Wow, Movies are OUTRAGEOUS.

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Yeah, I dumped $60 for a family of 4 and popcorn a couple of weeks ago. Tickets are $9.75 at our theaters, and $12 for certain "Director" theaters.

And they wonder why people aren't going to movies anymore.

I don't think that's it. I don't think the cost of movies has increased faster than inflation.

i.e. One guy in this thread said he's in his 20s and he can remember when movies were under $5. Figuring he can remember seeing movies 20 years ago (not unreasonable unless he's in his low 20s), the cost of going to the movies has about doubled in 20 years. I don't think that is inconsistent with the rate of inflation.

I'll tell you why I don't go to the movies anymore - kids. Of all ages, up to about early 20s. They talk, they play with their cell phones, and they're just all-around annoying.

And DVDs. I enjoy the movie just as much on DVD on my 27" non-HDTV as I do at the theater, and I don't care about having to wait.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: waggy
wich is why i just buy the DVD's of movies i want to wathc. when you can buy it for $16 vs paying $8 each (for me and my wife) plus i can watch it in my home without screaming kids or people on phones.

granted some movies you really need to see on the big screen. such as starwars, spider-man etc

It depends. I go to a theater when I don't want to hear screaming kids and phones

If your wife is like mine, you may also have to deal with a woman's total lack of understanding of surround sound. See...there are LOUD parts, and there are soft parts. Explosions are going to be LOUD. She expects everything to be the same volume, and complains when it's not so I'm constantly adjusting the volume :|

 

[fleshconsumed]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: waggy
wich is why i just buy the DVD's of movies i want to wathc. when you can buy it for $16 vs paying $8 each (for me and my wife) plus i can watch it in my home without screaming kids or people on phones.

granted some movies you really need to see on the big screen. such as starwars, spider-man etc

It depends. I go to a theater when I don't want to hear screaming kids and phones

If your wife is like mine, you may also have to deal with a woman's total lack of understanding of surround sound. See...there are LOUD parts, and there are soft parts. Explosions are going to be LOUD. She expects everything to be the same volume, and complains when it's not so I'm constantly adjusting the volume :|

Well, she does have a point. I think the contrast between sound level of action parts/dialogue parts is too big lately (for example in latest Bond movies). If you adjust sound so that you can comfortably hear dialogue you'll go deaf from all the explosions (at least I'm very uncomfortable), if you adjust volume so that action scenes don't blow your eardrums, you won't hear any dialogue. Kind of moronic on the MPAA part.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: waggy
wich is why i just buy the DVD's of movies i want to wathc. when you can buy it for $16 vs paying $8 each (for me and my wife) plus i can watch it in my home without screaming kids or people on phones.

granted some movies you really need to see on the big screen. such as starwars, spider-man etc

It depends. I go to a theater when I don't want to hear screaming kids and phones

If your wife is like mine, you may also have to deal with a woman's total lack of understanding of surround sound. See...there are LOUD parts, and there are soft parts. Explosions are going to be LOUD. She expects everything to be the same volume, and complains when it's not so I'm constantly adjusting the volume :|

I think a lot of receivers have a "night mode" that will do that for you. I kind of agree with your wife that the range of volume in modern movies is crazy. Excessively loud noises annoy me, and in order to hear the dialogue in a modern action movie you're going to have your eardrums assaulted in any action sequence. But most people like that I guess.

 

[KarenMarie]

55 inch HDTV = $2,400.00
Home theater = $450.00
DVD cost = $15.00 (approx)

Getting to sit my fat ass on a couch with a cocktail, and a marlboro without having to deal with crowds, traffic and other various crap = priceless.

 

[Heisenberg]

Movies here are $6 for matinees/students and $8 otherwise. But yeah, most of my movie watching is done at home.

 

[flashbacck]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Yeah, I dumped $60 for a family of 4 and popcorn a couple of weeks ago. Tickets are $9.75 at our theaters, and $12 for certain "Director" theaters.

And they wonder why people aren't going to movies anymore.

I don't think that's it. I don't think the cost of movies has increased faster than inflation.

i.e. One guy in this thread said he's in his 20s and he can remember when movies were under $5. Figuring he can remember seeing movies 20 years ago (not unreasonable unless he's in his low 20s), the cost of going to the movies has about doubled in 20 years. I don't think that is inconsistent with the rate of inflation.

I'll tell you why I don't go to the movies anymore - kids. Of all ages, up to about early 20s. They talk, they play with their cell phones, and they're just all-around annoying.

