Answer from another: nothing. We also have them in various places, like parking, or highway vignettes - you are not using their facilities, you save them money, so they charge you some extra
In the early days of the internet in the US the convenience fee was what the 3rd part sales software charged for online transactions but I think now with the it mostly being first party sales or integrated to the vendors POS it's just a way to charge more money without advertising it on the sticker price.
I think the "convenience" is referring to using a credit card. They charge businesses any time their card is used. This is the business passing that cost on to the consumer.
We go to AMC quite a bit and I think it's actually the fee for buying tickets online or through the app. So probably even worse than passing CC fees on to customers lol. Always buy our tickets in person for that reason (and matinees).
Adding to this for more context, in America, credit card fees on merchants are like 3-5% of the transaction. That’s why some places have started to pass them to consumers, especially in low-margin businesses like restaurants and movie theaters. If your margins are around 5% and Visa is taking 3.95%, that’s not super sustainable. Card network fees tend to be much lower in Europe. I’m not sure about elsewhere.
Thing is...usually the "convenience fee" isn't there if you pay in person. It's usually done in online sales. It actually costs less for you to use their online portal because they don't have to staff more employees in house. But for some reason companies like to charge you extra for buying online and put it as a "convenience fee" instead of going inside to pay. You could theorize that it has something to do with credit cards, but then why don't they charge you for paying by a credit card in store?
I quit going to movies when they started blaring loud obnoxious commercials under the guise of "entertainment" prior to the movies supposed start time. Going to a movie used to be a social thing you did with friends, but now with them blasting that shit at you at a volume that makes talking impossible what the fuck is even the point? The fact that ticket prices are climbing to this level with this kind of jack assery is ludicrous. And don't get me started on the 20-30 minutes of previews they show after a movies supposed start time. Just fuck this shit.
First time I remember going to see a movie was about 20 years ago. There might've been a movie preview or two; I don't remember ads. Both "trailers" and ads have gotten progressively worse over the years - almost to the point that you'd think they alone fund the movie and the theatre - but you still pay a ridiculous ticket price.
i don't mind true previews, but seeing standard TV ad garbage in a theatre that loud legitimately pissed me off last few times I went. swear they got louder. i also age incrementally, unceasingly, which doesn't help
That's the thing that bugs me so much. Most movies have around 10 minutes of ads. That is ample time to promote some of the lesser known movies that company has made but instead we get ads for insurance companies pretending that they are green, banks gaslighting you into thinking they care about you, McDonalds trying to trick you into their food I synonymous with a happy family and Matt Damon pushing cryto currency on you. I would rather watch an ad for a good movie.
lol what? you go to the movies to watch the movie… if you want to talk you can do it afterwards. also, it’s not like the ads take time off the actual movie
You're paying $20 to watch a series of giant, unmutable, unskippable and loud ads. It's like going to a restaurant and the waiter reminds you to stop by the car dealership on the way home to experience the thrill of the new Chevy Equinox. Get ready for a journey that combines style, performance, and endless possibilities.
Yeah, might be this long already. Last time I went to see a movie was before the pandemic and even then it was something I'd do once or twice a year tops.
I saw Indiana Jones today it had 25 minutes of trailers, an admonishment to not ruin the movie, Nicole Kidman telling me how great going to the movies is, and a commercial for the projector. So a movie listed to start at 11 started at 11:28. it’s fucking ridiculous.
Are there perks aside from just avoiding their extra fees? I remember last time I was at AMC they added a charge on at the snacks when I said I wasn't a member
They don't add extra charges for not being a member for snacks. You get free upgrades and get a special line for concessions. So worth it if you get concessions normally ever, not if you don't. I think they also have another tier up that gives you 3 movies/month but I have no idea what that costs.
I haven't seen a movie since 2019 (Frozen 2) but that's just because the experience isn't worth it to me anymore and that's kinda sad. I miss midnight showings and horror movies with large groups of people.
This is why you should support any surviving local theaters that aren't chains. Monopolies aren't created solely by the companies but with the help of the consumers too
I work at a pretty high end movie theater. All seats are recliners with tables, there's a full wet bar and restaurant quality food, and we do events and shit too. Tickets typically run $10-$15. This is ridiculous.
