Tickets for an IMAX 3D movie in Nashville now cost $17.50 and regular tickets are $10.50. I wonder if this will impact ticket sales? For the price of two Imax tickets, I could buy 2 Blu-rays or pay for 2-3 months of Netflix service and enjoy the movie in the comfort of my own home. Also, the screen quality in most theaters is now horrendous. It is extremely hard to find a theater that does not have a soft looking picture. Of course the public's memory is short and most will forget these changes over the course of the next few months.
Movie ticket price increases
- Thread starter Zeagle
- Start date
ELinder
Member
Movie prices all over are nuts. That's what we get from the idiot studio execs for green lighting movies with budgets not in the 10s of millions, but in the 100s of million dollar range. For A Movie! Get Real! I love a movie with great effects and scope as much as anyone, but give me a movie with a good story over a "blockbuster" any day.
Erich
Erich
gary
Member
i voted against these prices and leaving home many years ago, i think i bought my first vhs player sometimes in the 1980's, have not been to any movie theater since. i'll wait for it to come out on (tape, dvd, blu-ray) . the drinks are cheaper, the food is better, and i don't miss anything when i take a trip to the restroom
I read this was happening, the non IMAX 3D (Disney's 3D e.g.) I believe is now $14.50. ; I guess we saw Alice in Wonderland just in time. ; We are selective in going to the movies since the prices keep rising, but there are some like the Disney movies we try to always see in the theater. ;
Disney is trying something new with Alice where they are shortening the time from the Theater release to the DVD release (in the U.S. anyway). ; We are fortunate enough to have a nice home theater with a projector for a nice movie feel, so if I can avoid going to the theater I will.
Jason: along with your pet peeve regarding poor screens, I hate when they put an ultra bright green EXIT sign right near the screen!!
Disney is trying something new with Alice where they are shortening the time from the Theater release to the DVD release (in the U.S. anyway). ; We are fortunate enough to have a nice home theater with a projector for a nice movie feel, so if I can avoid going to the theater I will.
Jason: along with your pet peeve regarding poor screens, I hate when they put an ultra bright green EXIT sign right near the screen!!
Hmmm...doesn't seem all that bad to me. ; Then again, I spend $20 for movie tickets already, and they've been $18 for at least the past 3 years down here.
Of course, ours is a BOCA RATON movie theater. ; Which means reserved seats, full love seat recliners, full bar, full restaurant, wait service during the movie, valet parking, and popcorn included. ; I don't see many movies in the theaters - one of the parameters my friends and I use for seeing a movie is whether or not it is 'Premier-worthy'...if we don't want to go the full-boat $20 ticket for it with all the luxuries and accoutrements, then we don't see it until video.
Of course, ours is a BOCA RATON movie theater. ; Which means reserved seats, full love seat recliners, full bar, full restaurant, wait service during the movie, valet parking, and popcorn included. ; I don't see many movies in the theaters - one of the parameters my friends and I use for seeing a movie is whether or not it is 'Premier-worthy'...if we don't want to go the full-boat $20 ticket for it with all the luxuries and accoutrements, then we don't see it until video.
I'm right with you guys. ; I've basically stopped seeing movies in the theaters.
I really SHOULD be in favor of it. ; It should be the best picture quality and the best sound. ; But it isn't.
Look.. I'm a sound snob. ; I don't call myself an audiophile because I'm not discriminating enough, I'm sort of educating my ears as I go here, but.. well.. ; add to that that I also may be more sensitive to high frequency sound than most (I'm in pain from what seems like overly loud audio too often, most people can NOT be that sensitive) and.. there's a lot for me to hate in movie theaters these days. ; From low quality sound systems that they crank up to the point where the high frequencies end up as a sort of screeching, piercing mess to a trend where movies are just plain being made louder and louder (similar problems exist in modern music production)...
Just about the only movies I ever see in the theaters around here I actually see in an Imax theater. ; Because they have a really good sound system in there. ; Oh yeah it costs more, but.. it's either that or I just skip it, usually.
As to the ticket prices.. I'm not terribly well informed on this, but from what I've seen I gather that the theater owners are kind of getting the squeeze here. ; With things like the aforementioned practice of movies being put out to disc release faster and faster there's less reason to see movies in theaters, theater owners are getting less and less of a slice of the pie. ; I'm critical on them for paying such poor attention to the quality of their equipment, but at the same time they're just trying to get by.
I really SHOULD be in favor of it. ; It should be the best picture quality and the best sound. ; But it isn't.
Look.. I'm a sound snob. ; I don't call myself an audiophile because I'm not discriminating enough, I'm sort of educating my ears as I go here, but.. well.. ; add to that that I also may be more sensitive to high frequency sound than most (I'm in pain from what seems like overly loud audio too often, most people can NOT be that sensitive) and.. there's a lot for me to hate in movie theaters these days. ; From low quality sound systems that they crank up to the point where the high frequencies end up as a sort of screeching, piercing mess to a trend where movies are just plain being made louder and louder (similar problems exist in modern music production)...
