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Topic: Premiering 3/2 in NYC: The $10.00 ticket!
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Heyward Garner
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 101
From: Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 02-26-2001 12:43 AM
Ticket prices down here run $4.50 for children, $7.00 for adults. All shows before 6 are $4.50.
Chapter 11 is a major crutch, but I do not believe that is entirely the reason for raising prices. For example: our 12-plex was upgraded to stadium seating 2 years ago. We lost somewhere around 500 seats doing so... That means to cut the same money we were before, we have to have some way to do so.
Also, I believe that another problem is the patron return rate. Granted PLENTY of people are repeat customers, but it is very very very slowly on the decline. Reasons:
1)Theatre was messy.
2)Lousy floor staff (essentially all aspects. I am not speaking for our entire floor staff, just most.)
3)Bad service all the way around.
4)Poor environment (aka messy bathrooms and way too crowded hallways due to the lack of floor staff telling people NOT to stand around right outside the entryway to an auditorium.)
Now unfortunately all of these things, I cannot control. I am very proud of all aspects of my presentations. I do not believe that to be reason for our patrons not to return. I am not too comfortable placing the blame entirely on the floor staff, because even if one of my presentations is 110% perfect, if a patron wants to complain then dammit they will complain. (I think that's just for free tickets though =) )
One other aspect to take into consideration, everything up north is a *HELL* of a lot more expensive than down south. A pack of Camel Lights up there (if you can even find them) cost me over FIVE DOLLARS after tax, when I can get them here for $2.10 including tax...
Apart from the afore mentioned, I am certain that Chapter 11 plays a role, but we cannot go and point fingers in just one place. At my theatre we do our best to run promotions and other gimmicks (matinee bargain, concessions combos etc) to keep the patrons coming back for more.
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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man
Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 02-26-2001 09:12 PM
Here's something I just picked up:Cash-strapped theater chain Loews Cineplex Entertainment said last week that it will charge $10 for a movie ticket in Manhattan.
The increase, the first in two years, will boost the price by 50 cents. The company cited higher real estate and labor costs in Gotham. In Los Angeles, Loews Cineplex tickets will rise to $9 from $8.75. It remains to be seen which other big theater chains follow suit and whether the extra cash will pull the exhibition biz out of its malaise, which has seen at least six chains file for Chapter 11. I might add that according to a poll of 6,959 people, 4540 (62.5%) said they would be willing to pay 5 to 7 bucks a ticket. 621 (8.9%) would be willing to pay 8 to 10 bucks a ticket. 36 (.05%) said they would pay 11 to 13 bucks a ticket. 109(1.6%) people would pay any amount, because they love movies. 1,653 (23.8%) would rather watch TV. I would guess this a random poll, so how accurate it is remains to be seen.
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Peter Berrett
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 602
From: Victoria, Australia
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 06-05-2001 05:55 AM
Interestingly here in Australia we have a new trend emerging. I don't know whether this is a worldwide trend or not.Our cinema chains are now building smaller cinemas (28 recliner seats per theatrette) to cater for a more upmarket crowd. The szeats are more luxurious, the screen wall to wall eg
http://www.biziworks.com.au/sites/BiziGen?ownerID=REA000&docID=40 Obviously the cinemas charge more for these privileges. I have yet to spoil myself but I hope to sample what the various cinemas have on offer over the next few months. I like the concept. I just hope that they have sessions that are reasonably priced. cheers Peter
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Will Kutler
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1506
From: Tucson, AZ, USA
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 04-29-2002 08:36 PM
I do think that there are many sides to the coin. In the 1950s, several wide screen formats, 3-D and other goodies were developed to lure people back into the theater and away from the new "wonder", television. So how do we now lure people back into the theater? 1) EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT!! EXCELLENT!!! presentation with the booth being run by craftspeople at an approperiate salary! But on the other hand, if an organization such as IATSE were to come back into promenance, then they have to change their ways and quit the negative behavior that got them into trouble in the first place! Furthermore, labor unions and trade organizations are the way to go for apprentiship training! When Cineplex came to Tucson, they are the ones who first started to dismiss the union projectionists. There were many stories in our local newspapers/news media about this. In any case, the big shots with Cineplex were quoted at the time as saying that since booths are totally automated, it only takes a concession stand kid 30 seconds to thread up a machine which does not need to be attended to! Tear down some of these multi plexes and rebuild some of the origonal big single and two screen theaters with 70mm capability! Too many of todays films are horrible..badly recycled plots, bad script writing, so so acting that relies too much on technology! And yet todays films cost millions! Hell, can you really compare Pearl Harbor against TORA,TORA, TORA!?
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David Favel
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 764
From: Ashburton, New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 04-29-2002 11:29 PM
Hell yes I can compare.
Tora was an average movie that had limited sucess at the box office.
From memory $15 million.Pearl Harbor was an average film that pulled in $75 million on it's first weekend. Don't forget that no matter how good a movie is, if no one comes to see it you have empty screens for a week. For me it's an easy way to go broke.
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Loews Lincoln Square did better than the AMC Empire and UA Union Square for Pearl Harbor on Memorial Day.
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