Last week there was a big story in the San Jose Mercury-News because the AMC-Mercado went to $9/adult.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the usual price is around $8. The Sony Metreon charges $8.50, with a $5.50 matinee and $5.25 for seniors.

We charge $7.50 for adults after 5, with children 2-14 and seniors at $5.00. Before 5, everyone is $5.00

For popcorn (no refills):

small (30 oz) = $2.25
medium (85 oz) = $3.25
large (130 oz) = $4.00

For Cokes (no refills):

small (16 oz) = $2.00
medium (24 oz) = $2.50
large (32 oz) = $3.00

Candies go from $1.25 (Hot Tamales) to $2.50 (Lindt Swiss Chocolate bars).

What do you charge, and where is your theatre?

Thanks!

------------------
Kenn Fong
qwertyuiop.net
The Screenwriters Home Page
 

Small Popcorn: $2.50 (46 oz bucket)
Small drink: $2.25 (20 oz cup)

Location: Charleston, WV

Venue: First run/all stadium/all digital.

http//www.ourshowtimes.com

Russ
 

Popcorn (refills only on large):
Small-2.85
Medium-3.30
Large-4.30

Pop (refills only on the large):
Small (21 oz)-2.10
Medium (32 oz)-2.55
Large (44 oz)-2.80

Bottled water and Fruitopia- 2.40
Nachos- 3.45
Small Candy (Skittle, M&M's, etc)-1.95
Large Candy (Twizzles, box of Butterfingers, etc.) 2.30

Large Combo
Special large cup (44 oz), large popcorn and patrons choice of large candy-7.75
Kidie Combo
special cardboard box with fruit snack, tiny drink, and about a scoops worth of popcorn-3.35

Carmike Cinemas Oakwood 12
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
 

We also have a coffe shop. Basic prices for special coffees $2.25 to $3.75. Cookies 3 for $1.75. Cakes and Pies are $2.25 per slice.

Coming soon to Cinemark "Tinseltown 19" Ice Cream by the scoop.
 

central New York location.

$6.00 matinee adults
$8.25 night adults
$5.50 for children and seniors all the time
$2.49,$2.99,$3.49,$4.49 kiddie through large soda
$2.99,$3.49,$4.49,$5.49 kiddie through large popcorn

candy anywhere from $1.09 to $3.49 a bag.

this area is not that well off economicaly.

pricing should be done by market not a single price for different markets through five states.

We are an arthouse in Santa Rosa (5 screens - anywhere from 5 to 8 titles per week).

Adults - $7.50
Seniors (55+) and Kids (12 and under) - $4.50
1st matinee of day $4.50
Tuesday is bargain day - $4.50 all seats all shows - around here we call it cheapskate day as the percap dives as well.

We also have a passport or discount card - 5 admissions for $27 paid in advance - good anytime except Friday and Sat. after 6:00pm.

Popcorn:
85 oz - $3.25
130 oz - $3.75
170 oz - $4.25
We are the only theatre in the county that uses real butter on our popcorn.

Soda:
22 oz - 2.75
32 oz - 3.25
44 oz - 4.25

Haagen Daz and Ben & Jerry's Ice cream bars - $3.00

Bagel Dogs - $3.50

Cookies - baked fresh locally by a local baker - $2.00

Candy $1.50/$2.00/$2.50/$3.00

Bottled Water (spring and mineral) $1.75

Smoothies (strawberry banana & mocha capucino) $3.50/16 oz.

Coffee/Tea - $1.50/12 oz.
Latte/Mocha/Cap - $3.00/16 oz.

Italian Soda - $2.75/22 oz.

Our prices tend to be lower than our competitions (The most outrageous is $5.50 for a 170 oz popcorn at the new 14 plex - all stadium & digital). We don't have a kiddie or combo deal - which annoys some of our senior customers. Our percap hovers around $1.50 - we are trying to get it to $1.65 but the mix of movies we are playing greatly affects the per cap.

By the way, how are things at the Grand Lake - its a great theatre.

Ky Boyd
Rialto Cinemas Lakeside

Adults 8.50
Senior/child/bargain 5.50
(Most other theatres in area are at 8.00/5.00)
The Pop
2.75/3.75/4.50(lg has 1 refill)
The Soda
2.75/3.25/3.50(lg has 1 refill)

This is at the big single screen in Marin County.
 