Was literally thinking the same thing. Afternoon matinees in the mid 2000s were like $5 in my, admittedly small, hometown. You and your friends could get dropped off at the shopping center, hit up the arcade, see a movie, and go bowling in the evening all for like $30 lol.
I gave up on theaters a long time ago. I wanna watch a movie in my PJs, smoke pot, and pause it when I need to. Plus I get lots of kitty snuggles during the viewing as well.
Before the pandemic, the US wasn't too bad. Large cities got expensive, but most places a movie ticket ran around $10.
Now, to make up for lost money, some chains are trying to charge extra for getting "a good seat" or other perks that used to be just part of the price of the ticket.
I think they overestimate demand. I haven't been to a movie since 2019. I don't think I'm missing out. Home TVs are just so big now.
It's crazy these days, it makes no sense to go pay $20+ each to see a movie when I can wait a month and stream it on an 80 inch OLED at my buddy's place if it doesn't break any records at the box office. Color quality is better, couch is more comfortable and I don't have to worry about anyone dragging their screaming kids in.
AMC is a huge multiplex chain, they seem to own about half of all theatres in the US, as a result they can overcharge to their heart's content because they might be the only one in town with the movie you want to see. They also attempt to pass their service off as a "premium" experience. In reality it just means larger seats. For this they've destroyed the movie-going experience. Not much love lost on my end, however, I'm not really a movie person. It mostly sucks when my child really wants to see something.
You can still find more reasonably priced tickets. We go to a second-run theater that only charges like $8 a ticket for movies that have just left the main corporate theaters and even Regal offers discount days where ticket prices are more reasonable.
I almost never go to the theater but I just checked and here in the Netherlands it's €13,50 for 2D and €16,50 for imax. That's crazy. The last time I went to see a movie in the theater was somewhere at the end of 2019, and it was like €10. That's a 30% price increase in under 4 years, christ.
the convenience fee is the thing that pisses me off the most. yes it’s convenient that you don’t have a to pay a worker to deal with me and the 10 other people that got a ticket at the same time and yet i have to pay?
How is it legal to make up a fee then offer a paid membership to avoid the fee you just made up? How is that different from the mob guys that would collect your "insurance" membership so that you didn't incur a "business burned down" fee?
Have to hit the matinees. I take my son to a nearby movie theatre that has a full bar/menu and the tickets for he and I to go are around or under $20 for both of us. It's like $9.25 per person.
Holy shit that's outrageous. Me, 2 other adults and 1 kid all saw Spider-Verse 2 at the fanciest theater I know the other week.
It was like $7 a ticket. You're being robbed.
There was a movie theater when I was a kid in the 80s and you could see movies that had already stopped being shown in the regular theaters for a while for $1. So, like, if you missed Return of the Jedi or Temple of Doom in its original run, you could catch it later on the big screen for $1.
As a producer who aims to make 2-10 million dollar genre flicks, I don't see why ticket prices shouldn't be scaled to budgets. Don't want to pay 25 bucks to see Avengers 16? Pay 10 to see a low to mid budget crime or horror flick instead.
To keep profits up, theaters should bring back double features, intermissions, and sell popcorn with THC butter. Snack sales will explode.
i bought a VR headset (one of the cheap Facebook ones) and it is remarkable how immersive the illusion is when watching a film. totally different than sitting close to a screen at home, it just sucks to wear the thing for 2 hrs
I actually went to a theater a couple of days ago after not going to one for a couple of years and I was shocked at the price. I’d much rather wait until I can just watch it from the comfort of my own home.
Also not worth it when others are talking and using their phone in the theatre.
I think in the age of streaming saturation, going to movies still offer an experience for people vs watching Netflix on your couch. It should ultimately be something that's most of all, fun, and exciting.
