AMC theaters to raise prices

[Organized Chaos]

Saw last night that AMC theaters will be raising their ticket prices. 3D movies will raise by as much as $5.

They said that with the recent success of movies such as Avatar & Alice in Wonderland, they are confident that movie-goers are willing to pay the higher prices.

All the theaters in my area are Kerasotes or privately owned. I assume if AMC doesn't experience a drop in sales, Kerasotes will soon follow suit.

Makes me wonder...how much is too much for a movie ticket?

[crimsulent]

i heard about this and i can barely believe it!

i consider anything over $7 a total rip off. consequently, i haven't been to an evening showing of a movie in over 10 years.

it made me sick to have to pay over $9 a ticket for a MATINEE showing of Avatar in 3D. i mean, the movie was visually stunning and the 3D was excellent, but i am pretty sure i wouldn't have even gone if i knew the tickets cost that much.

plus, concessions are such a royal ripoff! another $10 right there.

fergeddaboudit!

this news just means i'll be seeing way fewer first run movies.

it's a shame, too. i like to see movies theatrically. if they were reasonably priced i'd be going all the time, even to see marginal movies

[Organized Chaos]

I can't remember the last time I paid full price to see a movie. We belong to Kerasotes' 5 Buck club. You wait a couple weeks, sometimes more depending on how popular the movie is, and they'll release some of them to their 5 Buck club list. It's worth the wait to save about half. And we also go to the privately owned theaters in our area. They're all around $5 regular price. One is $6 and that includes popcorn & soda.

I just got an email from Kerasotes tonight. They said that recent media reports on increased ticket prices at some theaters has caused some confusion. They assure their customers that no Kerasotes theater has increased their ticket prices to view 3D versions of Alice In Wonderland, Avatar or How to Train Your Dragon.

[crimsulent]

that sounds like a good deal!

we have one of those too, and there are many movies i wait to see at the discount place because i KNOW they're not even worth the matinee price at the first run theaters

but, at our place, it's really discount-y

no stadium seating and plain old chairs. no reclining highbacks here! plus, the popcorn is pretty lame.

still, i'd much rather tough it out in substandard seats than pay twice as much for a trip to the big chain theater

man, all this theater talk has made me crave popcorn. i gotta make some now! LOL

[Organized Chaos]

Yeah our discount theaters aren't anything special either...no stadium seating or top of the line sound systems, but the popcorn is good. And like you, I can easily tolerate regular seats to get the cheaper price. One of them has a little private area on either side of the theater with a love seat & coffee table in each, but you have to get there early to claim them.

I did see a story about why there's been so many 3D movies lately. With the growing popularity in home surround sound systems, high def. TVs & home theaters, companies are doing what they can to attract more people into the theaters. But with TV manufacturers releasing 3D TVs soon, what will theaters come up with next?

Here's a Yahoo article about the rising ticket prices:
Movie theaters debut higher ticket prices

[crimsulent]

i accept that prices go up over time, but the timing of this price surge during turbulent economic times seems ill considered

and i do hope theaters come up with something better than 3D or even louder sound systems. how about super deluxe reclining seats with individual sound systems, built so the chairs can respond to cues in the movie, like bumps when driving, etc. ok, that's just off the top of my head. if they want more out of me i want a corner office with a view.

actually, i've been on a movie panel for almost a year now, i've seen a few different marketing gimmicks the theaters are considering.

that's another panel i'm super glad to be on. i appreciate the opportunity to participate in the process.

[lindofree]

I went to my first 3D feature film this past weekend, Alice in Wonderland. The Cinemark's in our area add $2.25 per person, so certainly not as bad as AMC but still - $8.50 each for an afternoon movie. Plus, it was an impulse decision so I didn't have time to go home & put soda cans in my purse !! One DD & I shared a soda, the other had ice water (cup, not a bottle) so, the total concessions were $10.

I kept my plastic glasses. Sounds like more & more movies are coming out in 3D & these plastic ones are MUCH easier than the old paper blue & red ones.