No ice cream here either. But we just added cheese-filled hot pretzels, which are a big hit.

To Ky and everyone else, when you come to visit, introduce yourself. I work Friday to Monday at the theatre and temp elsewhere the rest. I'm sure Stephan, the shop steward, Randy, and Justin (our 100% union operators) would be pleased to meet you.

kenn

------------------
Kenn Fong
qwertyuiop.net
The Screenwriters Home Page
 

All shows starting before 6pm: $4.50
GENERAL ADMISSION: $7.50
CHILD 3-11 / SENIORS 62+ = $4.50
BARGAIN TUESDAY: $3.00 or $4.50 or FULL PRICE depending on studio restrictions.

Our snack bar prices are the same for ALL 10 of our theatres, give or take a quarter here and there on the Large Popcorns.

SOFT DRINKS (Pepsi)
SMALL (16oz) $2.00
MEDIUM (24oz) $2.75
LARGE (32oz) $3.00 Free Refill(s)

POPCORN (Canola Oil-Butter FLAVOR)
SMALL (46oz) $2.50
MEDIUM (85oz) $3.25
LARGE (130oz) $3.75 Free Refill(s)

CANDY
SMALL (Hot Tamales, Whoppers) $1.50
MEDIUM (M&M, Milkd Duds) $2.00
LARGE (Red Vine, BIG Jr. Mints) $2.50

MOVIE PACK
Tray of Popcorn, Reese's Pieces, 12oz Soda $3.50

HOT DOGS (Turkey - less wrinkly) $2.75

OCEAN SPRAY 12oz can juice $2.00

Crystal Geyser Spring Water = $2.00

I think that's it... I'll post again if I forgot anything.

BTW - My theatre is in Fairfax California, a 4 screen -- about 15 minutes from that crazy high priced Single Screen in Marin - $8.50???!!? What are they thinkin???

------------------
Scott D. Neff
----------------
www.cinema-west.com
 

Side note: this afternoon (up till 5:30) the per cap was 2.29. I don't know what it was after the sevens, but as stated above it ended up being 2.00 for the night. Why is this you might ask? Probably becuase the idiots at the home office have handed us mandatory showtimes week after week for every new movie. Now half our movies (the busy half of course) start at 9:30. Translation-big glut of people coming in at once, none of them stopping for refreshmenst.
 

Adult - $5.25
High-school kids (with discount card) - $4.50 if they don't have the discount card, they pay adult price
Child (under 12) - $3.50

Popcorn: Ranges from $1.00 (24oz buttered) to $3.50 (160 oz. buttered) We charge the same whether they want butter or not.

Sodapop: 75¢ (16 oz) to $1.75 (44 oz) We also sell bottled water for 75¢.

Candy runs from $1.00 to $2.50 with a smattering of small kid-type items (tootsie rolls, etc) for 50¢.

I would dearly love to be able to get the prices some of you are charging! It just seems traditional that small towns have lower prices (we don't show many movies on the break, but we're only about 3 to 4 weeks behind the break, usually.)

 

If you haven't all ready guessed this a second run university theater. It's in the Unviersity of Idaho Borah theater in Moscow, Idaho.
http://www.asui.uidaho.edu/movies

We do alot of business during the school year. There are no other cheap movie houses in the area.

------------------

 

Whats your per cap?
 

We had a yuppie scumbag -- you can't say that about any other sociological group without getting into trouble -- who had a cellphone cradled to his ear the whole time, ranting to us because he wanted a small drink cup filled with water for his precious baby. When we offered him three small courtesy cups (which would have come to the same volume as one small drink cup) he flung them on the floor. He'd just said, "No wonder you people make minimum wage. You're stupid." I sarcastically -- extra politely, that is -- thanked him for his patronage while mopping as he angrily shouted that he'd never come here again, "You promise, Sir?" I was hero for the day with the concessionaires.

If our security guard were on duty, he would have escorted the man and his family out. But we let him stay because we knew he would make a stink on the way out, and we didn't want to disturb everyone else in the theatre... Sadly, sometimes the assholes win.

kenn

------------------
Kenn Fong
qwertyuiop.net
The Screenwriters Home Page

They just don't get it.
 

