How to bring People back to the Box Office

[Robin Hood]

Lower prices. No one is interested in spending ten dollars on popcorn and a drink and another ten dollars on a movie ticket. I only go to the movies now every like three or four months, I would rather put that money towards buying a DVD or something.

[dvdjunkie]

A good suggestion to avoid the high prices is attend Matinee showings whenever possible. And then don't patronize the snack bar. Have a good meal at home before attending the show and just sit back and watch the movie. There is no rule that says you have to patronize the snack bar. It is your ticket that gets you in to the theater, not how much you buy at the snack bar.

Most matinees charge $4-$6, depending on what the price of the evening showings are. Remember this, the movie theater pays a rental on the feature film of up to 90% of their box office sales. Disney is the worst. They charge by the number of seats in the theater, so if there are empty seats, the theater is losing money. This has been going on for years. A second-run theater usually pays a flat rate for the films, that is why they usually charge only $2 or $2.50 for admission prices and usually the snack bar prices a little lower.

[Karushifa]

A good suggestion to avoid the high prices is attend Matinee showings whenever possible. And then don't patronize the snack bar. Have a good meal at home before attending the show and just sit back and watch the movie. There is no rule that says you have to patronize the snack bar. It is your ticket that gets you in to the theater, not how much you buy at the snack bar.

Those are good ideas. I generally wait until the weekends to see movies, and then go on an afternoon before the priece hike (usually 5 or 6 pm at most theaters). Not only is it cheaper, but generally less crowded than in the evenings (except for family and kids movies).

If I do happen to get food at the snack bar, it's generally not something I complain about since that's how the theaters make their money. Sure, it bothers me how much they charge, but it's really no different from what sports arenas charge for food (and in those cases it's often even more). They just know they have a captive audience and go from there. You can either eat right before you see the movie or you can do what my dad does all the time, which is wear a heavy coat (or shorts with cargo pockets in the summer) and sneak food in.

[Zoltack]

I know!!!
Stand outside the moive theater with a gun, shoot it in the air and scream "YOU WANT TO WATCH A MOVIE?!?"

No, that probably wont go over too well. The main reason why everything is over priced is so that the movie theater can create a profit. Tickets alone can not turn a profit so they jack up the price of candy, popcorn and what ever. My friend and I go watch a movie it's like $7.25 to get in... outrageous! It used to be a dollar less but it's still affordable. I think the best way to get people to watch a movie is to make a good movie except one that sucks. Sometimes I'm wrong though my friend wants to see that "Larry the Cable Guy" movie and I know it's going to be asinine. But LTCG is my friends hero so we have to see it.

[dvdjunkie]

If you read my post you will understand that what they charge at the box office has nothing to do with whether the theater makes a profit or not. They have to rent their movies just you do at Blockbuster. If they have 10 screens, and they are paying 90% of the ticket price for movie rental, that is why the snack bar prices are so jacked up. That is why I say, eat a good meal before going to the theater, pay your ticket price knowing that the money is paying for the movie you are about to see and not going in the pocket of the theater owner (that's who gets the snack bar profits). Enjoy the movie, and search out matinee prices whenever possible. You will not pay less than you are for a first-run movie. Second-run houses are the ones that can charge only a dollar or so to get in because they are paying a flat rate for their movies. If you notice the snack bar prices a little more reasonable also (at least they are in Kansas).

[BrandonH]

If you don't pay the theater in some way, who's going to show the movies, and who will maintain/upgrade the equipment? The way I see it, it's better to go to a matinee and buy a snack than go in the evening with a full stomach. You pay about the same, and the operators get a larger percentage of the money.

Right now, theaters have the choice of charging higher ticket prices, charging higher concession prices (eep!), selling more advertising, or some combination of the three. That last option is the most aggravating to me, so if I can support them financially, I will do so.

[castleinthesky]

Well earlier I posted that studios need to make better films, which I belive is the major factor.

-Better films

-Not so many uneeded sequels: Duece Bigalow, Big Momma's House, Basic Instinct, etc.

-Stop making crappy remakes- When a Stranger Calls, Bad News Bears, and many, many more.

-Don't release DVDs so fast, and crack down on the pirating industry. Walk the Line's DVD came out when the film was still in wide release.

-Lower ticket prices. Matinee prices are getting too high now too.

-Have discounts for students, seniors, and military. Most theatres I know are getting rid of these discounts.

[Karushifa]

Well earlier I posted that studios need to make better films, which I belive is the major factor.

-Better films

-Not so many uneeded sequels: Duece Bigalow, Big Momma's House, Basic Instinct, etc.

-Stop making crappy remakes- When a Stranger Calls, Bad News Bears, and many, many more.

I agree that the seemingly constant re-hash of older films, whether with sequels or remakes, is a bad thing. Even if it's not turning people away from theaters outright, it's sending a message to the movie studios that they can spend a minimal amount of money on actual creativity and new ideas and STILL make money. If this sort of thinking isn't hurting the industry too badly now, it might moreso in the future. If people don't want to pay $9 or $10 to see something new and exciting, they definitely won't want to pay that to something that's been done before, and maybe better the first time around.

[DarthPrime]

The snacks are very overpriced, thats why I never get them. $8 - $10 on a small popcorn and drink? No thanks.

