Outrageous Prices at the Movies

[starry night]

I can't believe the costs of attending a movie at local theater. We took my niece and a friend to weekend matinee -- CHILD's matinee ticket was $5.50, plus $8.00 for minimum standard snacks (SMALL popcorn $4.25 and SMALL drink $3.75), for a grand total for two kids of $27.00!!!!! Add in our adult tickets and NO snacks, we spent $41.00 for an hour and a half PG animated "family movie" outing. How do they expect families to do this?

So, I must return to my boycott of movie theaters, and wish that others would, too. If we all stopped going, perhaps they would drop prices to lure us all back in. But as long as people pay these going rates, they will charge what the market will bear.

And by the way, everyone I saw (even me) paid by credit/debit card, and it was shocking to me to see so many kids (I mean really young pups) handling a card of their own. Wonder how parents can possibly manage all this!!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

You should try taking your kids to a sporting event.

At least after you've doled out a bunch of money at a movie theater, you rarely get drunks throwing beer and obscenities...

We havent been to a movie in over 5 years. Bought an inexpensive projector and hooked up a very modest home theater, and we watch movies at home off of satellite or netflix. Eat and drink whatever we want. I'm pretty sure thats paid for itself several times over by now.

 

[Cut-Throat]

My wife and I enjoy going to the 'big screen'. We never eat any of the junk food at the theater. We usually go to the early movie on Saturday's about 4-5 pm. We are out by 7 pm and go out to dinner. Since we go to the early movie it's $5.50 apiece - or $11 - Not too bad.

BTW - don't even think about taking a kid to a pro sports game. By the time you end up with parking, ticket prices and/or food - you'll be lucky to stay under $200!

 

[Gumby]

..

 

[Indexter]

The library has DVDs but they are rarely in. So I browse the listings online, pick out a few and reserve them online. They give me a call when they're ready ("You're videos are ready, sir"), I pick them up and keep them for a week.

Selection isn't great, but I've gotten some pretty good movies lately (The Stunt Man, Roger Dodger, Notorious).

 

[Outtahere]

The last movie I saw at a theater was ET, yep..been that long and probably won't step foot in one again. Comcast On Demand is great, if dh and I want to see a movie it's there, we don't mind waiting until it's on the free listings.

As far as sporting events, we both agree it's much better at home where you can relax and see the replays.

I don't know how families can afford nights out anymore.

 

[kz]

Due to the prices we don't go to the movies much either.

We're fortunate that we can borrow movies with friends and family for free. I did break down and purchase 4 movies this past week but they were $7.50 each on special. I figure now I can do a little more bartering.

 

[Arif]

One of the things we really enjoy in Panama is the movie theatres. The tickets costs $4 per preson ($2.50 per kid) and on Wednesdays it's $2. The only drawback is not all the movies from the states make there way down here. Mostly just the blockbuster movies (MI 3, Ice Age 2, Cars) make it here so if you want to see the lower crust stuff you have to wait a few weeks or months. Some movies come to the theatres that we know are out on video already in the states. All in all though we can't complain about the price, selection maybe.

 

[grumpy]

Mrs. Grumpy and I go to the movies pretty often (2-3/month). Senior discount price is $7. We take our own snacks. We usually have a quick dinner out before the show. This is something we started early in our marriage. When our kids were little we went on a movie "date" EVERY Saturday night. Old habits die hard. I am still trying to convince DW that we don't have to go to the movies on Saturday when it is crowded but can go during the week now that we are retired. So far I am not winning that battle. But then again, I don't win very many battles with her.

Grumpy

 

[Leonidas]

Well, aren't we all a bunch of cheap bastards LBYM'ers? I'm so proud to see myself in such good company.

I was passing one of the local gigaplex cinema 98 screen places yesterday and realized that I can't even remember the last time we went out to see a movie.

To be honest, I'm not sure if my case is because I'm being frugal or that most everything I see come out of Hollywood is obvious crap. Plus, I prefer the company of my family, the cheaper snacks and the fact that I can smack anybody who interrupts my cinemographic entertainment by using their cell phone.

