The High Price of Theater Going

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I think the highest around here is like...$8.50. Today I went to a small movie theater and it was $5.75, which is quite cheap for a nighttime showing.
 
The theater that I usually go to increased their ticket price to 11.00 and the food is even more expensive than ever.
 
I remember when movie tickets were AU$7.50 for adults and AU$6.00 for children, that was when I was 13 or so.....and Tuesdays were cheap days and were AU$5 for all. NOW "cheap" Tuesdays are $9 for all :rolleyes: I think regular tickets are like AU$13.50.....or maybe even more, it's ridiculous. I NEVER buy lollies, drinks, or popcorn at the cinema, unless I'm with someone and we go halves on popcorn. But lollies and drinks you can bring from home just as easily.

The Astor, where I go to most, is AU$11 and most of their films are double-bills so you get two on the one ticket. There's also a cinema where I saw Finding Nemo, I think the Waverley, where tickets are only like AU$6 each....it's a tiny little back-water one but for those prices, I do mean to go again ;)

Most expensive is Hoyts La Premiere which was like AU$35 but with that you get lounge seats and unlimited popcorn and drinks. so we did that with the LOTR films because in 3 hours you get thirsty enough to justify the expense, and also comfy seats are a plus ;)
 
Recently, I've been avoiding going to the movies because of how expensive it is. I only go to movies that I *really* want to see. I love movies and I grew up going to the movie theater at least once a week, but nowadays that's a luxury I can't afford.

A friend of mine is studying in the University of Victoria and they have something like that. It's great.
 
Oh the food is the worst. I can have popcorn, nachos or hot dogs with coke for less than $6, but the candy is terribly expensive. I always try to bring my own candy.
 
I used to be able to see a matinee and get the kid's meal (popcorn, small drink & candy) for $10 but now it's $12. If I splurge for regular sized drink and popcorn I'll cost me closer to $20, and that's just one person!!! :eek:
 
8.50/6

Back home we had a $1 theater across the street form the big one, it showed the been out for awhile movies. I don't mind paying, cuz well it's getting away and for th emost part, it's part of an outting with friends.
 
Yep. That's the only way to go. Instead of spending $13 at the theater, I probably spend only $10. And I go every week. There's always something out that I want to see.

But it's damn hard trying to cram everything in my purse. ;)
 
It's funny that this thread has been brought back because a friend and I were recently talking about how ridiculously expensive cinema prices are nowadays. The average price for an adult ticket here is £6-£7, (which I think is double in the amount of dollars), and which is just rubbish. Children/senior/student and other concession tickets are usually about £4.50 - great for me right now because I'm still a student, but what about when I finish uni? I'm so not looking forward to having to pay full-price, it's a total rip-off. I remember the days, only a few years ago, when I could go to the cinema and it cost me something like £3. Gah.
 
Oh man. You're so lucky. Movie tickets cost $9.75 ($7.75 matinee) here. My friends and I actually got to see Wanted for $5 matinee (and we were ecstatic), but that's because we had gone to a new theater that was trying to compete against all the bigger chains.
 
It's been $6.50 here for years, but it's recently been raised to $7. :no:

Sasha
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Yes, going to the movie costs so much these days! Typically between tickets and food, my boo and I spend nearly $30. It's quite disgusting. :rolleyes:
 
I was thinking about this thread because I live in Puerto Rico and the average movie ticket price is probably $5.50. I'm so thankful that going to movies is still relatively cheap here. I saw Wanted for $3.50 on a matinee showing. I can't imagine paying over $8 to go to the movies.
 
It's amazing how much prices have gone up in the last few years since the early 90's, my philosophy, see the good ones in the theaters, gotta have a few treats, wait for other until they come out on dvd, rent them or buy them ;)
 
Our matinee prices are usually like $6. And then like $9.75 after the matinee.

But there was a theatre a few blocks from me that was $4.00 when it first opened and then it started getting more expensive every few weeks till it topped at $5.50 before 3, $6 between 3-6 and then like $8.75 after 6.

But then I had drama there and I go to the AMC theatre in midtown and I pay $10.50 for a show. Mind you I live in NYC, land where everything is OVERpriced.
 
Let's see, when I was a child and on the military base, I think 25 cents was the going rate.

Later, after my dad retired and we moved to the "real" world, I can vaguely remember when prices went up to $3.00 :eek: for evening shows (before that I had no concept of money except that the place to get it was Mommy and Daddy). Later, after prices had been raised again, one theater advertised Tuesdays as "Family Night" and everybody paid $2.50. We saw alot of movies on Tuesdays. :D

Then there was the advent of the $1.00 Discount Movie houses, eventually raised to $1.50. I'm not sure what the going rate is now in my area, although I want to say $3.00.

Except for one special occasion, I haven't seen a movie in the evening in over 10 years. Make that at least 15 years. I always catch the matinees, and have been known to whine when a film I want to see is at the "expensive" theater across the highway that charges 50 cents more than the theater closer to my house.

I am, however, sometimes willing to purchase my tickets online, despite the $1 processing fee, for specific films (LOTR!!!).
 
Thats still the price at my local theater. Of course, if you go out of town things get more expensive. While they offer more selection of movies to see. I like my cheap theater. They show most of the big movies and you can't beat the price. :)
 
The height of my movie-going was in the mid 70's, right after I got out of high school. This was before video rental. I lived within walking distance of 5 theaters. The cheapest was 60 cents. It usually showed schlocky horror movies. Homeless people would sleep there during the day.

The others were .75, 1.00, 1.25, and 2.50. The first two were decent second-run theaters (a category which has been replaced by videos/DVDs). The $1.25 one was an old movie palace, built in the 20's (the Granada, near Loyola University in Chicago). The $2.50 one was the 400, which showed new art and foreign movies.

When Hollywood movies started to be available as video rentals, a lot of the second-run theaters switched to foreign-language movies. When I first moved to Seattle, the theater which is now used by Taproot Productions for live plays showed Chinese-language martial arts movies and Spanish-language romances.

I usually see movies on video, unless I'm in a hurry to see them, or they are big FX movies, which are more impressive on a bigger screen. The large chains have discounts before 6 pm, though I think they charge $7.50 now, so it doesn't seem like much of a discount. Landmark Theaters, which owns the theaters on Capitol Hill and near the UW, has fewer discount matinees scheduled, but they sell five discount passes at a time for $30, which works out to $6 each, the price of the discount matinees.

I live a few blocks from a rental store that charges 2.50 for older videos, and 3.75 for new ones.
 
I agree that movie prices are ridiculous...but I think that some theaters are worth it...
The cleanliness, the atmosphere, the comfort.

I try to bring in my own candy and soda...:D

(the upside of carrying a slightly large pocketbook)...:lol:



claudia
 
Hahah. Everytime I go to the movies I complain (loudly) at how high the prices are. Seriously? $9.75. Phssht.
 
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