Ticket prices are fair I guess. Its around $7.50 here and $5.50 if you go before 6pm. We do have a $2.50 theater, but its so run down that no one goes to it. I don't think its been upgraded since the 80's. I'm sure it has, but it doesn't show. Also the movies they show appear on DVD about a month after they are there so I just wait and watch it at home.

One thing that keeps me out of the theaters here is that they are slowly running down. When you go in and the seats are busted and they have problems starting the movie I say its a problem. However this only seems to be a problem in the smaller screens. If the movie is a fairly new release and you get to see it on one of the bigger screens it seems like a totally different place, even though your 3 or 4 doors down the hall. All of them have stadium seating, but the smaller screens just feel so small. Its like pack the same amount of people into a room half the size. I know thats not what they do, but it really feels like it. There is hardly any leg room, and it feels like people are sitting on top of you, they are so close.

My favorite theater is around a 40 min drive, and I very rarely if at all go there because of that. The prices are about $1 higher, but its worth it if I'm in that area. I still remember lining up for Attack of the Clones there. One of the best theater experiences I have ever had. This theater is building another theater that will be around a 5 min drive from my house. I have no clue when its supposed to open, they just have started building, but I'm really looking forward to it. I hope its as nice as the other one thats a 40 min drive from my house.

As others have said the cell phone stuff is getting annoying. No matter what theater you go to people are always on the phone. The only time I got to see a movie without a cell phone going off, etc... was Zathura. I saw an advanced screening, and they wouldn't allow any cell phones in. They were afraid people that had camera phones would take pictures of the movie. Not that I mind checking for phones (some people left because of this) as it was very nice and quiet that night.

As far as children go. I have no problem with them being there. Just as long as they behave and the parents watch them.

Also cut down on the ads. Its getting out of hand. I know they need to pay for stuff, but 5 mins of commercials I see on TV everyday, then 15 to 20 mins of trailers is overkill. I've shown up 20 mins late to a movie and still didn't miss a thing.

[kbehm29]

Regarding prices....I go see the matinees with my kids. Depending on which theater I go to, it's either $5.50 or $6.00 to get in. I often have a free movie ticket that I've gotten from inside a DVD I've purchased.

But...we can get a large soda and large popcorn with free refills on both for $8.25! We all just share and keep going for the refills. The theater even offers little bags I can distribute the popcorn amongst them. That's not a bad deal at all, IMO.

[GhostHost]

alot of the movies I really enjoy don't make a lot of box office gross. I'm not talking about artsy fartsy independent films. Just films I really enjoy such as:
Corpse Bride
Wallace and Gromitt
The Producers
Nanny Mcphee.

Most things that dominate the box office are date movie fluff

[Wonderlicious]

Let's all face it; cinema audiences are declining and something needs to be done. Can any of us think of innovative ways to bring audiences back to the cinemas (and don't say "make better movies", although that is a good idea )...

Release the film, rerelease the film, release on DVD
With this, the window between theatrical release and home video release is widened to a year or so as opposed to six months, but the studio maintains interest in the title via a reissue to cinemas before it comes to DVD. If a big film is released in November/December, for example, it gets rereleased in June/July so as to maintain interest and give people a theatrical "2nd chance" to see it as opposed to just waiting for the DVD.

Use special marketing to make it seem as though the cinema is the place to see it
This simply uses the idea of good marketing to sell an idea. An example, for Disney features is to use the Wonderful World of Disney to their advantage. They could have bumpers or even "making of" specials and say that the movie theatre is the place to watch a certain film for a reason.

[AwallaceUNC]

Theaters could try their hand at better self-maintenance. As common sensical as clean floors, functioning refreshment bars, and proper video projection sound, so many theaters I have visited are really lacking in this department.

I guess this isn't so innovative. Sorry for derailing this otherwise cool thread so early in its existence.

-Aaron

[Luke]

I was getting some serious déjà vu with a recent thread so I decided to merge.

On a side note, Wondy, are you not getting my e-mails or are you just ignoring them? Let me know. Thanks.

[MickeyMousePal]

First of all movie theatres should lower their prices...some people don't have time to see the shows in Matinee.
Second the food and snacks are so high I fell like just buying food at Costco and sneaking it in.
Lastly include more movie tickets on DVD's so the media can buy the DVD and see the movie free at the theatres.

[Wonderlicious]

On a side note, Wondy, are you not getting my e-mails or are you just ignoring them? Let me know. Thanks.

I've received them, but due to current busy-ness (it probably will die down soon) outside of UD life, I've been unable to answer them.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

(and don't say "make better movies", although that is a good idea )

Well, like I said earlier, I agree that "making better movies" ISN'T the problem. There were a lot of great movies last year, just as much as "bad" movies, and they've made just as many "bad" movies, for every year like year like last year, for years.

I think the only way the can make more people come back to the theaters are making bigger gaps with movies and DVDs because you won't believe how many people just say, "Oh that looks good, I might rent it". Maybe if there's a slightly longer wait, the price of tickets will rise slightly.

Also, like I said earlier, drop the prices. While it's cheap in my area, when I went back to California, it was like $8.00 for a children's ticket. No wonder people loss interest in going to the movies in the theaters.

2099net- This is incredibly off-topic, but when I saw your avatar, I burst laughing!