 

[LovesLife]

This is something we started early in our marriage. When our kids were little we went on a movie "date" EVERY Saturday night. Old habits die hard.

This is how I feel about going to the movies. It a date for us with all the trimmings. Although DH would probably like to skip the movies and just go for the trimmings, you know the hot buttery popcorn.

 

[Nords]

I can't believe the costs of attending a movie at local theater.  We took my niece and a friend to weekend matinee -- CHILD's matinee ticket was $5.50, plus $8.00 for minimum standard snacks (SMALL popcorn $4.25 and SMALL drink $3.75), for a grand total for two kids of $27.00!!!!!  Add in our adult tickets and NO snacks, we spent $41.00 for an hour and a half PG animated "family movie" outing.  How do they expect families to do this?

I'm amazed that you haven't been labeled a whiner! Hawaii's cheapest tickets start at $6.25... and spam musubi are selling for prices that must mean that they're made out of gold bullion.

When you consider that you could buy the video/DVD, watch it until the kid's head explodes (or they've memorized all the punchlines for your endless entertainment), and then resell it on eBay for at least half your purchase price... I wonder how much a $41 monthly payment will buy at Circuit City's media-room department?

It must be the big-screen impact and the THX sound systems. And the camaraderie of dozens of cell phones & chatty viewers.

 

[dusk_to_dawn]

We rarely go to the movies but when we do, we usually go eat dinner first. The way I look at it, I can spend $20 on dinner and then go to the movies, or spend $20 on popcorn and drinks and watch the movie, a no-brainer.

When I was in high school, I remember my girlfriend's dad used to sneak in popcorn and drinks. He would get some long plastic bags, fill them up with popcorn and shove them down the arm holes of his jacket. He would fill the arm holes full of 12 ounce cans of coke too. He had 5 kids, and that meant 5 jackets. Makes me wonder what he could have snagged from a Hampton Inn continental breakfast.

 

[justin]

When I was in high school, I remember my girlfriend's dad used to sneak in popcorn and drinks. He would get some long plastic bags, fill them up with popcorn and shove them down the arm holes of his jacket. He would fill the arm holes full of 12 ounce cans of coke too. He had 5 kids, and that meant 5 jackets. Makes me wonder what he could have snagged from a Hampton Inn continental breakfast.

Back when I used to go to movies at the $1.50 theater, I'd occasionally sneak in with canned drinks*. The distinct "pop" of opening them was embarrassing though, since everybody knew what you were doing.

*including beer

 

[Nords]

Back when I used to go to movies at the $1.50 theater, I'd occasionally sneak in with canned drinks*.

My second-proudest parenting moment has been discovering that our kid regularly sneaks Jamba Juice drinks into the movie theater.

My proudest moment was when she offered to teach me how to do it for just a $5 consulting fee.

 

[laurence]

Netflix and minor league baseball.


Oooh, I second that, we have a minor league team north of us, they have a nice little stadium, the players are really into it (hey, they're trying to break into the majors, no escalades here) and the family gets in with all the trimmings for a fraction of a big league game.

We haven't been to the movie theatre since "Revenge of the Sith" and our $3,000 home entertainment system (internal projection HDTV and 6.1 DTS surround sound system) has probably paid for itself at this point, too, we've had it 3.5 years.

 

[Doctordec]

Why pay that much for garbage ?

I quit going to the movies 10 years ago not because of the cost but because my political views differ greatly from Hollywood's and I won't support them with my money. I like to vote with my wallet like that. Back when I used to take my kids we'd take our own snacks and drink water.

By the way, you can still get a ticket to Major League Baseball here for $ 6.00. Cleveland Indians Upper Outfield Reserve. The beer is expensive but you can get a hot dog for $ 2.50.

 

[Indexter]

Over a year since our last theater movie -- used to do it once a week.

