We all know going to the movies isn't cheap, often crowded and with assholes. But I still like to go sometimes and see something with the wife or son. Well AMC has bought out our local theater, and jacked the prices so high I won't be going back. $14 for nachos and a coke? Fuck you. Taking a family to a movie now is a $60 - $70 event. That is flat ridiculous.

We have now agreed on a no movie theater rule in our house. I'll wait for $5.99 rental on demand, get a nice pizza and enjoy from my couch. It's gone too damn far now.

Yeah concessions at the movies are ridiculous... If they made decent nachos or something I wouldn't mind paying $10 for them, but not for chips and cheese that they call nachos....

I bought the souvenir cups at local harkins so refills are only $1.50 for the year which I'm ok with and I eat before the movie so I don't eat their crappy overpriced food...

It's not 100% their fault and I understand there's lots of employees which all just got raises thanks to the voters and raising minimum wage. Also normally big expensive buildings so I get it, but I'm still not going to pay that much for shitty food

I bring our own candy and soda to the theater, on the handful of occasions that we go to the theater.

The ONLY theaters I buy food and drink at anymore are the ones that have an actual food menu and beer etc, the one near us is called The Movie Tavern and you can even order your tix online and pick your seats. No rushing to grab good seats, show up as the previews start and your seats are waiting for you!

Since we have lived in Richmond (fall of 2001), I think I have been to the movies about 8 times.

When we lived in Cols. Ohio we used to go all the time, especially to the matinee and the good ol' $1 theater located at Bethel and Sawmill Road.

Here nope... The prices here have always been crappy in my opinion. I guess I am used to Ohio where a matinee was and still is a decent price. The last time we went to a matinee in the middle of the week, it was $8 or $9 a person, and there were still a bunch of a--hats being annoying.

Now, we hit red box. We started living the high life and bought a new 32inch flat screen, after our old one sort of died after 18 years we have been together. (she tells me she had it a few years before that). So with that in mind we will occasionally hit on demand and pay $4 or $5 for a rental.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
The ONLY theaters I buy food and drink at anymore are the ones that have an actual food menu and beer etc, the one near us is called The Movie Tavern and you can even order your tix online and pick your seats. No rushing to grab good seats, show up as the previews start and your seats are waiting for you!

It's the only theatres I even bother going to anymore, Alamo Drafthouse, et al. No Pepsi commercials, no over priced popcorn and cokes, no screaming kids, none of that crap. Real food, beers, and a positive experience every time. I haven't been to a regular theatre in years.

You must be fairly rural, because the costs you describe have been par for the course in my area for 10+ years


The way my wife and I have gotten around it is to buy in bulk. We have regals close to us and we buy sheets of tickets....the more you buy, the cheaper they are. We then give them out as teacher gifts, birthday presents, bonuses to employees...things we would buy and pay for anyway, and then we get the added bonus of cheaper tickets for ourselves


And we rarely buy more than a drink, and share that..if it's all 5 of us we get a single large, share it, and make one of the sons go out for free refills

Why do so many people confuse a theatre with a restaurant? When I went to see the new Star Wars movie, a woman behind me was crunching, slurping, and opening so many bags of noisy candy that I thought she should have just went to Walmart. Now with every movie getting well past 120 minutes, and with no intermissions, we now have to deal with the super-gulp, small bladder people getting up to take a piss in the middle of the action.

I go to see a movie, not to have a buffet. I find all the food distracting. Also, if you are only buying a movie ticket, two people are still below $20 in most places.

And late morning/early afternoon matinees are dirt cheap with no morons. I saw the latest Star Wars for 12 bucks, four people in the room besides me and the wife.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
The ONLY theaters I buy food and drink at anymore are the ones that have an actual food menu and beer etc, the one near us is called The Movie Tavern and you can even order your tix online and pick your seats. No rushing to grab good seats, show up as the previews start and your seats are waiting for you!

It's the only theatres I even bother going to anymore, Alamo Drafthouse, et al. No Pepsi commercials, no over priced popcorn and cokes, no screaming kids, none of that crap. Real food, beers, and a positive experience every time. I haven't been to a regular theatre in years.

^^^This, haven't been to a regular one in years. I prefer to watch on my 4k 65" TV with surround sound and giant sub woofer, but the girlfriend likes going. We go about twice a year to the Alamo and similar. Screw multiplex places. Overcrowded and overpriced.

Last time I went to the "picture show" was late in the 20th century. There was so much sticky shit on the floor it was like walking through wet glue. And the movie sucked. It was so loud I couldn't think straight. I figured out that I could spend my money in better ways. Like on ammo.

$9 per ticket for me and the seats recline with trays and cup holders. Pretty spacious.

I think they redid the place because not too many people go to movies now. It's 50/50 whether we buy something from the concession or bring our own or just wait to get dinner after the movie.

I haven't darkened the doorway of a movie theater since about 1993 . Overpriced concessions , liberal activist actors , no thanks .

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
I bring our own candy and soda to the theater, on the handful of occasions that we go to the theater.

This. I only take my boys about once per year, and I always stop at a store before and smuggle candy/water in with us.

We're actually going to see Kong next weekend, the first time we've been to the theater in a long time.

My gf works in film so we make it a point to go and see certain things.

Personally, I like to go alone around lunch time and bypass all the crowds, but that doesn't help with the costs much.

Something that might help, and that we make use of often is Groupon.

We just got $20 vouchers for Regal for $10. We went and saw Logan for cheap and bypassed the snacks.

I haven't been in a theater in ages - I remember "Empire Strikes Back", and I think one more since, but cannot remember what. It must have really impressed me. Anyway...

I *did* read a study that showed that if the theater just plain gave away the concessions, they'd make more money through higher ticket sales than their current "gouge the customers' eyes out" business plan brings in.

There's a new wave of theaters opening up around the county like Studio Movie Grill, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, Ipic theaters, etc... that offer real food with waiter service for reasonable prices. The seats have table tops and the food is generally on par with places like TGIF's, Ruby Tuesday's, etc... while the food isn't gourmet it's def better than standard crap movie theater nachos and shitty hotdogs. They also have deals with the ticket and 3 course meal for about $25 per person which isn't bad.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
And late morning/early afternoon matinees are dirt cheap with no morons. I saw the latest Star Wars for 12 bucks, four people in the room besides me and the wife.

Not only that but some places have days where it is even cheaper. My local place is $5 on Tuesdays, and has pretty descent popcorn and drink specials. Two tickets, large popcorn, and two drinks can had for around $20.

I don't see too many movies. I don't buy their food when I do.

Just buy the ticket. Skip the concessions. Overpriced popcorn problem solved.

Ps popcorn is real cheap if you build your own