Nobody should ever feel like they are getting ripped off for the money they paid, even if everything is getting more expensive, and having blatant tagged on fees, or request for tips for things that didn't use to ask for tips, just makes people feel bad that they got cheated out of their money. And that's not fun.
for a UK perspective, we have a cinema chain over here called Everyman, it's cinemas but every seat is a sofa/couch! and you can order food to the seats. unless it's a peak screening, you usually get a whole couch to yourself. matinée shows are roughly ~$17 for adult, ~$11 for child. what's pictured in the OP is no doubt one of those pull-down chairs with the itchy carpet material too. ouch!
Not only that, but then the prices of all the food inside is unreal. I just wait until discounted ticket days at my local theater if I really wanna go see somethin
My local Orpheum is $9 for adult tickets and includes a drink and a regular popcorn. $11 gets you a ticket, large drink, and large popcorn. Drink refills are $1. Both theaters have recliners, couches, and Love seats at the back. They're awesome! Though you have to show up quite early if you want a comfy seat.
You also have to go to a good theater, because a lot of the time you go and the picture is too dim and out of focus, and the sound system isn't balanced properly. That will be $60 dollars.
That's a ripoff. I imagine that theater is a lot nicer than the one nearest to me but tickets are usually $12 for an adult and $6 for a child. But on Wednesdays all tickets are $6 regardless of age. They call it date night but you don't have to bring a date. You can even come alone. Or so I've been told ಥ_ಥ
The popcorn isn't even all that expensive either, but the drinks are. I think mostly because drinks are the easiest to sneak in.
AMC sucks, don't you have any other theaters around there to choose from? There is a theater near me that only charges $7 for normal tickets, and even cheaper for matinees. Then the AMC theater in my same town charges $12.50 for a ticket...plus that stupid convenience fee.
Imagine wanting some popcorn and candy to top it off... streaming from home is the way to go now and they did it to themselves.
It's a shame too, because there are some movies that just benefit from that large form factor viewing. I'd love to go see Oppenheimer on imax but I'll be damned if I have to spend 50 bucks to go watch it alone with some refreshments and snacks.
They are falling for the same logical missteps that cable took. Losing customers = rate hikes. Pushing more away leading to more rate hikes. Instead they should be lowering costs and finding ways to encourage people to come back
I live near an Alamo Drafthouse in Colorado and never went to movies more since they started doing $7/ticket Tuesdays in like February which I believe was only meant to be limited time originally but SO MANY people kept coming and getting food/drinks/popcorn/etc they're still doing it.
It's very smart on their part that they may be losing money on the movie ticket but getting their staff paid more so it works out.
Yep, people like going to a show. It's a simple equation of cost vs reward. As the other response mentioned, movies just aren't worth 20 bucks plus 15 for food. They aren't good enough. For 7, I would totally go.
Don't forget the shitty product too. TV and movies are mind numbingly bad these days. Sure there's the occasional good/great show or movie, but the vast majority are just shit. Add that to everything else you pointed out and it's no wonder they're in trouble and keep hiking the fees.
For a family of 4 which includes 2 adults and 2 children, we’re looking at $100 for tickets and snacks easily. It’s crazy how expensive going to the movies have become. That said, I really like recliner seats + Dolby Atmos without having to worry about “getting the best seats”, so some of the hike is a little more digestible. Movie theater snacks though, now that’s highway robbery.
Man. I stopped going to movies when they started showing ads before them. If I pay you, you don't get to double dip with advertising imo. To see this is ludicrous, and I hope they all fail.
That's a humorous take, because I've known so many people who went to see crappy movies because of the movie previews for something they liked. This was way before the internet took over as a way to see videos, but still, interesting to note the opposite.
Going to the cinema has become a luxury at this point, like (classical) theatre or opera. Which is not a bad thing per se, but the industry should stop complaining.
And all that money spent just to sit in a room with many people looking at their bright phones, talking to eachother, chewing loudly and causing a mess.
Our local theater has huge heated leather seats, a fantastic sound system, and you can go to a matinée for $6 with popcorn included. I love Marcus Theaters, they do it right. Good food and drinks, too, delivered to your seat.
I actually went to a theater a couple of days ago after not going to one for a couple of years and I was shocked at the price. I’d much rather wait until I can just watch it from the comfort of my own home.
Also not worth it when others are talking and using their phone in the theatre.
