Studios Are Greedy. |
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"I don't go to the movies any more," is something I frequently hear, most commonly from mature adults.
When I ask, "Why?" the response is almost always the same: "It costs too much!"
For years, I've conveniently blamed the $20 million plus salaries of our brighest stars for the high price of Match-Flicking. But out-of-this-world super-star paydays are only one reason for out-of-this-world tickets and concessions. This time, we'll look at a few of the reasons why the box-office takes a big bite out of our billfolds.
Last year, an American Association of Retired People (AARP) survey revealed that 40% of seniors "don't go to the movies any more." Seniors are not boycotting the box-office because "they don't make movies like they used to," nor is it because of "bladder control" issues. Oldsters say that they simply can't afford a trip to the multiplex.
Young families with children have also been price-squeezed out of their box-office habit. Including parking, admission, popcorn and soda, Match-Flicking can easily cost a family of four $80 for one Saturday Night at the Movies. That's a lot of Dead Presidents for two hours of entertainment. On the other hand, that same $80 
Stars, Gaffers, and others with union jobs, cause the higher prices. |
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can literally buy a DVD player on which the family can enjoy a rented flick whenever they choose at a fraction of the cost. For the American family, enjoying motion picture on their television, or home theater, is a much better entertainment value than the box-office.
Ask a motion picture exhibitor why it costs so much to attend his theater and he'll probably answer something similar to this: "A lot of the cost, especially the high price of concessions, is due to studio greed."
During the first week of a movie's release, the studio grabs as much as 90% of the theater's ticket sales, leaving the exhibitor with only 10% of the take. Each subsequent week the picture plays, the theater keeps a larger percentage of the gross. The high costs of concessions insures that the exhibitor doesn't lose money during that first week when the theater may only keep 10% of the box-office.
As one exhibitor was overheard saying after a Match-Flicker complained about the cost of his popcorn and Coke, "Let me keep 20-25% of the first week ticket sales and I'll gladly cut the price of concessions in half."
My belief that overpaid stars are responsible for the high cost of Match-Flicking 
Teens with minimum wage jobs feel the box-office bite on their wallets. |
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has some validity. After all, how could a $25 million payday for Jim Carrey or Tom Hanks not affect what you pay at the box-office? But theirs are not the only salaries that send ticket prices into orbit. Stick around to watch the end credits and you'll see scores of names. Behind most of those on-screen names is a high-paid union job. Without overpaid stars and pricey union workers, few doubt that any production would cost $100-200 million dollars. If financiers were paying $25-50 million to entertain you next summer, instead of $100-250 million, then you wouldn't need to shell-out $80 plus for your family of four to see two hours of YEAR ONE, preceded by forty-five minutes of advertising.
The high cost of Match-Flicking is devastating for seniors on a fixed income, but it's also a wallet-buster for many American teenagers.
As one sixteen-year-old put it, "I'm working a minimum wage job. To see a film and purchase concessions, I need to work almost four hours. That's a lot of work for two hours of fun, and many of the movies are not worth the money."
We know the reasons for why movies cost so much to see. Thus far, the best solution we've heard to eliminate the 
So do seniors. |
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over-priced multiplex is this:"Subscribe to Netflix and see all the movies you want for less than $20.00 a month.
When all is said and done, you really can have a movie date to remember in the privacy of your own home."
SUMMER BOX-OFFICE WATCH: En masse, America accepted and embraced THE PROPOSAL over the weekend of June 19-21. THE HANGOVER continued in a woozy second place. UP was a buoyant third. Match-Flickers decided YEAR ONE wasn't as funny as its poster and trailers, opening in a disappointing fourth place. Last week: TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN transformed box-office summer with a spectacular $201.2 million haul in its first five days, positioning the Michael Bay sequel to eventually become the summer's first (and only?) flick to gross $300 million domestically. Despite unfavorable reviews, TRANSFORMERS narrowly missed toppling the all-time five-day record, set last summer when THE DARK KNIGHT pulled in $203.8 million in its first five days. In second place, Match-Flickers continued their romance with THE PROPOSAL with a highly respectable $18.5 million.
RECESSION WATCH: According to Nielsen EDI, the overall box-office was UP 9% from the same week last year.
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 | Tim
Jul 14, 2009 9:14 AM
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| Very good points, Christopher. Personally, the number one reason I rarely go to movie theaters is that I don't like taking a chance that people sitting near me will ruin the experience by either talking or texting or fidgeting. Or I will get there early in order to get a perfect seat, and then just before the movie starts, someone will ask me to move over one seat. Seems it's always something. Also, one of the pleasures of watching a DVD at home is you get to see the special features, and avoid half an hour of advertising. |
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Does advertising, public taste, or overindulged stars determine a movie's box office fate? Christoper Stone explores what's going on behind the box office.
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| Christopher Stone |
Christopher Stone is the author of the international best seller Re-Creating Your Self. With Mary Sheldon, he co-authored three highly successful hardcover books of guided meditations.
He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.
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