Last Saturday night Mr. Winnie and I spent $32 on a regular showing of Minority Report, split a small popcorn (normally we go without but it was many hours past dinner and we were hungry), and a medium soda. For $32 we could have gone to our favorite local pub, had a few beers, a platter of extra-hot buffalo wings, and people watched all night and had way more fun. We’ll definitely do that next time.
Star Theatres are the only decent screens, stadium-seating places around. Unfortunately the evening shows are $8.50 a ticket, and matinees are almost $6. I have no idea what the cost of food and drink is, because if I do consume anything, I usually sneak in a 20oz of Diet Pepsi with me. And I remember when the Star nearest me first opened, it wasn’t THAT long ago, but evening prices were $5.50. :sigh:
If I don’t mind waiting until the movies are out of main theatres (but not yet on video/dvd to rent or buy), and I don’t mind slightly uncomfortable seats and smaller screens, there’s the small theatre near my house (within walking distance) where full price tickets are a whopping $2, and matinees are a buck. But it seems like the films are getting more recent there. The current movies are “Crocodile Hunter” and “Bourne Identity”.
DairyMary, did you grow up in the midwest, or was your dad from there at least? My dad used the same expression when I was a kid.
I have become very selective in my moviegoing. My friend used to work for a theater and he got many of his friends in for free (namely me, because I was always up to go to a movie with him when he was done working). I would go see things that I wouldn’t have paid to see. Since my friend no longer works at a theater, I have to be far more selective. I go to matinees whenever I can. I make a mental list of movies I must see in a theater and I don’t usually stray from that small list unless someone else is paying for it.
I do not buy concession food. I bring my own. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s against the rules. Anyone who has a problem with it can bite me.
My mother used to take me to many movies at a dollar theater when I was a kid. The theater wasn’t that great and it wasn’t in the greatest area, but it was a dollar and it was air-conditioned. We went all summer, since my mom worked nights. My mom had a bag that we deemed “The Goodie Bag” and she would stuff it with burgers, fries, and Cokes. We ate a regular lunch meal as we watched, and we paid less for it. My mom was a single parent and couldn’t afford the movie fare then. What would it be like if she were a parent of small child now?
Once upon a time in movie history, the theater was a wonder of modern technology. The moving pictures were accessible to everyone. I remember my grandmother saying that, during the Depression, theaters in her area would give out a plate to each person who attended to help and their prices weren’t so bad. Movie theaters were not meant to be outrageously expensive - they were meant to be accessible to as many as possible.
I love movies too much to give up the theater all together. But I will not pay much for them.
What I want to know is how the theatre can charge you more if you aren’t a student. Ex: student prices are 5.50, while adult tickets are 8.50. It’s not like they’re seeing a different movie! Why the freaking price jump? Because they can?
I miss the movies. We have a 20-month-old, and we will make our second trip to the movies this weekend since our baby was born.
I’ll probably be disappointed, but I’m looking forward to a quiet date with my wife.
I’ll join you in your boycott, Stupendous Man. In fact, I’ve been boycotting for about a year now. The last movie I saw in the theater was Shrek. We had a wonderful time–but my folks paid! It’s not that I really am boycotting, but I just feel no compulsion to go. And even if I do feel like going, the high price tag quashes the compulsion. It just doesn’t feel like a good value for my money.
My!
Things must be more expensive up there!
Me and my son went to a new movie ( a kids movie) last we or so.
It was $7.50 for me and $4.50 for him. If we’d gone before 6 p.m. it would be $5 each.
Altho the popcorn is way overpriced at $4.00 for a kids size.
:eek:
Kids pay 50¢ more if they come earlier?!
<I can’t beleive I still remember the code for ¢>
I hate the movies too, but not because of the prices or the service. The goddamn shit Hollywood puts out is so stupid and insulting, I wouldn’t watch it for free.
Get those fucking dogs off my lawn! No, not those dogs, the ones having sex!
Hey, me too! I was just there today to catch Eight-Legged Freaks and gorge myself on buttered popcorn till I felt sick 
Truly the state of the movie-going art!
At the other end of the scale, I remember the Loew’s Tysons Corner 8, which closed four years ago. Built in 1975 and it really showed. No proper lobby, just a narrow bowling-alley of a corridor carpeted in a faded, ravelling orange. One tiny concession stand. Living-room-sized auditoriums with stained, torn screens under which were stacked boxes of towels and toilet paper. And during its last year of operation, it was rare for a movie to run all the way through without the film breaking or going out of focus. Its only saving grace was that you could enter it directly from the mall, a not inconsiderable advantage in inclement weather.