Two things worth checking with your local theater: they may have cheaper viewings on Tuesdays, and look for any rewards program that will most likely waive your convenience fees on top of earning points. Points make your drink/concession purchases much more reasonable.
We SHOULDN'T have to do this, but until something better comes along, these are ok alternatives.
The last time I went to a movie was whatever year Once Upon a Time in Hollywood came out. I honestly don't even know where or if a theater is located anymore.
I'm glad my daughter is an adult because we still had the second run dollar theaters when she was little. So... Many... Animated... Movies
I'm about to go completely devoid of simulation. I cut cable in 2009, just cancelled Netflix, will not renew Amazon Prime (there appears to be an all or nothing refund for cancelling mid-year and I'm in the morning category), just left Reddit, deleted Facebook years ago, never had Instagram, Twitter, tic-tac, or any other social media.
The only thing that's still worth anything to me is Spotify, and I won't be surprised if they pull some shitty shenanigans in the near future.
In the UK I feel like we've come out of a huge price hike. Things are relatively affordable now. Now though there's also more cinemas that offer a premium price for a more premium service - IMAX/Dolby Vision, big reclining seats etc that I happily pay more for.
We go to a chain called Cinemark and the tickets are far cheaper than AMC. I think for 6 people on opening night with heated D-Box seats (the kind that move and shake and vibrate) directly in the middle of the theater cost me $100. Plus I have a membership so free tickets and no fees too.
If we went with regular seats we would have gotten them at around $10 per person. Heated recliners all around.
Same. I pay 9.99 a month for the club and that gets me a free ticket every month. I get a sizeable discount on food with that too. When a blockbuster film comes out, I have enough credits for the family, we pick our seats and everything in the app, and just go. Full reclining seats in a really nice theater. I spend $120 bucks a year and as a family of 3, we can see whatever, whenever, 4 times a year.
Really hoping my country doesn't follow suit to this. I can get a seat in a nice cinema with big seats that can become a bed with a push of the button for only 10 usd (which includes free popcorn!). Did you perhaps pay using a Credit Card? From my experience every time I buy stuff online like bus tickets which you usually buy at their booth, I have to pay extra for the "convenience".
$3 in my country (Sri Lanka) at a high quality cinema.
But it's just as expensive compared to the average household income, so your point stands.
Cinemas have gotten really popular here though, probably because we didn't regularly get the latest releases until roughly ten years ago. Also the middle class has been growing, at least until we destroyed the economy last year. Maybe one of the few markets where cinema patronage is still growing.
The problem is the opposite. People are still going to the cinema. If they didn't, cinemas wouldn't get away with this crap. They would either go away or knock it off.
If you look at how the budget for a movie is spent, you'll realize that at least half of that money goes into marketing, ads and other annoyances. It's nuts.
I pretty much only go on Discount Tuesdays now. One of my local theaters also waves the "convenience" fee if you join their free rewards program. Helps me save a lot that way.
Have to hit the matinees. I take my son to a nearby movie theatre that has a full bar/menu and the tickets for he and I to go are around or under $20 for both of us. It's like $9.25 per person.
That's crazy. I think I spent that much seeing Guardians of the Galaxy 3 but I went with my partner and we ordered food and alcohol to our seats. If we would've just done without I think it would been like 20 dollars for two adult tickets. Your theater seriously robbed you.
Pricing for the large scale theatre chains in Canada is similarly brutal.
The only movies I go to now are at the local independent cinema. Cheaper per ticket, membership that gets you access to two free members-only mystery screenings a month, the building itself is fucking gorgeous and I swear they grease their popcorn machine with crack.
Went a long time pretty much swearing off theatres entirely, but COVID gave me a bit of a "You need to support nice things that you want to keep existing" shake, so I'm happy to toss them a couple of bucks for the experience once and a while.
Have to hit the matinees. I take my son to a nearby movie theatre that has a full bar/menu and the tickets for he and I to go are around or under $15 for both of us. $7.25 for me and I think $5 for him.
I'm also not the biggest fan of the whole required reservations thing either. It makes spontaneous movie nights with friends a massive hassle. You have to have a designated ticket buyer now, or somehow perfectly coordinate your online buying times to ensure you get seats together.
