Hollywood is having its worst year in decades, and a new poll conducted for the Associated Press has uncovered part of the reason: three out of four Americans prefer to view movies at home.

The dramatic shift in consumers' movie-viewing habits can be attributed to a variety of factors. The rise of the home-entertainment center and DVD technology has caused people to rethink the entire theater experience. Cost is another reason for anemic ticket sales at movie theaters--a $4 DVD rental is a considerable discount to national ticket prices. Yet other factors driving movie attendance lower are personal. A perception exists among many Americans that Hollywood has abandoned its audience. Half of respondents in the survey said that movies are getting worse; only a third said they are getting better.

In spite of the numerous forces working against the motion picture industry, some people still prefer watching movies at the local cineplex. About 22 percent of movie-viewers said they would forego the low cost and high convenience of watching a home rental to see their favorite releases on the big screen. For these diehard movie fans, the experience of laughing with a crowd and sampling the sights and smells of theater concessions is reason enough to get out of the house for an evening--even if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie look just as good at home.