So, I go to the movies.....

[Bob Marino]

So, my wife and I head out to the movies tonight  to see Life of Pi (excellent movie, BTW) and for 2 tickets, small popcorn and a small box of chocolate  mints I'm $33.50 lighter in the wallet.  OK, this is not a real surprise, as lately I've gone to the movies quite often. Perhaps it was the fact that besides we two, there was only one other moviegoer in attendance. Perhaps a smarter move on the theatre's  part would be to offer a reduced price during the week; perhaps at $7.00 a ticket, more people would go. After a little thought, I do think its a lot of cash for a movie and 2 items.

Bob

 

[semenza]

I am glad that when I go now that my $11.00 ticket at least gets me the nice stadium seating and great sound. There was a period  not too many years ago when the ticket prices were really going up but still the same old  not so great theater.  Why bother when you could do better at home. The new types of theater at least have brought back the some of the movie going experience.

I still can't fork it over for the  [popcorn] and drinks though.  I would love to eat through an entire movie and I would if the food prices were at least somewhat reasonable.  I don't see how they would not make out better with  somewhat lower food prices. But I am sure they have that well researched.

I prefer to go at times when almost nobody else is in the theater. The bag rattlers, chit chatters, and texters ( with the light in my eyes from the seat in front of me) are usually not in attendance.  Whatever happened to common courtesy  ???

Seth

 

[TomGadwa1]

The only thing common about common courtesy nowadays is how Uncommon it is. i saw that movie also and it is a very good movie. As in sorting events, concerts and other like functionsthe venues make the lion's share of the profits from the selling of concessions. For instance a sports team will usually negotiate for a percent of the concession sales as part of the contract for playing in the host city. There is much money to be made from selling popcorn candy and colored water!

 

[ericbuggeln]

We have discount tickets every Tuesday. It's packed. Eric

 

[Bob Marino]

I would agree, Seth, many movie theatres have way more comfortable seating and better sound than in years past. Courtesy in the movies? I think it depends on where the theatre is located, time of day, what movie it is and how crowded it is. I also prefer watching movies when the crowds aren't there. I'm bwtting that they make way more profit on the candy, hot dogs, soda and popcorn then the tickets.

Bob

 

[Bob Marino]

We have discount tickets every Tuesday. It's packed. Eric

Makes sense!

B

 

[TOOLTOWN]

I don't know about all of you, but I get discount tickets from Costco.  They are $15 for a pack of 2 tickets for either AMC or Regal Cinemas.

Ken

 

[ericbuggeln]

My wife gets discount tix too. They really get you on the food and drink. We go a lot. We saw every nominated movie last year. We always load up my wife's over sized handbag. The one I go to has a restaurant now with a bar so parents can get drunk while their kids watch a movie, Eric

 

[Bob Marino]

Agree with Ken and Eric; discount tickets are worth looking into; good idea. Yep, it's the concessions that get ya.

B

 

[tbellemare]

Something that has gained in popularity here is a movie/dinner/bar with service. People aren't let in after a certain moment so that the other patrons aren't bothered. Dinner and drink service is timely and cordial and the menu generally is based on the theme of the movie. Seating is assigned.

It seems to be a take off of attending a movie in Europe except that I think they've added a bit. The concept appears to be quite successful.

Tom

 

[Kev]

Tuesday nights in Oz are typically cheap movie nights. Seats are a lot more expensive in Oz, but that's to be expected - a movie needs to be a real block buster for me to want to go and see at the cinema it these days.

There's nothing worse than going to all of the effort to see a movie out and then it turns out to be a dud !

... I'm probably exaggerating - worse would be what my wife would do to me if she knew I've just stashed a new PS420 in my boot  [scared]

 

[sancho57]

Bob, $33 bucks you got off easy. Here in So Cal, It took the wife and kids (2 ea) to the movies it was like $9.50 a person so $38 bucks just to get in and another 25 or so for popcorn and sodas plus my traditional hotdog….

