Expensive Movie Nights

[was]

After going to the movies this last weekend, I am seriously considering sticking with rentals. At the end of the night, I had spent $16 for one movie. The ticket was $8, the medium soda was $4 and the medium popcorn was $4. So how much do you spend for a night at the movies?

 

[Morrus]

A heck of a lot more than that! Change those $ to £ and then add some more on top.

I'd say about £10 for the ticket, £5 for a hot dog or popcorn, plus some more for a drink. So approaching £20 for one person.

 

[Elf Witch]

I now only go to matinees which run around 8.00 though there is one that is 6.50 before 10 AM on the weekends. I also smuggle in my own bottle of water. I refuse to pay 5.00 for a bottle of water and I gave up concession food a while back not so much for the cost but for health reasons. Because it has gotten so expensive I now only see movies in the theater that I can't wait to see.

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

After going to the movies this last weekend, I am seriously considering sticking with rentals. At the end of the night, I had spent $16 for one movie. The ticket was $8, the medium soda was $4 and the medium popcorn was $4. So how much do you spend for a night at the movies?

Dude, far more than $16. Hell, the ticket alone costs me $17.00. I go with my GF, so that's $34 (+ $3.50 per ticket if it's a 3D movie) on tickets alone. Then add in food and drinks, and it's another $60 - $80.

Sure, it's expensive, but it's worth it. The theater I go to is adults only (21 and over, not a porn theater), so no obnoxious kids talking and being a pain through the movie. Also, the food is real food, not the terrible theater garbage that you get at a regular theater. Wait staff takes your order and brings it out to you. The seats are also quite comfortable.

So yeah, I think it's totally worth the price.

 

[delericho]

It's £10 for an adult ticket at my local cinema; £12.20 for 3D (plus £1.50 for the glasses if you don't already have them). And that's just a bog-standard chain cinema - so the normal risk of talking kids, mobile phones, etc.

Food and drink in cinemas is, of course, wildly over-priced, and especially so given the quality (or lack thereof). However, there's an easy fix for that: you don't have to buy it.

We tend to go to the cinema about once a month on average. But we only go to see either 3D films or the big 'spectacle' movies - 3D gives us something we can't replicate at home, while those 'spectacle' films really gain from the cinema's huge screen. For the rest, it's not worth considering - just wait a few weeks and it's out on blu-ray, and can be purchased for less than the price of two cinema tickets.

 

[Dioltach]

My wife and I generally end up paying around 35-40 euros between us when we go to the movies. Luckily there aren't often any movies we really want to see so we only go once or maybe twice a year.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Movie makers have blamed internet piracy for the declining numbers of ticket sales over the years, but I think a much larger reason has been the stupidly expensive prices of movies and concessions coupled with the ongoing Great Recession. 40 dollars or euros for two people to go out and watch a 2 hour movie with snacks and drinks seems a bit ridiculous when the same amount of money can fuel a car for a week, groceries for a family for a few days of meals, or a set of new clothes.

 

[Morrus]

40 dollars or euros for two people to go out and watch a 2 hour movie with snacks and drinks seems a bit ridiculous when the same amount of money can fuel a car for a week

I wish!

 

[Greatwyrm]

We rarely go to the movies any more. Just to get my wife and I in and a drink/popcorn "value combo" is close to 40 US$. Taking the kids makes it closer to $70. So we certainly rent or just wait and buy a lot more. It gives us the added bonus of not sitting through a half hour of commercials before the movie actually starts.

 

[Crothian]

I just buy tickets at 5-12 dollars a piece. We never get food or drinks there because it is ridiculously overpriced and not good quality. I would prefer to spend the money at a quality restaurant or something better.