How is Hollywood still in business?

[clutchdust]

Seriously, do they not know it's a recession?
I just called a local theater to get times and pricing on Atlas Shrugged and pricing is $7 for the "early bird" (first showing) and $8 for all other matinee showings. I think a regular prime time show is $11-12. Who pays that? Sure as hell not me.
The last time I went to the theater was a matinee of the new Star Trek and I think that was six bucks a couple years ago.
I'm still considering going specifically to support the movie, but I can tell you this is the exact reason I will not go see Transformers 29 or Battlefield Gallactica in the theater.
We need an "entertainment bubble".

[snide]

Hollywood doesn't set the theater ticket prices, it's the scumbag theater owners. Some charge less, some charge more.

[clutchdust]

Don't know how much I buy that. When I hear some idiot actor just got paid $xx,xxx,xxx for some role, you have to know that the studios have to recoup that somehow. And now with the average Hollywood "blockbuster" costing in the neighborhood of $100M, they sure as hell aren't distributing these movies for free.
This has never been confirmed to me, but I've heard that the reasons concessions are so expensive is because that's the only way the theaters actually make money.
Maybe Apex will chime in here and set the record straight.

[NeedSpeed]

Even broke people want to be entertained.

[C5SilverBullet]

[Scissors]

Originally Posted by snide

Hollywood doesn't set the theater ticket prices, it's the scumbag theater owners. Some charge less, some charge more.

It's both.

The cost of a ticket in the first few weeks goes entirely or almost entirely to the studio/distributor, not the theater owner. That's part of why they charge so much for food. Only in later weeks does the studio's share of the ticket revenues drop, allowing the theater to finally make some money on it. By the end of a run, about half of the revenues from ticket sales have gone to the theater.

Therefore a rise in ticket prices, if seen across multiple theaters around the same time, is most likely not driven by the theater owners but rather by Hollywood itself. Slight variability between theaters might be the theaters themselves charging less/more, or it might be that they cut different deals with the distributor.

[ConstantChange]

I'm not sure how it is in your area, but if you drive by my local theater tonight, it will be packed. I think they run 20-30 screens. Tickets cost $12-$25/each.

Dinner and a movie...

[carlton_fritz]

Originally Posted by clutchdust

Don't know how much I buy that. When I hear some idiot actor just got paid $xx,xxx,xxx for some role, you have to know that the studios have to recoup that somehow. And now with the average Hollywood "blockbuster" costing in the neighborhood of $100M, they sure as hell aren't distributing these movies for free.
This has never been confirmed to me, but I've heard that the reasons concessions are so expensive is because that's the only way the theaters actually make money.
Maybe Apex will chime in here and set the record straight.

A friend in the biz confirmed this.

[C5SilverBullet]

[Old man voice] I remember when movies only cost a nickle! [/old man voice]

[Joecooool]

Movies here ar $6 regardless of what time it starts.

Of course, we only have one screen, but there is a bar in the theater that serves $3 pints of Amber Bock. Fast Five is playing this week, Pirates next and Thor after that.

[ApexOversteer]

Originally Posted by Scissors

It's both.

The cost of a ticket in the first few weeks goes entirely or almost entirely to the studio/distributor, not the theater owner. That's part of why they charge so much for food. Only in later weeks does the studio's share of the ticket revenues drop, allowing the theater to finally make some money on it. By the end of a run, about half of the revenues from ticket sales have gone to the theater.

Therefore a rise in ticket prices, if seen across multiple theaters around the same time, is most likely not driven by the theater owners but rather by Hollywood itself. Slight variability between theaters might be the theaters themselves charging less/more, or it might be that they cut different deals with the distributor.

This.

[Frizzle]

movies around here are 8-10 bucks a pop... I am a bit netflix user so i don't bother much with the movie theater.

[MEANZ06]

Originally Posted by Frizzle

movies around here are 8-10 bucks a pop... I am a bit netflix user so i don't bother much with the movie theater.

$0 here cause im a bit of a computer user...