The movie-going experience has become akin to eating at McDonalds. Gone are the days of the grand theatrical events. Filmgoers rely on sequels and studio tent-pole films to create a buzz worthy of a theatrical movie-going experience of yesteryear. Attendance is dropping.

Is there any way to save the movie industry? Perhaps Dreamgirls may provide the answer...

The Numbers: In 1930 weekly cinema attendance was 80 million people, approximately 65% of the resident U.S. population. Can you imagine this? However, last year (2005), that figure was only 26.8 million people, which was a mere 9.1% of the U.S. population. Not to mention that attendance has declined 13% in the last four years alone. [sidenote: 2006 will probably end with a meager 3% increase]

The Problem: Up until the early 1970's, cinemas typically had one or two screens. Steven Spielberg's ET played in theaters for exactly one year on around 1,000 screens (average). The multiplex was created. From 1990 to 1999, the number of movie screens in the U.S. sky-rocketed up 57 percent, to more than 37,000. Yet the number of tickets sold climbed only 20 percent. The creation of Mutiplexs lead to the dreaded "opening weekend." Films no longer have a screen life. If a movie doesn't make money in the opening weekend, it's dead. Movie theaters have added paid advertisements before screenings to try to re-coop lost revenue. Movie theaters have become uncomfortable and unenjoyable. Cell phones have made it almost impossible to keep your attention on the third wall.

The Solution: Is it possible to bring back the big movie experience? Paramount/Dreamworks decided to release Dreamgirls in a 10-day roadshow limited release event in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The showings are designed to make moviegoing an event and more like a live theater experience, complete with intermission. Ticket price are raised to $25, which includes lobby exhibits on the making of the film, a limited-edition 42-page collectors glossy program, and a commercial and trailer free experience.

The Result: Hundreds of people waited outside in line to buy tickets to the premium events. The first two days in New York City's Ziegfeld Theater sold out almost a week in advance. Dreamgirls made an estimated $360,000 in just three days at only three theaters. While that may not sound like a lot, let's put this into perspective: they made $120,000 per screen while Charlotte's Web grossed a mere $3,372 per screen.

Fox Searchlight's Little Miss Sunshine took a limited release roll-out and parlayed a small indie film into over $84 million worldwide. With award season coming up, that could have potentially doubled if the company had decided to keep the film in theaters (for the last month the film has been playing strong on just over 100 screens). In fact, the film grossed over a million dollars at the Union Square Manhattan theater alone, an accomplishment that four other films have achieved: Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, The Matrix, and Spider-Man. It's amazing to think that a film can have a strong five month life at the multiplex now-a-days.

So may-be the future of cinema lies in the past. Limited release big event roll-outs could be the future of cinema. Packing a theater with an excited audience usually will result in greet word of mouth.