Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Price of Entertainment

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Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 07-01-2001, 02:20 PM:

Last night I went to Red Lobster to enjoy a gourmand feast of cheap shellfish. At the table across from me they ordered Lobsteritas, which is a large slushy drink, based on the Margarita. It comes in a 24 oz martini type glass, with beads for decoration. You get to keep the beads as a gift. I asked the waitress what this impressive concoction costs? Are you ready? The Red Lobster Lobsterita costs $7.99! She also stated that with very little trouble she could make it a $10 drink.

I thought this was very funny because our top ticket price is $8 and that is only a penny more than the drink. So then today I ran across this article on MSMBC about the high cost of summer entertainment. article It states that Disney World has jacked up their prices and that every little extra costs more. Then they mention that you can spend $450 for a VIP ticket to see Madonna. I think I will wait for the TV special on the concert next year. They also mention that famous $10 movie ticket in New York City.

Now when we were all discussing that earlier in the year, most of you were aghast at the thought of the $10 ticket, while complaining that projectionist salaries are too low. I seemed to be alone in thinking that the $10 ticket didn't sound too bad. Most dinner entrées in restaurants are more than $10 these days.

Our average ticket price is $6.25. Our bargain show is $5 and our Adult admission is $8. We recently discovered that we are only selling 40% of our tickets at the $8 rate and 60% of our tickets at the $5 rate. So 60% of our customers are seeing first run films for $5 and that sounds like very cheap entertainment to me.

So with movies being one of the most inexpensive entertainment options around, why are less and less people seeing films in Cinemas? I think it is the inconvenience factor. When I was a child, there was a cinema in every neighborhood. Sure you would drive to see the big films, or wait until they came to your neighborhood. But now you have to drive to a big multiplex somewhere, fight all the other people just to see your film. Put up with all the other obnoxious customers. (There was a baby in the audience for my 10:50 PM show of AI!) and I think a lot of people would rather just sit at home and watch reruns on TV than put up with the hassle.

So I don't think the cost of movie tickets is the reason for the decline of the cinema industry, I think it is the hassle of going to the movies that is keeping them away.

Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 07-01-2001, 03:40 PM:

I dont know about others, but for me, its the movie itself (meaning if theres something I think I would like, Ill go see it) that I base my decision upon going to the movies, not just going to any movie for the heck of it. Unfortunately, most of the recent flicks dont interest me at all.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-01-2001, 08:36 PM:

Mike H., I think you hit the nail right on the head. There are very few "general" audience movies these days that everyone feels they need to see. Sometimes movies get hyped to the point where everyone feels that way on opening weekend, but then the bad reviews and/or word-of-mouth start doing their magic and the audience dwindles fast. Most recent example of course is "Pearl Harbor." When the quality is there, the people will respond (as in "Shrek").