Nah, it's not that it's gotten more expensive, it's that most of the films are shit or otherwise unsatisfying. Maybe a combination of the two? :)
Of the films I've seen at the cinema recently, the last one I remember really enjoying was Joker (which is not even recent), and the most recent one I mostly enjoyed, but then it had a shit cliffhanger ending instead of feeling like a complete film in its own right. I was literally saying to my friend before the film started that Dune pissed me off because of the absolutely shit ending, and then the same fucking thing happened. I don't go to the cinema and pay $15-20 for the ticket to come out feeling like I watched half a season of some Netflix show. I could have a month of Netflix for the same money, watch what I want at my own convenience and pause/rewind if I need the toilet or want to check something.
I still like going to the cinema, but I feel like the movies have got to be more varied, more surprising, and fucking end properly instead of teasing a second part in a fucking year. I would love it if they were more respecting of my time and didn't run on for three fucking hours too. I'd love more movies like Terminator 2 where there is zero fluff and the whole thing ends in 2 hours? That's what the cinema is for!
I got into Moviepass again because of this. They changed it from the last iteration to be points based. Around me a matinee is 10/20 and a normal time is 20/30 based on day of the week. They have deals certain days too where any movie is 7 points as well. I get the 34 credit plan for $10/mo and I get to go see 1 or 2 movies a month for less than 1 movie normally
I subscribe to Cinemark Movie Pass for $12/month and every additional ticket is another $12. I also get a 25% discount on concessions which definitely causes me to go the theaters more than I otherwise would. That’s with inflation because a couple years ago it was $8.99 not $11.99 so more but not unreasonable in this market. I wouldn’t go anywhere that charges more than double unless it’s a special occasion or location.
I also subscribe to Cinemark Movie Pass, and it's well worth it. My family loves going to theaters, so I also get a lot of points. Now and then, I can redeem points for multiple free tickets. It won't be an "XD" movie, but I don't see a difference. Plus, we get one free movie ticket every month that rolls over. Very much worth it for avid movie goers.
Same thing going on here in Finland. Movie tickets are often 20-25 € for "normal" movies, shit ton of ads to go through and rude customers scrolling Insta or talking through out the movie.
Yeah, it truly is. There are some local smaller and cheaper cinemas here and there, but they usually cant show new movies at all. They are rare, too. There are couple of big movie chains that dominate and effectively force an duopoly/triopoly with their prices.
this is absolutely wild. where do you live? we go to the "emagine" theater chain and have been able to get the front row "cuddle seats" for 12$. it sits two of us to one loveseat. bring a friend/partner or have a giant seat to yourself. i think emagine is only in a few states tho (USA).
I haven’t been to a full price showing since 2015 or 2016. I went to a handful of $5 Tuesday showings just before the pandemic but it’s so inconvenient given my commute that I haven’t been to a theater at all since 2017. The only part I miss is not having a family member’s constant running commentary during the whole show.
Movies are releasing into streaming at record pace these days too, so I skip the cinema altogether now. Used to be you'd wait half a year for a movie to go from theaters to video, now it's up on a streaming service the moment its theater run is finished.
Went to an AMC theater recently after not going to one for years. I waited through about 30 minutes of forced ads before the movie started. The "shut off your cell phone warning" was about 10-15 min early. Guess I'm prepared to show up later than the advertised times in the future and skip it, but can't say I want to go back.
I barely get change out of $100 for two people and food in "Austrortia" . That's with one large popcorn, a choc-top and two large sodas. Needless to say I don't go very often.
That’s insane, in the UK we have ODEON which is probably the most expensive cinema at £15ish a ticket and then we have others like VUE where it’s only £6.
We have some cinemas around here that offer an unlimited option. For a set monthly fee, you can go to the cinema as much as you want. Obviously you have to pay for all the extras (3D, popcorn and stuff). I have one and I go to the movies like 3 times a month on average.
I had the Cineworld Unlimited pass for a few years and went to see a lot of movies that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten to see - not all of them would have been worth a full ticket's price, but once I had already seen enough in a month that the rest were basically free, it was a "why not?" situation!