I think we might have discovered why "Home Theaters" are really on the up swing.

Even though I love this industry, if anybody would I am going to spend 9 bucks for a ticket, another 10 bucks for a soft drink full of ice (and no product) and a tub of popcorn that tastes like particle board and styrofoam, and then sit down in a dirty auditorium and watch the gross screw-ups made by the operator in the presentation, you would have to be out of your tree.

Drinks from Small to X-Large
$1.75 - $3.00

Popcorn from Small To X-Large
$2.25 - $5.00

Bottled Water
$2.00

Coffee and Hot Chocolate
$1.50

Fruitopia, Nestea, and Ginger Ale
$2.50

Nacho's
$2.50 / extra chess .50 each

As you can probably guess from the ticket prices we are a "last run for the fun" theater (my loving locals!) We make all our money on Concessions so those prices range in the norm with the 1st run theaters.

Our per cap ranges greatly...Usually from $1.10 - $1.30 per week. Although I'm sure it is higher in the summer. When its hot people like to EAT!!!

------------------
"Blood is thicker then blondes" - From the movie, Save the last Dance.

FUNNY!!!!!
 

Adult evening: 7.50
Adult Matinee: 5.50
Rush Hour (for all ages): 4.75
Senior: 5.50
Kids: 4.75 (all times)
*and my biggest headache* STUDENTS: 5.50

Student pricing is the worst idea in the world. Why? We require that they show us a student ID to get a student price. Also, they have to be under 22 years old (w/the ID)

Problems:
1. "I want 4 student tickets to X show"
Busy Friday night, one person stands in line. Well we need 4 student ID's, because I could just go tell my kid to buy 2 student tickets with his ID if I wanted to be dishonest. This pisses a lot of people off

2. 45 year old woman going back to college, has a student ID, but she is *NOT* under 22.
They scream age discrimination, get all pissed. Bad scene.

3. "My X school doesnt give out ID's"/"I have not got the new ID yet but I do go to school!"
We have to take their word for it, but how do we really know?

The list goes on, but lets just say it is a nightmare. To make the problem worse, when they want to complain to a manager, its a roll of the dice. If the manager is busy and does not feel like dealing with it, they just say "Just give it to them" Which nullifies the policy, and gives them the "Last time I was here it wasn't a problem" excuse. It also makes me look stupid when I think a manager is going to back me. Thankfully, most of the time, the managers back you.

As for concession prices, I do not know them, but our theatre DOES sell beer! Does anyone elses theatre here sell beer? Whats funny is in the "training" videos they show you when they hire you, there is a part that says "If a customer is obviously intoxicated, you should not sell them a ticket" or something to that effect. Well I guess we don't mind if they get intoxicated In the theatre. Beer + irate movie customers + large crowds do not mix :-)

I also read on this topic the "No wonder you make minumum wage..." post, and I had something similar to me happen when I was checking someones student ID.. They got all mad and said "Just because you didn't go to college doesnt mean you have to give us a hard time" What is very funny is that I work part time at the theatre and make over 70,000/yr at my regular job! So I just kind of smiled and gave them their tickets and said "Actually I have already graduated from college thank you" The look on their face was classic because they thought they were insulting me somehow :-)

Well sorry to have rambled, the student ID thing drives me batty!

-Jeff "Box office god" Newman
 

Ticket prices:
Chilren (3-12) / Senior (62+) / Adult Matinee: $4.00
Adult Evening (6PM & later): $6.00
Tuesday = all shows, all day: $4.00

Concession mumbo jumbo:
~Popcorn~
$3.50ish-$4.75ish (sm 85oz, med 130oz, lg 170oz-refill)
~Soda (Pepsi)~
$2.75, $3.00, $3.25 (sm 21oz, med 32oz, lg 44oz- refill)
~Bottled Spring Water - $2.35
~Movie Bites ice cream - $2.75
~Icees - $2.75 (Blue Raspberry or Mt. Dew)
~Coffee~
$1.50. $1.75 (sm 10oz, lg 16oz)
~Candy~
-medium $2.00 (Mike & Ike, Milk Duds, Junior Mints)
-large $2.25 (Plain or Peanut M&Ms, Skittles, Starburst, SnoCaps, Goobers, Raisinets, Buncha Crunch, Sqwigglies, Muddy Bears, Cookie Dough Bites)
-extra large $2.50 (Sour Patch Kids, Sour Watermelons, Swedish Fish, Twizzlers, Dots)
-Bulk Candy $7.04 /lb.
~Nachos - $2.75
~Kids Movie Pack $3.50? $3.75? (little bit of popcorn, tiny soda, AirHead for a candy)

And I do know that we have some of the lowest concession prices in the area! Yet customers still kvetch about it!

