The price of a movie ticket is going up.
I stopped going to movies about 3 years ago. I think I saw maybe, MAYBE 2 two movies last year (Gran Torino being one of them).
I've predicted in the past a decline in movie-going as hometheaters, combined with Netflix, not to mention modern-day parents who fail to keep their children quiet, drive people out of the theaters and into their home theaters, just like communism drives capital into tax havens.
But $11 for a regular show, not to mention $20 in New York City for A ticket? All so you can stand in line and listen to kids make noise while you view a screen from the far left corner of a theater? Yeah, that's going to help attendance.
You'll forgive me if I just sit in my finished basement with the LCD projector, surround sound, bean bag and a bottle of Jameson with Natasha in a nice little number under my arm.
You know, if you get a ticket to see Green Zone, you could probably have the whole theater to yourself....
ReplyDeleteHome theaters are indeed killing the retail theater market, yet the studios can't prop up pricing of DVDs and Blu-ray either. I regularly buy new Blu-rays for $10 a pop or less. For example, after incentives I just bought the new Toy Story 1 & 2 Blu-rays for $8 each.
ReplyDeleteAgree entirely... then add in a drink and some goodies to eat and you're pushing $50 for a couple. And then, most movies are well, crap.
ReplyDeleteI was driven out on theaters ten years ago.
But, the first victims will be the video rental places, especially the ones like Blockbuster who treated customers very badly. Hollywood soon to follow. Netflix is driving them out of business.
But once that's done, the theaters are next, yet they keep building screens. Go figure.
Not to mention start times that are 20 minutes later then posted. Then they blast a captive audience, with commercials. The price gouging at the snack bar, is enough for a lot of people to say "forget the popcorn".
ReplyDeleteHowever, the worst thing about current movies, is the target audience. Anyone over the age of 12, will find most current movies to be somewhat simplistic.
Most people over the age of 21, avoid going out to the movies. This encourages Hollywood to produce even more movies, that target the youth audience.
Check out the popular films of the last decade, and compare them with top titles of the 1970s. You can clearly see the current trend, of Hollywood targeting the youth market.
I haven't gone to the movies since Avatar came out. However, the main reason I won't go again is because most theater patrons are so rude. They don't shut up even if you ask them nicely. People always text during the film. The last time I went, a guy behind me had his feet against the back of my seat on and off the whole time. Now, you can't even pay me to see a movie unless it's that damn good.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get me started about ticket prices, food prices, etc. Even though some theaters have a policy of not allowing anyone under 18 after 10 P.M. regardless of film, it's still pretty bad cause many young adults act like complete idiots.