Why ask them?

I am not a box-office analyst, but it seems that the decline in ticket sales is due to fewer people going to movies. So to determine why fewer people are going to movies, The Times asks ... people going to movies [“Moviegoers Speak Up,” by John Horn and Scott Collins, Jan. 3].

Instead of consulting frequent moviegoers who largely aren’t bothered by commercials, high ticket prices or boring recycled content, why not seek out people who are actively not going to movies?

KEZIA JAURON

Sherman Oaks

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IF you really wanted to find out why box-office revenues are down, you needed to ask someone who no longer is going to the movies. Here’s the response from yours truly:

“Are movies too expensive?” Yes. I see 10 movies a month on Netflix -- cost (with tax), $19.47. I might go to the theaters more if tickets were $3 to $5.

“Are movies too long?” No. Most are too short to have adequate character development. I really appreciate it when the director adds extra scenes to the DVD to help in that regard.

“What don’t you like about the moviegoing experience?” Ads before the film. Sticky floors. Expensive snacks in too-large sizes. Soft fuzzy focus picture on the screen. Sound poorer than my home theater. Expensive parking. Lines. Having to take poor seats. High cost of tickets.

“Would you care if all theaters went out of business and all that was available was movies on DVD?” No.

DON PENSACK

Los Angeles