# Why are movie prices so high? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2001, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069 "2001-01-02T08:40:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069/41 "2001-01-04T19:39:18Z")
Thanks, **Girl Next Door** – feel free to link or refer to that article, or anything else on my site, to your heart’s content. Also, I’ve received compliments from other posters, but I think this is the first time I’ve gotten “props,” so thanks for popping that little cherry. (And don’t think **that** isn’t something I enjoyed saying to the **Girl Next Door.** :D) Based on many of the comments above, it seems like you’re one of the few who actually went and read the article from the link **pldennison** provided. (Thanks for that, Phil, by the way.) Not to toot my own horn, but I’d recommend that anyone who didn’t go check it out should do so. And to make it easy, [here’s the link again](http://moviegeek.homestead.com/files/featdeal.htm). Many questions will be answered. Re the question of seeing a movie in the theatre, or at home, I’d say it depends. I’ll see everything by Steven Soderbergh or Martin Scorcese or David Cronenberg or Jane Campion (to name a few) in the cinema, because I think they’re interesting, valuable filmmakers whose work should be supported. I’m voting with my pocketbook, as it were. As far as big “event” movies go, I see those as well, for two reasons. One, I review them for my site. (I know, I know. Update is pending.) And two, the overwhelming sound and visual design of something like _The Perfect Storm_ just plain doesn’t have the same impact at home, even though I’ve got a large television and surround-sound system. And then there’s the communal effect mentioned by **Cartooniverse** ; I know that _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_ was enhanced by seeing it in a theatre of cheering viewers. I do see some stuff at home, of course (mostly on premium cable), because there are just too many movies to catch in the cinema. I skipped _Me Myself and Irene_, for example, because (1) its presentation won’t be impaired by a small-screen viewing, (2) it wasn’t important enough to warrant a review, and (3) I don’t much care for that style of humor. But I do see everything eventually, and that’ll be no exception. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069/42 "2001-01-04T20:03:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > **What I don’t understand is why everyone insists that they buy concessions when they go see a movie? Can’t you eat before or after the movie if the prices bother you?** I once went to a movie theater and found an aquaintance working at the candy counter. It wasn’t busy, so we chatted, and I asked him how he could keep a straight face while asking for a few bucks for a box of candy when I could buy _this_ (and I pulled out a bigger box of Junior Mints from the drugstore) for under a dollar. (His manager was obviously _not_ around!) He just rolled his eyes. The prices they charge are ridiculous. It costs them literally _pennies_ to make a box of popcorn. How can they charge so much? Unless every theater in the country is run by idiots who are getting screwed over by their Coke distributors, why are they charging five times as much for a cup of soda than the Wendy’s next door? More to the point, _why do people pay for it_? I smuggle in candy and soda, and I don’t care who knows, damn it. I like a nice snacky treat while I watch my movie. What makes me really mad is I _love_ movie popcorn–and it’s hard to smuggle in a hot bag of microwave popcorn. 🙂 If the prices were _at all_ reasonable, I’d buy a box every time I went to the movies, but it makes no sense to me to spend more on popcorn and soda than I would on a nice sit-down dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069/43 "2001-01-04T21:59:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > **Based on many of the comments above, it seems like you’re one of the few who actually went and read the article from the link pldennison provided. (Thanks for that, Phil, by the way.) Not to toot my own horn, but I’d recommend that anyone who didn’t go check it out should do so. And to make it easy, [here’s the link again](http://moviegeek.homestead.com/files/featdeal.htm). Many questions will be answered.** Just wanted to let you know, Cervaise, that I clicked the link and read the article with interest. It answered a lot of questions I had (and many that I didn’t know I had) about the movie exhibition business. Perhaps you’re not getting much comment on this thread about the article because it doesn’t leave much else that needs to said. Thanks for fighting ignorance. Bill ---
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069/44 "2001-01-04T23:02:03Z")
in Australia a child ticket is $9 (This is all Australian Dollars, US dollars are like half ours so it is about $4.50) candy prices are high, so instead we go to KMart and buy a cup of candy (large Mcdonalds cup) for 4 dollars. thats $13 so far… then usually a extra large drink from Donut King, $3 $16, then maybe lunch afterwards, $5 so all in all it costs about $21 australian dollars for me to have a day at the movies. oh and buy the way, it costs them $5,000 (US Dollars) do get the movie in the cinema (i dunno if one cinema company can duplicate it or not, for their other cinema complexs) ---
**Author:** ![Togepi\_no\_Miko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Togepi\_no\_Miko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Togepi_no_Miko)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069/45 "2001-01-05T16:46:23Z")
Thanks everyone, I had no idea what I started. Thanks, Cervaise, I realy enjoyed your reviews on your site. I got so distracted with your scathing, literate review of battlefield Earth I forgot all about the price of movies… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069/46 "2001-01-05T19:59:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* I do see some stuff at home, of course (mostly on premium cable), because there are just too many movies to catch in the cinema. I skipped _Me Myself and Irene_, for example, because (1) its presentation won’t be impaired by a small-screen viewing, (2) it wasn’t important enough to warrant a review, and (3) I don’t much care for that style of humor. But I do see everything eventually, and that’ll be no exception. \*\* I saw “Gladiator” twice projected. I think that the last time I did that- aside from being caught out of town with a night to kill- was “All That Jazz”. I felt like there was so much visual information in “Gladiator” that I owed it to myself to see it again in a theatre. And yep, I DO agree with the posters who decried the awful shrinking screen problem. However- I am near some of the newer, stadium style theatres that were also mentioned. I read an interesting article a few months ago- apparently mega-screen theatres are going broke. Nobody goes, it was made to be NOT worth it. With better food, and larger and more comfy screening areas, that sentiment may yet turn around. Viva La Projection !! 😃 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069/47 "2001-01-05T20:05:05Z")
That quote that started my post up there was from Cervaise. Sorry about that, Cervaise. Ain’t I just the cut and paste muthafucka? \ I need a tutorial in how to assemble posts, I sweah to gawd. 😃 \<----running back to set to photograph emotionally gratifying scenes in a well written and deeply important movie. \ Cartooniverse [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-movie-prices-so-high/48069.md?page=2)