Our percap has been down lately... $1.75-$2.00, where it had been a steady $2.10+ …

Over and over, I keep saying that our show schedule is what is killing our per cap! No one is listening!
A snippet of the schedule~ 6:55 Traffic, 7:00 Cast Away, 7:05 Finding Forrester, 7:05 The Pledge, 7:10 The Wedding Planner, 7:10 Snatch
Am I the only person that sees that there is a significant problem with this?!?!?!

~GLB

------------------
In some cultures, what I do is considered normal.
 

Many students do not go to the Carmike 10 here because they have to pay $1.50 more to go there since they do not have student pricing. Although the Carmike 10 is a much better theatre, the students go for the cheaper ticket prices.

I admit that I take advantage of the student pricing at the local Regals when I go there, although I'm 32 years old. They've never said anything, and rarely ask to see my student ID. The Regal in Decatur, 20 miles away, does not have student pricing.

About concessions: Since concession prices are so outlandish, I try to not be hungry when I go to the movies, and am most likely to buy concessions at the theatres that have the best projection quality, like the Regal River Oaks Cinema 8 in Decatur or the Carmike 10 in Huntsville.

Evans

Huntsville-Decatur Theatre Info Site:
http://home.hiwaay.net/~criswell/theatre/

Tickets: Child/Senior 4.50 Adult 7.00
We don't do student discounts...

Concessions: Large Popcorn now goes for 4.85? Something like that? Large drink is 3.25 I think. We do have a combo, large popcorn & drink and any candy for 7.95. That's our lowdown.

Studios take almost all the box office cash from first-run theatres, so essentially, theatres truly get their profits from concessions.
 

You are correct that concessions provide much of a theatre's income. But audiences come to a theatre to enjoy a movie, properly presented. Without "Film Done Right", they will either go elsewhere, or have microwave popcorn in their "home theatres". Theatres need to offer an enjoyable entertainment experience unattainable elsewhere, not just expensive concessions.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

We grossed a million dollars last year. We have no profit to show for it. This was only our first year and we had a lot of opening expenses. Maybe next year.

There are very few theatres, probably less then 10% (maybe less then 1%) that make any profit from ticket sales. If concession stands were for some reason banned from theatres almost every theatre would go out of business.

During my thirty five years as a theatre owner, I have operated only single and twin theatres, plus several drive-ins. I have handled every aspect of theatre operations and have complete knowledge of what it takes and costs to run those type of operations. I have made a comfortable living doing it, but never have I operated, or known anyone else who has made a profit running theatres without the income from concessions. It's virtually impossible!

Having never owned or run a large multiplex theatre, I can only guess what the costs are to operate such. Obviously, there is savings in numbers. That is the whole philosophy of the multi plex theare. I have owned and operated several large (1500 to 1800 seat)downtown theatres in medium size cities, midsize neighborhood houses, several modest small town houses, and a large twin in a regional indoor mall. From those I think I can project fairly accurately what it would cost to operate a muliplex theatre.

Let's assume we build a tenplex theatre as a free standing location. It has a total of about 2500 seats, all stadium, with state of the art digital sound, large screens...the whole nine yards. I have read where this type of construction and equipment has taken the cost from $500,000 to $1,000,000 per screen. I'm going to assume that I'm able to watch costs closely and have it come in at $750,000 per screen for a total cost of $7,500,000. I'm able to fiance the entire amout at 8.5% for 15 years. The monthy payment would be $93,000 or a little over $21,000 per week ($2,146 per screen per week). Using my various theatres as a guide to establish average expenses, based upon similar cubic and/or square footage, number of seats, etc. I have projected the weekly costs for the entire complex to be as follows:
mortgage $ 21,146
electric/heat 4,200
Payroll & PR Taxes 5,000
telephone 50
water/sewer 275
advertising 1,000
adv materials 50
insurance 2,000
trash hauling 250
film shipping 150
maintainence & repairs 500
Petty cash 100
taxes (real estate etc.) 2,596
--------------------------------
Total weekly expenses $37,317
or $3,731 per screen

To establish gross potential, I used the actual reported average per screen grosses for the top ten pictures for the weekend of Jan. 12th-14th. A typical weekend...no holidays or other events that would effect business in an abnormal way. We are assuming here that we are playing those ten films, which would give us a total box office gross of $60,758 or $6,075 per screen.