For AMC specifically, they have a subscription plan where you can pay a smaller amount and get three movie tickets a week. For me, here in the Midwest, it pays itself off in two monthly visits, and I usually go 2-4 times a month, so in my situation I'm actually saving money.
They would do better if they brought prices down, though. I usually bring my own food and drinks due to the high concession prices.
You can get the A-List subscription or whatever they call it (basically AMC'e version of Movie Pass). Some friends and I do this and we all see a movie usually every Tuesday.
I go to the movies at least once a week. This is one of the few cases where the subscription is where it's at. 25 dollars a month gets me three movies a week. I usually only see one but that nearly pays for itself the first week. It's great!
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
I, uh, heard that the theatres are doing good numbers this summer, actually. I wouldn't know, though. The last movie I went to was a Sunday matinee for a movie that every had seen already, so it was pratcually a private showing.
It’s not the best theater experience in the world but tickets to a standard screening near me are $8 for regular or $5 for matinee. Much better than the $26 per ticket I spent elsewhere for Avatar…
Is it IMAX 3D or just plain old 2d ? Their price is a lot cheaper for 2D where I live, and I don’t bother the 3D ones because wearing two sets of glasses is not fun
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
I subscribe to Cinemark Movie Pass for $12/month and every additional ticket is another $12. I also get a 25% discount on concessions which definitely causes me to go the theaters more than I otherwise would. That’s with inflation because a couple years ago it was $8.99 not $11.99 so more but not unreasonable in this market. I wouldn’t go anywhere that charges more than double unless it’s a special occasion or location.
I don’t want to have to subscribe to every facet of my life. If literally everything is a subscription, monthly costs build up fast. I just want to be able to pay for something normally.
There aren’t 2 new movies I care to see a month most months, honestly there’s barely 1. Having to keep constant track of 20+ subscription services to evaluate whether they’re actually worth the money (especially when prices constantly fluctuate) is exhausting. 90% of content that appeals to me is on streaming platforms first these days, and most of it is longer form than a movie.
CONVENIENCE FEES HAHAHAHA
God what a scam that shit is
Question from an European: What is that convenience fee? Which costs does it cover?
Nothing, it's just an extra charge so that the company can make more money.
Nothing for the customer. It's just convenient for the theater to charge more for the ticket.
Answer from another: nothing. We also have them in various places, like parking, or highway vignettes - you are not using their facilities, you save them money, so they charge you some extra
In the early days of the internet in the US the convenience fee was what the 3rd part sales software charged for online transactions but I think now with the it mostly being first party sales or integrated to the vendors POS it's just a way to charge more money without advertising it on the sticker price.
I think the "convenience" is referring to using a credit card. They charge businesses any time their card is used. This is the business passing that cost on to the consumer.
We go to AMC quite a bit and I think it's actually the fee for buying tickets online or through the app. So probably even worse than passing CC fees on to customers lol. Always buy our tickets in person for that reason (and matinees).
Adding to this for more context, in America, credit card fees on merchants are like 3-5% of the transaction. That’s why some places have started to pass them to consumers, especially in low-margin businesses like restaurants and movie theaters. If your margins are around 5% and Visa is taking 3.95%, that’s not super sustainable. Card network fees tend to be much lower in Europe. I’m not sure about elsewhere.
Thing is...usually the "convenience fee" isn't there if you pay in person. It's usually done in online sales. It actually costs less for you to use their online portal because they don't have to staff more employees in house. But for some reason companies like to charge you extra for buying online and put it as a "convenience fee" instead of going inside to pay. You could theorize that it has something to do with credit cards, but then why don't they charge you for paying by a credit card in store?
And you have to create an account (with 2FA) to buy the tickets. In specifically inconvenient.
And the fee stacks too which is insane.
See, if you didn't pay that fee, then buying the tickets would be "inconvenient."
Jokes aside, it's really just a way to pad profits. It should be called the "We want more of your money" fee.
I'm paying added convenience fees left and right, but I'm not feeling the added convenience. Please send help.
... and on top of that you have to watch like ten minutes' worth of ads at the beginning. Ugh.
