More often than not, it’s the simple explanation that makes the most sense. Commenting on a recent LA Times woe-for-the-movie-industry piece, Techdirt arrives at the stunning conclusion that people will pay to go see a good movie.
The LA Times article describes in detail the efforts that the industry took to delay The Dark Knight including shipping the movie reels in separate shipments to discourage a complete copy being lost or stolen. From production to post on through movie theater delivery, the movie was under tight security.
All of this sounded a little over-vigilant to Mike Masnick who simplifies the equation down to the bare facts. Make a good movie and people will pay for the experience. The Dark Knight, most say, is a good movie. That is where the success came from, not by the cloak and dagger routine staged by the MPAA.