And DVDs. I enjoy the movie just as much on DVD on my 27" non-HDTV as I do at the theater, and I don't care about having to wait.

Well, I remember prices at $5 less than 20 years ago. Maybe 15 yrs. I could understand the higher prices if the theaters were new with stadium seats and digital projectors. But even the crappy theaters have raised prices.

 

[FoBoT]

what movie did the OP see?

 

[ponyo]

It's like the arcade. Why go to arcade to play games when you can play the equivalent at home on the consoles? Same now with the home theater. My theater room is better than my local AMC.

 

[fleshconsumed]

Well, $5*1.03^15 = $7.78. So yeah, movie ticket prices have beaten average inflation.

On an offtopic note, this whole notion of average inflation must be seriously fvsked up as health care, college, car insurance, gasoline and homing costs are up through the roof in the past 4 years, and yet the average inflation is still 3 percent...

 

[GTaudiophile]

$9.50/person here in DC.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Just watched MI:3 last night in my home theater. Excellent action movie; great for showing off the big-screen and the surround sound.

I use Netflix, so the cost per movie is really low.

On a completely unrelated note, 50pk TDK 16X DVD+R(or -R) are only $11.99 at Circuit City.

That's completely unrelated, right?

I see movie theaters getting smaller and smaller with the advent of these new big screen HDTVs. People don't spend thousands of dollar on there HT setup to go watch movies in the theaters. OnDemand HD movies with simultaneous theater releases FTW. I actually prefer watching the movie at home instead of being with all the morons in the theater. :| I just watched The Departed in the theaters and said, "I think it would be much nicer watching this at home."

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Man...if it were that much, I just wouldn't go

And that is exactly the thoughts of the majority of the movie going public. After paying high rates for so many bad movies over the past few years, most people (myself included) will simply look at a preview, then decide to wait for the DVD to come out for a $3 rental.

If the movie industry wants to do more business, they need to cut costs/budgets, lower ticket prices, and start putting out GOOD movies.

 

[WildHorse]

movie keeps your family of 5 busy helping prevent family of 6

 

[herkulease]

I remember days of 4.25 for matinee and that was shows before 5pm. Same theatre I went to all those years before its now before 1pm.

Now I just go to AMC on weekends before noon. 6 bucks. and even then I limit to seeing 2-3 movies a year.

this year I saw 3. Pirates 2, Ricky Bobby and Borat.

before Pirates 2 the last movie I saw in theatre was Spiderman 2 a 2004 release.

I don't know what the movie industry is thinking. Jacking up prices just causes more people to wait till dvd release and for the half the price of a one ticket you can watch it at home with the whole family.

I think their first step is quit giving actors 20+ million dollar deals.

 

[Kadarin]

I don't go to the theater (for the most part) for this reason. It's just not worth it. If it's a movie I'd really like to see, I wait for the dvd to come out and just buy it.

 

[ForumMaster]

that's not that expensive relatively. that's the price in most places. wait a bit and then get it from NetFlix and see it at home.

 

[K1052]

I came to the conclusion long ago that AT in no way represents the bulk of moviegoers.
If the product is good (or even halfway decent) people still go to the show.

If you want lower ticket prices, tell the studios to reduce their theatrical rental percentages.


Also, if you bothered to look a lot of chains have introduced discount programs in the last year where tickets to films after the first couple weeks of release are cheaper.

 

[0roo0roo]

its why dvd sales are so high.

and why films are made for the teen/20's crowd. people go with their friends and each person pays for just one ticket so its not much of a hit.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Just watched MI:3 last night in my home theater. Excellent action movie; great for showing off the big-screen and the surround sound.

I use Netflix, so the cost per movie is really low.

On a completely unrelated note, 50pk TDK 16X DVD+R(or -R) are only $11.99 at Circuit City.

That's completely unrelated, right?

I see movie theaters get smaller and smaller with the advent of these new big screen HDTVs. People don't spend thousands of dollar on there HT setup to go watch movies in the theaters. OnDemand HD movies with simultaneous theater releases FTW. I actually prefer watching the movie at home instead of being with all the morons in the theater. :| I just watched The Departed in the theaters and said, "I think it would be much nicer watching this at home."

Theatrical exhibition has been declared dead a bunch of times in the last 50 years, yet here we are.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: flashbacck

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Yeah, I dumped $60 for a family of 4 and popcorn a couple of weeks ago. Tickets are $9.75 at our theaters, and $12 for certain "Director" theaters.