I quit going to movies when they started blaring loud obnoxious commercials under the guise of "entertainment" prior to the movies supposed start time. Going to a movie used to be a social thing you did with friends, but now with them blasting that shit at you at a volume that makes talking impossible what the fuck is even the point? The fact that ticket prices are climbing to this level with this kind of jack assery is ludicrous. And don't get me started on the 20-30 minutes of previews they show after a movies supposed start time. Just fuck this shit.
So you haven't been to a movie theater in, like, 20 years? Because none of that is new.
First time I remember going to see a movie was about 20 years ago. There might've been a movie preview or two; I don't remember ads. Both "trailers" and ads have gotten progressively worse over the years - almost to the point that you'd think they alone fund the movie and the theatre - but you still pay a ridiculous ticket price.
Adverts have been on at the cinema for as long as I remember although they might have been for products sold at the cinema.
This is the oldest advert that I remember and it’s from 1986. https://youtu.be/rlyrlsf3EfA
Edit: although your point of both previews and ads getting progressively worse is still very correct.
Ads are fairly new, like the car commercial kind of ads. Before you'd show up early to watch the trailers. No one would show up early to watch ads.
i don't mind true previews, but seeing standard TV ad garbage in a theatre that loud legitimately pissed me off last few times I went. swear they got louder. i also age incrementally, unceasingly, which doesn't help
That's the thing that bugs me so much. Most movies have around 10 minutes of ads. That is ample time to promote some of the lesser known movies that company has made but instead we get ads for insurance companies pretending that they are green, banks gaslighting you into thinking they care about you, McDonalds trying to trick you into their food I synonymous with a happy family and Matt Damon pushing cryto currency on you. I would rather watch an ad for a good movie.
lol what? you go to the movies to watch the movie… if you want to talk you can do it afterwards. also, it’s not like the ads take time off the actual movie
You're paying $20 to watch a series of giant, unmutable, unskippable and loud ads. It's like going to a restaurant and the waiter reminds you to stop by the car dealership on the way home to experience the thrill of the new Chevy Equinox. Get ready for a journey that combines style, performance, and endless possibilities.
it’s not that serious, get there a couple minutes late and that’s it
Would be good if it was only 10 minutes. Where I'm from it's 15 minute ads (with horrible sound usually too), followed by 15 minutes of trailers.
Though we don't have this bullshit with "convenience fees".
Yeah, might be this long already. Last time I went to see a movie was before the pandemic and even then it was something I'd do once or twice a year tops.
More like 20 to 30 minutes 🙄
I timed it once a couple years ago. Was no shit 30 minutes of ads. That's why I don't stress about getting there on time very much anymore.
Soo true, waste of time and money indeed. Luckily where I live it is not yet that expensive
Why are you being downvoted? What you say is absolutely true where I live.
20$ is a joke.
I remember when Tickets were 5-10$ at most not even that long ago, wtf happened
They still are. I have no idea what this price is from, tickets where I live at normal theaters are still under $10 at most
It’s most likely a 3D or IMAX movie. Could not see why else it is so expensive.
Just looked up a standard viewing of Indiana jones in NYC and it was $20.50
yeah, oppenheimer was like $20 for me just for a single adult. thought it was annoying but worth it
I need to see the movie soon.
Go to matinee
$18 in Canada. Seems normal.
I'd pay more to see IMAX, but I think it's a lot more/too much.
I saw Indiana Jones today it had 25 minutes of trailers, an admonishment to not ruin the movie, Nicole Kidman telling me how great going to the movies is, and a commercial for the projector. So a movie listed to start at 11 started at 11:28. it’s fucking ridiculous.
What the heck is a convenience fee?
A convenient way to charge you for more
But you can avoid our unreasonable fee by signing up for a monthly subscription!
$15/year is pretty reasonable for the perks for AMC. Most theater chains are trying to charge monthly for membership which is outrageous
Are there perks aside from just avoiding their extra fees? I remember last time I was at AMC they added a charge on at the snacks when I said I wasn't a member
They don't add extra charges for not being a member for snacks. You get free upgrades and get a special line for concessions. So worth it if you get concessions normally ever, not if you don't. I think they also have another tier up that gives you 3 movies/month but I have no idea what that costs.