Just about the only movies I ever see in the theaters around here I actually see in an Imax theater. ; Because they have a really good sound system in there. ; Oh yeah it costs more, but.. it's either that or I just skip it, usually.
As to the ticket prices.. I'm not terribly well informed on this, but from what I've seen I gather that the theater owners are kind of getting the squeeze here. ; With things like the aforementioned practice of movies being put out to disc release faster and faster there's less reason to see movies in theaters, theater owners are getting less and less of a slice of the pie. ; I'm critical on them for paying such poor attention to the quality of their equipment, but at the same time they're just trying to get by.
"zackiedawg" said:
Drafthouse FTW.
Actually I mentioned this a while back..can't find the article right now (another site), but the future of cinema is going to be the one stop shop. ; Dinner and a movie in one place.
The Drafthouse doesn't have a full bar, but plenty of microbrews and wine to go with a full menu. ; Add special genres, live comedy (think live MST3k), or special premieres (fans who bought tickets to Star Trek 2 last year about this time had a surprise visit from Leonard Nimoy who told them the film had broken, so he had a replacement film to show them. ; Ended up being the new Star Trek movie, a few weeks before general release), special kids club movies like Dr. Lao.
Perfect place to go see Kick-A$$ to be quite honest.
Tickets cost as much as the regular theatre, but they make their money on the food and beverages. ; It's great to be able to enjoy chips and queso during a movie, free refills on the cokes/ice tea.
haunteddoc
Member
My wife and I love going to the movies. ; But having seen several recently in 3D - we are under impressed with 3D. ; Especially when it costs so much more. ; The price for a ticket, even in central Indiana, is getting crazy. ; But, more than ticket prices, the popcorn and soft drinks cost more than the tickets. ; I saw on Fox that to take a family of 4 to a 3D movie in NY was around $80 just for the tickets!! ; Are movies going the way of sports where they are pricing themselves so that people really can't afford to go the movies anymore? ; Is an actor, like many sports players, really worth paying 7 digit figures for their salaries?
prettypixie
Member
This is so sad...I hardly ever go to the movies anymore, but when I do, I don't want to pay that much!
Jeff Fillmore
Member
I don't know- I have seen maybe a dozen or so movies in the theater in the past half dozen years- and almost all of those were animated kids movies. ; To be honest I don't watch that many movies at home either. ; But something made me want to go see Avatar in IMAX 3D. ; I don't remember what it cost for tickets, drinks and snacks- more than it was for the sticky floor local theater showing where we saw Princess and the Frog- I'm sure. ; I do remember I was absolutely blown away by the entire movie experience- well worth whatever I paid for it IMHO.
"Roger" said:
Agreed - that's actually what our theater has become already. ; The restaurant is a full 3-star restaurant, with reservations for main room or open seating in the bar. ; Everything from blackened prime rib and mahi-mahi to kobe beef burgers and thai fish tacos, full wait/table service. ; If you eat in the bar area (like at a Cheesecake factory), you can also place your order to have it brought into your movie seats, which are equipped with small tables, and eat a full meal right in the theater while watching the movie. ; The full bar is actually quite the hangout, with folks going there for hours before or after a movie just to socialize. ; Friday and Saturday nights see the front valet area (the rich-people parking, where the nice cars get put right up front) lined with Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and Aston Martins. ; They also have private rooms which can be rented or reserved for private parties, dining events, conferences, etc. ; Large lounges upstairs have couches and small side bars with TVs showing sports and events. ; Because the seats are all reserved, you don't have to get to your seat 20 minutes before the film and chase off others trying to get them - you can stroll in 5 minutes into the previews and walk right to your reserved loveseat or recliner. ; The aisles are set more than 3 feet apart, so you don't have to move your feet to let others pass, and they're staggered at steep stadium angles so that the head of even the tallest person will be far below your sightlines - plus the chairs are high-backed, so you generally don't even see other heads.
If I'm going to pay $20 for a movie, this at least has a value proposition. ; I do go an hour before with friends, grab a nice meal at the restaurant, grab some drinks, and head to our reserved seats for viewing in wide comfort. ; I valet my car out front, I get free popcorn. ; Figure the valet is worth $3-5, and the popcorn another $2-4...the reserved seating maybe worth at least $1-2...that makes the ticket really not much more than most other places...and you still get bigger and more comfy seats, and nice aisles and sight lines. ; Admittedly, they're making a killing on the restaurant and bar, but there's something to be said for the convenience of having a lovely relaxed meal before a movie, and simply having to walk a few hundred feet to your seat instead of driving to get to the theater, dealing with parking, then fighting the rope-drop crowd to get good seats and holding them for 20 minutes against a barrage of persistent people while your friends/family are out fighting the concession line to get food. ; It's why I don't go to 'regular' movies anymore...and only see movies really worth going out and making a night out of.
haunteddoc
Member
WOW!! ; Nothing like that around here. ; Have not seen Avatar, or any other movie, on IMAX for several years. ; The closest one is 1 1/2 hr away. ; People I have talked to that have seen Avatar on the IMAX had the same reaction. ; I saw it both in 2 d and 3d. ; Loved the movie but not impressed with the 3D on a conventional screen. ;
mSummers
Member
I agree that prices are getting too high for what you get in return. ; At most of the theaters near me, the image quality isn't that good and the sound systems are loud and un-balanced. ;
I've found that if a movie gets me excited enough to want to go see it in the theater, I'm going to buy it on DVD anyway, so in most cases, I just wait for the DVD.