(But I remember being really impressed with the place as a kid. Standards change.)
So… what is the code for the cent sign?
Movies are way too expensive these days. I remember when we were making fun of a friend when she turned 14, since that meant she’d have to pay the adult ticket price, and not the children’s price anymore. (the going rate for adults at the time was $8… those were the days)
If you had asked me a month ago what the last movie I saw in a threater was, I would have ansewred, “A.I.” (I went with a bunch of friends last year on Canada Day weekend, and someone paid for all of us at first; we paid him back later) But I did see Minority Report a few weeks ago with friends, at 6:30. I t was around $7 each, and not at a megaplex, so it was okay.
I also saw Spider-Man a couple of weeks after it first came out, and my ticket was paid for. So all I had to do was get a drink and a small popcorn, and I was good to go. (still, it was around $7 as well)
The reason I don’t go to many movies now is the price; if it was at a cheap cinema or someone were to pay for me, then I’d most probably go.
F_X
Press and hold down the ALT key then type 0162. Tada! ¢
You can usually sneak your own candy in pretty easily, and a couple cans of soda of you have a purse or really baggy pants (or a jacket. I can accept ticket prices but I refuse to get screwed with a 500% markup on concessions.
Now popcorn, that one’s a challenge. Anyone got a friend with a hollow leg?
I can see your arguments, but I guess I’ve got too low of an opinion of the public to envision it running smoothly.
$5.50 for an afternoon (matinee prices are still in effect) ticket [evening tickets are still only around $8 or so]
$0 for candy (don’t need candy, or you can bring your own. That is what purses are for)
$0 for popcorn. Don’t need popcorn. If you want some, eat it at home.
$0 for a drink. Just makes you need to pee during the movie anyway. Drink something before you go.
Total cost: $11 for two people. Worth it to me.
North of Chicago in Evanston theres a movie theatre that truly makes the movie experience excellent. Its actually 2 theatres in one. A 12 screen blockbuster style multiplex with all the first-run hits, and an art house with 6 slightly smaller though still well equipped theatres. they employ the buffet (serve yourself) style of concessionairres, and it seems to work fine (at least in the smaller section).
AND they have a lounge which serves snacks, booze, and really really good deserts and has a piano player playing some jazz standards on the weekends. Theres also a HUGE wall of classic movie posters and the whole vibe of the place is kinda dark and mellow.
Every theatre (at least the ones I’ve been in- most of them) has stadium seating and parking across the street is free with validation.
Its my absolute favorite theatre in the world. I’ve been known to ride my bike to evanston (i live on the northside, so its only a couple of miles, actually closer than going downtown) without even checking the listings. Its generally a pretty safe bet that whatever you want to see is playing there, and if you get there early, just kick back and have a guiness and some cheesecake. The two great tastes that taste great together.
I wish more theatres worked on this model.
Thanks, Osiris. Got it now.
As for sneaking eats into a movie, my mom always gave us little bags of candy and such before we went in the cinemas. I remember the time she attempted to sneak a bag of chips into the movie. That only just barely worked.
Drinks? Well, I guess if you really need one during the movie (and you’re not afraid of having to pee during it), if your purse is big enough, you can fit your drink in it as well as your food. Say, a can of pop, or a small bottle of bottled water or something. My brother and I did this at least once with no problem.
F_X
Thanks, Osiris. Got it now.
As for sneaking eats into a movie, my mom always gave us little bags of candy and such before we went in the cinemas. I remember the time she attempted to sneak a bag of chips into the movie. That only just barely worked.
Drinks? Well, I guess if you really need one during the movie (and you’re not afraid of having to pee during it), if your purse is big enough, you can fit your drink in it as well as your food. Say, a can of pop, or a small bottle of bottled water or something. My brother and I did this at least once with no problem.
F_X
I rarely see a movie until it hits the $1 movie theatre. Then I can go and for about 6 bucks I’ve got admission to the movie, a diet Coke and some popcorn to share with whoever decides to go with me. Bless the $1 theatre!
On the rare occasions when I do go see a movie that’s been released fairly recently, I make sure to go during matinee hours, and I usually take my own snacks or do without. I find that most theatres are fine with you taking your own stuff in, as long as you’re discreet about it.