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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: Regal proposes FLOP pricing
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Martin Brooks
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 900
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: May 2002
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posted 11-01-2017 01:31 PM
Instead of flop pricing, why don't they simply charge more on Friday and Saturday nights when the theaters are full and charge less when they're empty, which is almost any other time.
As I've posted before, during the first two quarters of 2017, AMC averaged sales of only 91 tickets per day per screen. That's why they're willing to put in lounge seating which decreases the number of seats up to 2/3rds (although I think that's still a big mistake for hit movies as it lowers the potential revenue whenever a show sells out.)
Flop pricing can work, but only if it's promoted properly. And they shouldn't call it that because who wants to see a "flop" and the studios would probably freak out. But if up on the film listing display, if they indicate "bargain pricing" for the flop films and it was consistent and it's also publicized on all the ticket buying websites, it might put some additional butts in seats. Although I can also imagine people complaining, "that film SUCKS, why is it full price?"
But countering that, in spite of all the complaints that movies are too expensive (the national average is only $8.65 although it's obviously much higher in big cities), I wonder what percentage of people reserve their tickets in advance and pay the extra "convenience" fees. If that's a high percentage of buyers, it would then seem that there isn't the price sensitivity that we think there is.
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Marcel Birgelen
Film God
Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 11-01-2017 04:25 PM
quote: Mike Blakesley
Whenever we play a family movie, I notice the Dads doing the math in their heads as soon as I quote them the total for two adults and 3 kids.....you can just see the wheels turning and the thought "I could have spent less than this in 3 months and owned the video." I almost wish they WOULD gripe about our ticket price so I could explain what they're getting for their money vs. the stay-home option.
Somebody should really make a somewhat witty infomercial about the "cinema experience" in DCP format. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
On this forum, you're amongst people who probably have seen more than a thousand films in a proper cinema, but most people tend to remember those movies they've seen in a cinema for a long time. You pay for the experience. Going to a concert is also more expensive than listening to a recording of the same concert on your iPhone.
quote: Bobby Henderson
The compound effect goes on from there. Concessions cost a bunch; it's easy to pay as much at the snack counter as it is for tickets.
Better margins on those concessions than on those pesky tickets, especially for those newish movies everybody wants to see. You know, the movie is just the marketing trick to lure you in.
But yes, a night out at the movies comes at a price. It's still quite a lot cheaper than going to a concert, live performance or major sporting event though. Then again, the relative high price should only motivate exhibitors to provide the best bang for the buck.
quote: Martin Brooks
Instead of flop pricing, why don't they simply charge more on Friday and Saturday nights when the theaters are full and charge less when they're empty, which is almost any other time.
This kind of pricing scheme is pretty common in e.g. Germany, where many theaters charge extra for the busy days in the week. I think the argument against such pricing scheme could be that people feel cheated they need to pay more for exactly the same thing. Yet, it's standard in the hospitality and entertainment industry at large. People have been paying hefty premiums for hotel rooms, theme parks and all kind of other things during busy periods.
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 11-01-2017 10:12 PM
quote: Marcel Birgelen
On this forum, you're amongst people who probably have seen more than a thousand films in a proper cinema, but most people tend to remember those movies they've seen in a cinema for a long time. You pay for the experience. Going to a concert is also more expensive than listening to a recording of the same concert on your iPhone.
When you attend a concert you're seeing the band playing the music live, in person, in the same building as you.
quote: Marcel Birgelen
It's still quite a lot cheaper than going to a concert, live performance or major sporting event though. Then again, the relative high price should only motivate exhibitors to provide the best bang for the buck.
Very few people can afford to attend live concerts of popular bands on any sort of frequent basis at all. Hell, lots of has-been bands charge a lot of their shows. One of our local casinos opened an event center that can seat a couple thousand for concerts. Their ticket prices are often ridiculous. I'm not paying $50 per ticket to watch a band that hasn't had a hit in 20-30 years (or longer) and is down to only 1 or 2 original members. It's now common for bands who are popular to price the face value of their tickets well past $100 each. Then the volume ticket buying companies suck up all those tickets and charge double, triple or much more than the face value.
Sporting events are just as ridiculous as live concerts, if not considerably worse. OKC Thunder tickets are pricey. I've only been to a couple of games the entire time the Thunder has been in OKC. I watched the former New Orleans Hornets play once in OKC too during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I have yet to watch the Dallas Cowboys play live in Cowboys Stadium. People joke that it's cheaper to take a vacation trip to Cancun than pay for parking and nosebleed seat tickets at a Cowboys game.
Attending a movie theater is not remotely on par with watching a live concert or a professional major league sporting event. The activity is just something people casually do to get out of the house during the weekend or even a weeknight. The experience of watching a movie with a bunch of other people carries more drawbacks these days than benefits, thanks to inconsiderate audience behavior. On a technical level the movie-watching experience is barely any better than watching at home. I have a huge TV in my living room and it shows letter-boxed 'scope movies just about as good as the letter-boxed 'scope movies on the commercial theater screens.
You guys may think dropping $100 or more between two people for dinner and a movie is cheap. The cost adds up fast. If I do the dinner & movie thing every weekend with my girlfriend the cost equals a damned car payment. And if the movie watching couple has 3 kids in tow, then hell yes the dad is going to be calculating costs in his head like crazy. 5 tickets and drinks/snacks for 5 people is going to cost a shit load of money.
The United States has 326 million people (2017 US Census estimate). Only a small minority of that population visits movie theaters on a frequent basis. There's lots of people, including many families, who never go to the movie theater.
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 11-03-2017 12:26 AM
quote: Mike Blakesley
The reason it costs a lot to see popular bands (or "once popular") is that it's what the market will bear. And, concerts cost more and more to put on, what with the showmanship that's becoming a given in the average big concert today.
The concert business is catering more and more to the richest "one-percenters" and corporate clientele. That's where 100% of their supposed financial growth is taking place. They don't give two shits about the average middle class customer and they absolutely are not pricing their product where the average middle class customer can afford to go see a big name concert any more than a couple times a year at best.
Many smaller (and more affordable) concert venues are disappearing, thanks in part to the unrealistic terms the talent and their representation want which makes the venue end up losing money. Then the property owners find an opportunity, close the joint and build condos, a Starbucks or something else in its place. Shit, the legendary CBGB's club in New York closed a decade ago over this kind of crap.
Seeing a well known band live in concert is now, without question, a luxury item. It's an activity that's not affordable at all to do frequently. Comparing casual movie-going to that is kind of crazy. Movie-going is supposed to be affordable, but it's actually fairly expensive. I'm personally only going to consider watching movies in theaters "cheap" entertainment if I'm pulling down $100 or more an hour for pay.
quote: Mike Blakesley
You're definitely right that a majority of people don't go to theaters anymore. I don't think it's because they hate the experience, or because it's too expensive -- it's because the alternative is so much easier, and it's "good enough." Those other factors -- expense, hassles -- just help to justify the "good enough" factor.
Cost is indeed the main thing. There's no question about it, especially when a family is going to see a movie together. Hell, parenthood itself is being turned into an unaffordable luxury item. We have runaway cost inflation in health care, which you need a whole lot of if you're going to bring a new child into the world. Day care is ridiculously expensive. Unless Daddy has a great paying job both parents will have to work to make ends meet. These days young couples who should be having kids are so covered up with student loan debt and other burdens many of them can't even afford to have kids at all. It should come as no surprise things like those Kodi boxes are so popular with young people.
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