Filmgoer takes stand on costly snacks, sues AMC Livonia theater [link only]

Detroit Free Press | March 4, 2012 | David Ashenfelter

[discostu]

Even with a “down” audience they still sold 1.2 billion tickets last year, that’s 4 tickets for every man woman and child in the country. The content doesn’t seem to be driving people away.

[2ndamendmentpa]

I work for one of the last small town theaters.

We charge 5 bucks, 4 for kids.

Concessions - we still feel bad charging these prices - but we have to pay bills.

Popcorn - 3.00
Soda - 2.00
Candy - 2.00

We almost never show R rated movies - but make exceptions for something like Act Of Valor or Last Temptation.

[Little Ray]

Your “arthouse” probably has volunteers working in it, and doesn’t have to pay 98% of the ticket revenue to Hollyweird. IIRC, in the first week of a release, that is how much of ticket sales has to be remitted to the movie owners. Most “art movies” can be rented for a flat price.

I understand perfectly why the concession prices in theaters are so high. On the other hand, I don’t actually buy much in the way of concessions.

All things considered, Hollyweird should reduce what the theaters have to send back, so that they can make a decent profit. (Or theaters should get together with organized crime to help ‘em launder money - after all who can really say how many tickets or concessions were sold...)

[Little Ray]

Your “arthouse” probably has volunteers working in it, and doesn’t have to pay 98% of the ticket revenue to Hollyweird. IIRC, in the first week of a release, that is how much of ticket sales has to be remitted to the movie owners. Most “art movies” can be rented for a flat price.

I understand perfectly why the concession prices in theaters are so high. On the other hand, I don’t actually buy much in the way of concessions.

All things considered, Hollyweird should reduce what the theaters have to send back, so that they can make a decent profit. (Or theaters should get together with organized crime to help ‘em launder money - after all who can really say how many tickets or concessions were sold...)

[discostu]

There’s certainly a more generally favorable situation for the arthouse theater, rentals are lower, employees are cheaper. Of course on the other hand a “successful” movie for them gets 200 attendees for 2 or 3 showing a day too. So there’s two sides to it.

I understand why the theaters THINK they need to charge those prices, but I think they’ve spiked them too far. Every time you raise the price of something a percentage of your potential buyers drop out, raise prices too high and that percentage goes high enough you’re now damaging the bottom line. I think movie theater concession prices are about 25% past that line. One of the only concessions I buy at the normal theaters I go to is the milkshake, I get them for 2 reasons, 1 they’re really good, but 2 they don’t actually charge that much, they’re about the same price as a good ice cream based milkshake anywhere you can get them, it’s a price competitive with the outside world.