Big-budget movies may be playing to smaller audiences, the New York Times writes. Although domestic box office receipts are approaching $9.4 billion, which would top last year’s total, that figure may be attributable to the rise in ticket prices. While some big-budget films like "Shrek 2," "Spider-Man 2," and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" had strong showings, many others, from "Hidalgo" to "The Alamo" to "Catwoman," were disappointments to the studios. Some of the year’s most profitable films had medium-sized budgets, and some industry experts said studios may reassess the trend toward big budget effects films.