Given a gross of $60,758 and average film rental of 50%, we would be left with $30,379 to pay our bills. With the house overhead being the $37,317 we would be $6,938 in the whole. However, basing this on an average admission price of $5.50 (Adults-$7.00, kids, srs & matinees-$4.50) we would have 11,046 admissions which with a concession per capita of $2.25 would produce concession sales of $24,853. With a cost factor of 20%, our 80% share would be $19,882 or $12,944 more then our loss at the box office, therefore giving us a nice profit for the week.

The point here is that even a theatre showing a nice profit such as the one in this example would still have lost a sizable amount of money had it not been for the concessions.

Please remember that these are all estimates, and costs of doing business may very well be higher, while the concession per capita might be lower. The BO grosses are averages and would be much lower in many markets.
 

What people in this business need to realize is that both areas are equally important. We are in the entertainment business, not the popcorn business. I mean, is a baseball team in the hot dog business? Is a football team in the beer business? Both areas provide vital income that cannot be ignored.
 

Historically, this industry started without refreshment stands, and theatres existed soley from boxoffice revenues. Film rental for first run films ran about 35% and theatres could make a profit from exhibiting motion pictures. When theatre owners saw the amount of refreshment related items that were being brought into their theatres they realized that it would be in their best interests to sell it themselves. This didn't begin to happen until the late thirties and early forties. By the late fifties and early sixties, after the advent of television, the studios become aware of the income that the theatres were garnering from refershments and suggested that since the audience that purchased them wouldn't exist if it were not for their films, they should recieve a percentage of it. Exhibitors naturally refused and would have nothing to do with it, so the studios increased their rental percentages to the point where they were indeed getting a part of it.

So the box pays most of the bills, but not all. It still takes the concession to pay the balance of them and provide the profit.

I do agree that we are in this business to be showmen, not pop corn salesman. If we would want to operate a theatre without concessions we should be able to make a profit without them, but we can't. It is not possible, therefore we are forced to be pop corn salesman.
 

Closest theater to me is a 12-screen in Manville, New Jersey (New York metro). All stadium, all digital, mostly mainstream with the occasional arthouse title.

TICKETS:

Adults/teens -- 9.00 after 5 PM, 5.50 before 5 PM
Seniors (62 and older) -- 5.50 all times
Kids (12 and under) -- 5.50 all times

CONCESSION STAND:

Popcorn -- 4.00 large, 3.50 medium, 3.00 small
Fountain soda (Pepsi) -- 3.50 large, 3.00 medium, 2.50 small
No free refills on popcorn or fountain soda
Combo (large popcorn & large fountain soda) -- 6.50
(No kiddie combo, though)
Nachos -- 4.50 large, 3.50 small
Hot pretzels -- 3.50
Bottled water -- 3.50 large, 2.75 small
Ice cream/yogurt bar -- 3.00
Kosher hot dogs -- 3.25

Theater also has a coffee bar

Espresso -- 2.00
Cappuccino -- 2.50
Bottled soda -- 2.00
Brownies -- 2.25
Cookies -- 2.00 large, 1.50 small

Brad, you'll be pleased to know this theater took a tip from UA and priced all concessions in 25-cent increments.
 

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion
 

At Cinema West everything was a nice quarter increment only because we didn't want to force our managers to keep nickles, dimes and pennies in the safe. It was hard enough to get them to balance the safe with just quarters in there - adding smaller change woulda been horrible. (It was bad enough getting managers to DEPOSIT loose change and not throw it in a 'slush-fund' in their desk drawers)

But at Century - they have Bulk Candy -- so they're dealing with odd pennies and nickles often anyway -- so it's not as painful to use nickles and dimes.

------------------
Scott D. Neff
"Biding My Time"