The Oscars were a wee bit boring this year. Predictable, with the possible exception of Three 6 Mafia taking away the award for Best Original Song. And Jon Stewart as host was cool.

But what I found most interesting were the thinly-veiled pleas for Americans to keep watching movies in theaters (instead of simply renting the DVDs). Sid Ganis, the President of the Academy, touted the unparalleled joy of watching a movie on the big screen -- the special feeling of sharing the experience with strangers. Even Jake Gyllenhaal, when introducing (yet another) movie-clip montage, spoke of epics and extravaganzas, never forgetting to mention the "big screen" that does them justice.

One could infer that Hollywood is a little worried about the digital revolution. And they may well have reason to be. In an article describing a future business model for the movie theater industry, David Leonhardt writes:

But now theaters face a very different competitive landscape, thanks to DVD's, high-definition TV's, Netflix and TiVo. Family night at the movies, meanwhile, can cost $60. It's no wonder that the share of disposable income spent on moviegoing has fallen a stunning 17 percent in just the last three years.

The idea is that theaters would introduce variable pricing to entice hesitant movie goers -- extending the low matinee rates to week nights and raising the price again on weekends. Basically, working on the principle of supply and demand.

There is also talk, however, of charging a higher rate for films that are more anticipated than others. But this could be a dangerous road to travel -- after all, as Peter C. Brown of AMC Entertainment, says "ultimately, it is art" and to suggest that one is more valuable than another seems contentious. And yet, Leonhardt points out, "the next time you're in an art gallery, check the price tags to see if all the paintings cost the same."

Be that as it may, I suspect variable pricing will be limited to days of the week. While box office returns are a monetary indication of how popular the film is, this judgement comes after the trial. Pricing a movie differently before its release could be a pre-emptive strike against it.