why is it that movie theaters are soo expensive these days?

Some times it is just nice to go out to see a Movie in the theatre but I do have to say the prices are getting outrageous. It costs $9.50 here and an earlier one I think is $6.00. Usually I go at night so I'm unsure.

Sadly all our cheap theaters have closed in the area so we can only see first run movies. I miss the days when we use to be able to pay $1 to see a second run movie... *sigh*

BabyGhia

$10.50 in the city. I never go the movies here anymore.

Yeah, I think the whole movie industry is on a suicide mission with bloated movie budgets and high ticket prices. And while the advertising before the movie helps pay the bills and seems to keep ticket prices from getting even higher for the moment, the ads are driving people away. People consider going to a movie theater a sancrosanct experience and see ads as an invasion of that experience.

I have several theories as to why the problem exists. My chief one is that while CGI special effects are costly and add to the price tag of a film, I think the compensation for studios, directors, producers and yes, main actors is for too high and we end up making them richer than they deserve.

As for concession prices, a friend of mine let me in on a dirty little secret years ago. The reason snacks are marked up so much is that the money is used to pay the concession workers' salaries. Movie theater companies are so cheap that they can't even pay the minimum wage for these workers out of their profits for showing the movies.

Knowing this, I sometimes try to buy an overpriced bucket of popcorn every once in a while, because I really feel for those kids. Most of the time, however, I stop by my local Target before I go to the theater and head to the candy aisle where they sell theater sized boxes of candy for only a buck. Mmmm...I love Raisinets.

I think it' s the wave of the future that eventually all movie releases will be solely on DVD and then later only on demand through digital cable. But until then, I will keep going to crowded matinees every other weekend, so I can be surrounded by the laughter of other people. For me, it's really infectious, there is nothing like it.

quote:

Originally posted by xana_fae WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU SPEND 6 BUCKS JUST SO YOU CAN MAKE OUT!!! That makes no sence to me!!!

For the privacy, if you get the dark corner of the theater and pick the most boring film, than people won't know what you're doing. And you can cuddle in those seats, I have figured it out, it can be fairly comfortable.