Here's my list of pros and cons:

Theater - Pros

1. Big screen

2. Can get caught up in communal reaction (e.g. When hundreds of people laugh, you tend to laugh, too)

3. "Night out"

Theater - Cons

1. Person behind you kicks chair, talks, gets cell phone call, has bad breath, is a noisy eater

2. Person in front of you is tall

3. High cost

4. Marketing deceptions (you order a "small" popcorn and get more than you can healthily eat. turns out you should have ordered a "mini" popcorn).

5. Risk of commercials prior to movie

6. Movie may be out of focus, or there may be a buzz in the audio (do you try to find someone to tell or live with it?)

Home Viewing - Pros

1. Cheaper or free

2. Can rewind if you can't hear the dialog

3. Can turn on subtitles if you still can't catch the words

4. Can pause the video to study brief nude scenes (for research, of course)

5. If you don't like the movie you eject it and put in another

6. No rushing to get there on time

7. You can fast-forward through the credits

8. Beer or wine available at 50 cents per glass

Home Viewing - Cons

1. Phone rings and interrupts the picture

2. Smaller screen (however, I learned, from watching a movie on a 13 inch TV once, that if you get into it, you don't notice)

3. Some idiot decided that you shouldn't be allowed to fast forward through the FBI warning.

 

[VoyT]

  We've got a couple of second-run houses in town ... $1.50 on the weekends ... most of the time we head to dinner afterwards, so we're not inclined to load up on popcorn.

   A couple of other tricks ... AAA sells discount tickets -- most theaters take them for films out for at least 10 days. It's pretty much the matinee price (depends on the company), so they're best used at a time you'd have to pay full freight.

   Kerasotes theaters also has a 5-buck movie club. You sign up for the card online and each week, they send you an e-mail listing which movies are eligible. Once a film hits the list, you can see it for 5 bucks at any showing.

   Or  the next time your satellite or cable co. offers a free preview of HBO or whatever, fire up the recorder .... 

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Netflix.

Laptop computer.

Large external hard drive.

Video out to projector.

Soundblaster PCMCIA audio card with optical output to Dolby Digital receiver.

DvdDecrypter.

WinDVD.

 

[Dreamer]

Matinee price in our area is $5.00. We probably make it to 3-4 movies per year. DD goes more often. We go to Blockbusters. I would get Blockbuster coupons with our Discover Bonus and Blockbuster was one of the Double bonus vendors. We were getting our movies for around $2.00. They are not as generous now and it is costing more. I have been thinking about trying Netflix and have an offer from then for up to 10 free dvd rentals during your two week free trial. I might check out what they have to offer.

 

[astromeria]

The Piggly Wiggly supermarket gives "greenbacks": virtual green stamps stored on your "pig card" whenever you shop--for those old enough to remember green stamps from the 40s/50s. We go to about half a dozen matinees for free each year by swiping our pig card instead of a credit/debit card or paying cash.

 

[Craig]

We love the movies too, but really miss the dollar theaters ... haven't found one in Nashville ... DFW had one in Plano.

We try for the matinees, and rather see a shared butter popcorn and shared drink as a major reason for going to the big screen. 

$6/adult for matinees here, $8 for later shows. 

Just saw "A Prairie Home Companion" ... highly recommended.  I'm planning on listening to the radio show this weekend ... has been quite a while since I enjoyed Garrison Keillor.

Still, don't go nearly as often as we used to. We've gotten cheap, and the movies seem to have gotten worse. Too many special effects, too little acting, plot ...

 

[astromeria]

Just saw "A Prairie Home Companion" ... highly recommended.

ditto---you'll like it if you like the radio show or just the sound of Garrison Keillor's mellifluous voice, Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin as a singing sister act and Lindsay Lohan as Meryl's daughter, Woody Harrelson & John C Reilly as singing cowboys who think it's Funny Joke Thursday, Kevin Kline as Guy Noir, lots of music...what's not to like?!

 

[Lancelot]

I like the movies too; always have

In Bangkok I pay about $2.50 to $3.00 for first run western movies. The theaters are as good (even better) than those that I went to in the USA. In Bangkok almost all of the movies are in english; a few are in Thai (or other languages) with english subtitles.

Large popcorn costs $1.50; bottled water $0.38; large coke $1.00.

Lance