• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, February 10, 2012

Is entertainment getting cheaper? Yes, at least for theatrical films. You can blame some over-promised technology falling flat. But the decrease may be temporary.

The price of movie tickets has dropped slightly, a rare occurrence with any bit of consumer entertainment.

For the final quarter of 2011, movie prices dropped 1.3% to $7.83 per ticket, according to the National Association of Theater Owners.  For the entire year, over 2010, they rose a measly 1%, or 4 cents, to $7.93. A year earlier had seen a rise of 5.2%, or 39 cents, to $7.89, thanks in part to the rush of 3D movies.

But before the start of 2011, consumers began turning up their noses at 3D movies -- and at those films’ much higher price tag. As a result, less 3D movies hit the market in 2011. Consumers figured that the higher price of 3D movies didn't meet the entertainment value.

Might the same be said of 3D TV networks?  ESPN and Discovery both have been feeling the pinch. AT&T U-Verse dropped ESPN 3D. And David Laslav, president and chief executive officer of Discovery, has said the adoption rate of Discovery's 3net is less than the company had projected.

Research shows that consumers are more interested in TV sets with Internet-connected features than those with 3D technology.

So ask yourself another question: What other TV-related entertainment technology -- service, network or device -- is similarly overrated in terms of price/value formula? Surely, there are a bunch of candidates. Remember when ESPN decided to pull back on its own branded mobile phone? Microsoft's Zune, anyone?

Executives may still be betting on the promise of new digital and other entertainment stuff. But the backlash over an overabundance of 3D movies means the business over-stepped its bounds in its beliefs about consumers’ entertainment desires. This is bound to happen again.