I've found that if a movie gets me excited enough to want to go see it in the theater, I'm going to buy it on DVD anyway, so in most cases, I just wait for the DVD.
WDWFigment
Member
Agree with what you guys are saying completely. ; Being in the Midwest, we don't have those kind of prices (except when we're in Chicago or Indianapolis), but the quality still isn't that great and even at the prices we pay for tickets ($3.50-5 for a first run premier), to justify the cost to me most of the time. ; Especially with as cheap as Blu-rays are and how plentiful free Netflix/Blockbuster trials are (I've actually been paid $20 each in cashback by each of them to try the services!). ; It does sort of stink waiting for the BR releases, but oh well.
I sort of wish we would have seen Avatar in IMAX, but the cost was so high, and I think James Cameron is a schmuck. ; Then again, blockbusters generally aren't my thing.
On a somewhat related note, has anyone else been amazed at how Disney is seemingly giving away their new Blu-ray releases? ; We paid $11 (grand total) for Princess and the Frog, Toy Story, and Toy Story 2. ; It has been that way with all of their releases for the last year or so. ; They must have some sort of interest in seeing people move to BR, but I can't figure out what.
I sort of wish we would have seen Avatar in IMAX, but the cost was so high, and I think James Cameron is a schmuck. ; Then again, blockbusters generally aren't my thing.
On a somewhat related note, has anyone else been amazed at how Disney is seemingly giving away their new Blu-ray releases? ; We paid $11 (grand total) for Princess and the Frog, Toy Story, and Toy Story 2. ; It has been that way with all of their releases for the last year or so. ; They must have some sort of interest in seeing people move to BR, but I can't figure out what.
WDWFigment
Member
"Tim" said:
Well, the deal is done now, but here's an overview: ; http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=344348&t=1926790
It may sound complicated in that initial post, but it was really quite simple.
Since the first Disney Diamond Edition Release (Sleeping Beauty in Fall 2008), all new major BR releases have had similar substantial discounts in their first week (far greater than the normal release week discounts). ; I have looked for an explanation of this all over online, but haven't found one. ; Like I said, I think Disney is trying to push people to BR for some reason (I know BR is Sony's thing, but is Disney heavily invested in it, and doesn't want to see the format fail?), but I have no idea why. ; For now, I will just be satisfied getting cheap Disney BRs.
Although Blu-Ray is doing better than DVD at the same point in their respective lifecycles, the thinking is that Blu-Ray isn't doing well enough.
Wal-Mart has already decided to drastically reduce their store footprint for discs period, so the market is at a crossroads. ; While Disney is secretly working behind the scenes on their locker, I don't think that 3D 1080p video will be possible anytime soon over broadband like so many think it will be. ; The internet providers will see to it that digital video will fail by putting caps on downloads. ; They already do.
I think Disney is discounting them with coupons so they don't have to come out and reduce the price to their retailers up front, esp. since most of them only do special discounts for the week it comes out. ; The hope is that more people will buy into BR. ; Personally I'm waiting for 3D to mature before getting my second player.
Wal-Mart has already decided to drastically reduce their store footprint for discs period, so the market is at a crossroads. ; While Disney is secretly working behind the scenes on their locker, I don't think that 3D 1080p video will be possible anytime soon over broadband like so many think it will be. ; The internet providers will see to it that digital video will fail by putting caps on downloads. ; They already do.
I think Disney is discounting them with coupons so they don't have to come out and reduce the price to their retailers up front, esp. since most of them only do special discounts for the week it comes out. ; The hope is that more people will buy into BR. ; Personally I'm waiting for 3D to mature before getting my second player.
haunteddoc
Member
Tim, ; Pixelmania this year?
I keep hearing on podcasts devoted to high definition home theaters that the "experts" think that the lifecycle for Blu-Ray isn't going to be nearly what it was for DVD because the streaming model will take off (or the download model). ; But with all the major broadband carriers heavily entertaining the idea of putting bandwidth caps with huge penalties for overages, I cannot see this as viable in the long run. ; Heck, some broadband carriers have already stated in their fine print that unlimited bandwidth packages they are selling aren't really unlimited and people who do a lot of YouTube and Hulu are getting dinged