Im wanting to build a new media center and get a 55'-60' TV with a sound system and have a movie night rather then go and pay those prices…

 

[sancho57]

Something that has gained in popularity here is a movie/dinner/bar with service. People aren't let in after a certain moment so that the other patrons aren't bothered. Dinner and drink service is timely and cordial and the menu generally is based on the theme of the movie. Seating is assigned.

It seems to be a take off of attending a movie in Europe except that I think they've added a bit. The concept appears to be quite successful.

Tom

Sounds pretty kewl. I think something like that would go over big here in SoCal

 

[PeterK]

I was told by a guy I know who manages a local theater that there is virtually no profit in the ticket price - it all comes from the concession stand!!!!
No wonder bottled water costs $8. 
I get days off during the week so we go to the movies on Friday mornings as early as possible. No cell phones and talking kids to contend with. Price is still ridiculous. I now pre-qualify a movie before going. If I think it is so-so, I wait for it to be available at Redbox. Has to be something I really expect to be good for us to go any more.
My home system has better sound and picture quality than the theater so even when attending a movie like The Hobbit, I will still rent it later.

 

[GhostFist]

As good as home theaters are now a days. I still enjoy the film houses for the odd picture. The Hobbit in particular.

 

[Sparktrician]

It just annoys the hee-haw out of me  [mad]  to pay top dollar for tickets, get there early to get a decent seat, only to get hammered with non-stop asinine commercials for 20 minutes or so at a higher volume than the rest of the movie (and there's no "Mute" button).  That rather wrecks the experience for me.  I really do like the IMAX experience at certain theaters, though. 

 

[peter halle]

I don't go to movie theaters.  7 times in 22 years.  I have systems in three rooms of my house.  I buy, not rent movies.  Why?  There is nothing like a movie to put me to sleep.  I have to watch a movie 4 times to get to the end.  THAT would be really expensive in the theaters.

Peter

IMAX is great though.  A couple of movies almost had me really sick to my stomach.

 

[semenza]

The thing about making all the money off the concessions is probably true. I just can't believe that they wouldn't  make more by having the prices lower to some degree and sell much more product. 

Seth

 

[leakyroof]

I've gotten used to the ticket prices, it's the way the concessions are handled that kills me, and my wife.
No more salt shakers for your popcorn in many theaters here in Chicago. You get tiny packets of salt like at a Fast Food Drive-Thru.   The Soda is self-service, and any other items that they can automate with a dispensor machine. They're thinning the herd of staff behind the counter as much as they can.
The salt though, that's just silly   [blink]

 

[Tinker]

The last movie i went to was shortly after I turned 39 >>>>> the first time.

A few years before that, when I was pre-teen (around 10 to 14) I lived on an uncle's farm.  I loved to work in the fields, woods and cattle.  My uncle stated paying my 25 cents per week for my hard work.  

every saturday afternoonm a bunch of us would hop on our bikes and head for the Canaan, CT movie house.  Along the way, I stopped to mow a lawn for which i got $1.oo.  It took me about 1/2 hour, so I would leave from home a little earlier that the rest of the mottley crew.  

At the movie, there was a little soda joint of to the side of the entrance. We woud all get something to eat as the three mile bike ride took a lot of energy  :.  I always got a banana split and a candy bar.  Since the walk up the ramp into the movie was so strenuous, (it was maybe 30 feet from the little store to the ticket window), I needed further nourishment to tide my thru the movie, usually Tom Mix, Roy Rodgers, or even a war movie.
I would get a large bag of pop-corn or potatoe chips.  

After the movie I would stop back at the little icecream shp and get a double decker icecream cone.  I was starving already :
From there, it was just a short walk to the hardware store where i would spend some of what was left in my pocket on fishing tackle, usually a few hooks or some line, whatever I could afford.  And i still had enough coin in my pocket to pick up anothe candy bar or chewing gum on my way home.

The pay off was that the neighbor down the road, had horses and a large collection of toy guns (such a bad influence to the rest of us  8)).  All afternoon on sunday, we played cowboys and indians, good guys against bad guys, whatever, with capguns that actually made noise and many times,we acted out the saturday movie by tearing around the fields on horse back.  

I could go on, but you guys get the point, i am sure.  especially any who have been 39 as long as i have. [popcorn]
Tinker