Now playing: $10 movie SHOCKING SOME, AMC BREAKS THRESHOLD IN SOUTH BAY
By Bruce Newman and Nerissa Pacio Mercury News
She had come to ``Troy'' to see the face that launched a thousand ships, but now Judith Gray was being asked to launch $10 from her pocketbook into the box office. And she wasn't happy about it.
``I just paid $10 and was totally shocked,'' said Gray outside the AMC Mercado 20. ``It's a totally unreasonable price.''
The $10 movie ticket has arrived in the South Bay, and even though it's only a 50-cent increase, the breaking of the threshold holds a symbolic importance to people -- like the Dow Jones average breaking 10,000 for the first time.
``The price of admission is an extremely sensitive issue,'' said Dennis Skaggs, co-owner of the San Jose-based Camera Cinemas, which have so far declined to join AMC in raising ticket prices. AMC raised the prices Friday.
For those of you keeping track, the bill for a date at the movies, including two large drinks and a mega-box of popcorn, now tops out at $34.
Several large movie houses in New York already charge $10.50, but the top prices in Los Angeles and San Francisco are no higher than most in the South Bay. The Century 20 Great Mall still charges $9.50, and the Capital 16 is $9.25. But the management of Century Theatres, one of the area's dominant chains, declined to comment on when or if it might raise ticket prices.
Jack NyBlom, co-owner of the Cameras, where the top ticket price is $9, believes ``people tend to go to the theater closest to them,'' regardless of price. That may be less true of teenagers, however, who gravitate toward giant shopping complexes.
``Most teenagers go to the movies to socialize, not to really see the movie,'' says Whitney Leonard, 15, of Saratoga. ``So if it's that expensive now, we might as well have our friends over at our house and rent something.''
With revenues from video far exceeding what movies make at the box office, that remains a threat to which chains such as AMC, which is based in Kansas City, must be sensitive.
``We are clearly the most affordable out-of-home entertainment option,'' said AMC spokesman Rick King, ``much more so than sporting events, concerts and live theater events. By those standards, we continue to offer a very, very good value. But . . . we will continually monitor the price-value equation and pay close attention to our guests' behavior and feedback.''
Whether that feedback translates into anything more than grumbling in the ticket lines remains to be seen. In New York City in the late 1980s, then-mayor Ed Koch tried -- unsuccessfully -- to organize a boycott of movie theaters when ticket prices rose from $6 to $7. But it's hard to imagine that, with prices at the gas pump rolling over like a slot machine, a 50-cent increase is going to stop anybody from going to see Brad Pitt in a toga.
Jeez, that's NUTS. Thirty-plus dollars to go see a movie with a friend?
The sick thing is, at least the ticket prices have a (still pretty feeble) excuse, with the cost of making movies going up all the time. But fourteen dollars for a freakin' box of popcorn and two drinks? Yikes. I like going to see movies in the theater and all, but considering for that same amount of money you could rent half a dozen DVDs and have ten times as much popcorn...
Kansas-born and deeply ashamed The last living La Parka Marka
"They that can give up essential liberty to gain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
Zed, are you going to be like half of the people that work up there in the South Bay and move inland to Los Banos?
Originally posted by Nate the SnakeJeez, that's NUTS. Thirty-plus dollars to go see a movie with a friend?
The sick thing is, at least the ticket prices have a (still pretty feeble) excuse, with the cost of making movies going up all the time. But fourteen dollars for a freakin' box of popcorn and two drinks? Yikes. I like going to see movies in the theater and all, but considering for that same amount of money you could rent half a dozen DVDs and have ten times as much popcorn...
My store's head photo clerk used to work at/manage a couple of area theaters and he said the popcorn/candy was the only way the theater made money. Most of the ticket sales go to the studios.
(edited by Whitebacon on 21.5.04 0053)
(Not Bob Kohm)
In the context of baseball, the use of drugs hurts only the player. In the context of baseball, the use of alcohol hurts only the player. In the context of baseball, womanizing hurts whom? Maybe the wife of the player? In the context of baseball, felonies are crimes against society, not against baseball. In the context of baseball, gambling is the only crime against baseball.
Gambling, in the context of baseball, is a capital offense and Rose has richly earned-- hell, he agreed to-- his death sentence. Let him hang.
Bob Kohm, co-owner of Rotojunkies.com (rotojunkies.com) , and a large market kind of guy.
Originally posted by CRZ ``I just paid $10 and was totally shocked,'' said Gray outside the AMC Mercado 20. ``It's a totally unreasonable price.''
Notice though that the idiot paid for it any way...
Farley and Belushi are taken away in their prime yet Moore's heart continues to pump bacon grease in and out. God has a brutal sense of humor sometimes.- Barbwire Mike
Myself & a couple friends still use our college ID's (we're 29) to get the student discount. The kids handling the tickets don't seem to care enough to look at them closely, so we'll keep using them.
Originally posted by WhitebaconMy store's head photo clerk used to work at/manage a couple of area theaters and he said the popcorn/candy was the only way the theater made money. Most of the ticket sales go to the studios.
Yeah, I've heard the same thing. Hell, our local drive-in had a whole series of ads going that said that exact thing in an effort to pull people into their snack bar.
But as cheap as popcorn, butter/oil and soda syrup are in bulk quantities, $4.33 apiece for two drinks and a tub is just... damn.
Kansas-born and deeply ashamed The last living La Parka Marka
"They that can give up essential liberty to gain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
Originally posted by Spaceman SpiffMyself & a couple friends still use our college ID's (we're 29) to get the student discount. The kids handling the tickets don't seem to care enough to look at them closely, so we'll keep using them.
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