And they wonder why people aren't going to movies anymore.

I don't think that's it. I don't think the cost of movies has increased faster than inflation.

i.e. One guy in this thread said he's in his 20s and he can remember when movies were under $5. Figuring he can remember seeing movies 20 years ago (not unreasonable unless he's in his low 20s), the cost of going to the movies has about doubled in 20 years. I don't think that is inconsistent with the rate of inflation.

I'll tell you why I don't go to the movies anymore - kids. Of all ages, up to about early 20s. They talk, they play with their cell phones, and they're just all-around annoying.

And DVDs. I enjoy the movie just as much on DVD on my 27" non-HDTV as I do at the theater, and I don't care about having to wait.

Well, I remember prices at $5 less than 20 years ago. Maybe 15 yrs. I could understand the higher prices if the theaters were new with stadium seats and digital projectors. But even the crappy theaters have raised prices.

well if it were 5 dollars back that long ago it makes sense. back then gas was maybe 1buck u know

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Just watched MI:3 last night in my home theater. Excellent action movie; great for showing off the big-screen and the surround sound.

I use Netflix, so the cost per movie is really low.

On a completely unrelated note, 50pk TDK 16X DVD+R(or -R) are only $11.99 at Circuit City.

That's completely unrelated, right?

I see movie theaters get smaller and smaller with the advent of these new big screen HDTVs. People don't spend thousands of dollar on there HT setup to go watch movies in the theaters. OnDemand HD movies with simultaneous theater releases FTW. I actually prefer watching the movie at home instead of being with all the morons in the theater. :| I just watched The Departed in the theaters and said, "I think it would be much nicer watching this at home."

Theatrical exhibition has been declared dead a bunch of times in the last 50 years, yet here we are.

I think we're closer now than we've ever been. We still have awhile to go, but I think more and more people are going to stay home and watch their movies.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: fleshconsumed
Well, $5*1.03^15 = $7.78. So yeah, movie ticket prices have beaten average inflation.

On an offtopic note, this whole notion of average inflation must be seriously fvsked up as health care, college, car insurance, gasoline and homing costs are up through the roof in the past 4 years, and yet the average inflation is still 3 percent...

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/about/adjuster.htm

Average movie ticket price in 1991 = $4.21
Average movie ticket price in 2006 = $6.58
$4.21 * 1.03^15 = $6.55

Not too far off.

Then you have to figure in movie budgets, because most of the money from the tickets goes to the studios. I don't have hard data, but in the last 15 years the amount of reliance on special effects has skyrocketed (which I think is a very bad thing by the way, but other people love it). It wouldn't surprise me if movie budgets have outpaced inflation.

Big blockbuster in 1991: Terminator 2. Budget: $102,000,000
Big blockbuster in 2007: Spiderman 3. Budget: $300,000,000

I don't really think cost is what is keeping people from the movie theaters, because young people who are only buying one or two tickets make up a large percentage of moviegoers. I think it's the rise of home theaters as several other people have said.

And regarding cost of housing, college, health care, etc affecting inflation - I believe inflation numbers are usually based on the Consumer Price Index, which I don't think includes such things.

 

[zoiks]

It seems that prices for movies keep going up every year. People are like sheep and pay anything when they're at the theaters.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Just watched MI:3 last night in my home theater. Excellent action movie; great for showing off the big-screen and the surround sound.

I use Netflix, so the cost per movie is really low.

On a completely unrelated note, 50pk TDK 16X DVD+R(or -R) are only $11.99 at Circuit City.

That's completely unrelated, right?

I see movie theaters get smaller and smaller with the advent of these new big screen HDTVs. People don't spend thousands of dollar on there HT setup to go watch movies in the theaters. OnDemand HD movies with simultaneous theater releases FTW. I actually prefer watching the movie at home instead of being with all the morons in the theater. :| I just watched The Departed in the theaters and said, "I think it would be much nicer watching this at home."

Theatrical exhibition has been declared dead a bunch of times in the last 50 years, yet here we are.

I think we're closer now than we've ever been. We still have awhile to go, but I think more and more people are going to stay home and watch their movies.

If the exhibition industry were to collapse can you gess what would happen to rental costs and DVD prices once the studio's revenue streams are cut in half?

Movie theatres are going to be with us for a long time to come. They are also offering more in the way of premium experiences (IMAX, Digital 3D, etc...) than ever before.