9/11. So I would be willing to chalk some of it up to simple escapism on the public's part.

Actually, we had our best weekend in over two months at my movie theater (where we show stuff in second run) two weekends ago, and this past weekend (when "Shrek 2" came out) we only dipped about 20%, so it's not affecting everyone as much as it could.

[Touchdown]

7. With Troy's 16 hour running time...

Everybody is too worn out to shop. Yes, it felt like 16 hours. YAWNFEST!

[mark0rama]

8. Waah! Shrek stole my lunch money!

Oh, fer cryin' out loud!

On the other hand, when we went to Shrek 2, the 5:15 screening was sold out, so we bought tix for 7:00 and went out to dinner beforehand, so Shrek is good for restaurant business.

[SoCalDem]

9. or... Maybe those credit cards are finally maxxed out..

There's a limit to how much junk the average house can hold.. Maybe people are finally reaching it :)

[tom_paine]

10. That is some crazy Soviet/Bushevik rationale

An insult to the intelligence of Free People.

Unfortunately, with every generation there are fewer and fewer free people in America and more and more Imperial Subjects.

[Shakespeare]

11. People with a f*cking clue blame INFLATION for poor sales.

Shhhhhhh...can't let the public know about that, though.