3 Bogus Reasons for Why the Multiplex Is Dying

It was a dreadful weekend for exhibitors. The top 12 movies grossed $49.8 million in domestic ticket sales, the first time that multiplex operators haven't topped $50 million since the fall of 2001.

It's been a cruel summer for movie theater chains. We're wrapping up what will be the fourth month in a row of year-over-year declines in ticket sales, and investors are also feeling the pain. Leading theater operator AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC) has shed 61% of its value this year.

We're clearly in a rut. There's no shortage of reasons to blame for the slowdown in moviegoers, but some of the more popular excuses don't hold up under further scrutiny. Let's take a closer look at three scapegoats that don't deserve credit for the industry's slide that resulted in the industry's worst weekend in more than 15 years.

Source: Fool.com