Maybe I'm confused. The cashier asked me, and then he put on a "delivery fee" or something
A convenient way to give the customer the finger.
The hell is a “convenience fee”?
For real. With just a short wait, I can spend less, own the movie permanently, and watch it without wearing pants. Wins all around.
Once the lights are out, no one can see you aren't wearing pants 😏
Yes we can. Please stop doing that in the theater.
Well, on the plus side, if I keep doing it at least no one will sit near me.
I haven't been to the theater in years and just watch everything on my home theater. I bet I've saved even more than you. LOL
I own neither a home nor a theater, and the only thing I watch is life passing me by, so I think I've saved more than any of y'all
Congrats, but he’s spending $20/month and watching movies in a nicer setup for what likely amounts to a nominal fee.
I haven't seen a movie since 2019 (Frozen 2) but that's just because the experience isn't worth it to me anymore and that's kinda sad. I miss midnight showings and horror movies with large groups of people.
Find a new theater, you're being robbed.
This is why you should support any surviving local theaters that aren't chains. Monopolies aren't created solely by the companies but with the help of the consumers too
What the fuck? A convenience fee??? They're just making shit up at this point
I work at a pretty high end movie theater. All seats are recliners with tables, there's a full wet bar and restaurant quality food, and we do events and shit too. Tickets typically run $10-$15. This is ridiculous.
Was literally thinking the same thing. Afternoon matinees in the mid 2000s were like $5 in my, admittedly small, hometown. You and your friends could get dropped off at the shopping center, hit up the arcade, see a movie, and go bowling in the evening all for like $30 lol.
I gave up on theaters a long time ago. I wanna watch a movie in my PJs, smoke pot, and pause it when I need to. Plus I get lots of kitty snuggles during the viewing as well.
Well, but not TBP because it's riddled with malware. But the idea is right.
1337
An exterminator told me that a lot of cinemas have issues with bedbugs. Since then, I haven’t been able to set foot in one.
Convenience fee? What does that even mean?!
This reminds me... AMC wanted to test selling tickets at a higher cost based on seat location... corporate greed will keep folks at home.
I think you're going to the wrong place. That or the US is just insane.
I think I'd pay about £8 (approx $10.11) per ticket here in the UK. That is without buying food.
Before the pandemic, the US wasn't too bad. Large cities got expensive, but most places a movie ticket ran around $10.
Now, to make up for lost money, some chains are trying to charge extra for getting "a good seat" or other perks that used to be just part of the price of the ticket.
I think they overestimate demand. I haven't been to a movie since 2019. I don't think I'm missing out. Home TVs are just so big now.
Seems like the whole world became a lot more expensive after the pandemic. Same here in Germany and my family in Brazil tells no different story.
Especially all kinds of recreational activities, day or night. I for myself can't afford many things i used to do before the pandemic.
It's crazy these days, it makes no sense to go pay $20+ each to see a movie when I can wait a month and stream it on an 80 inch OLED at my buddy's place if it doesn't break any records at the box office. Color quality is better, couch is more comfortable and I don't have to worry about anyone dragging their screaming kids in.
AMC is a huge multiplex chain, they seem to own about half of all theatres in the US, as a result they can overcharge to their heart's content because they might be the only one in town with the movie you want to see. They also attempt to pass their service off as a "premium" experience. In reality it just means larger seats. For this they've destroyed the movie-going experience. Not much love lost on my end, however, I'm not really a movie person. It mostly sucks when my child really wants to see something.
You can still find more reasonably priced tickets. We go to a second-run theater that only charges like $8 a ticket for movies that have just left the main corporate theaters and even Regal offers discount days where ticket prices are more reasonable.
I almost never go to the theater but I just checked and here in the Netherlands it's €13,50 for 2D and €16,50 for imax. That's crazy. The last time I went to see a movie in the theater was somewhere at the end of 2019, and it was like €10. That's a 30% price increase in under 4 years, christ.
We went for the first time in years a couple of weeks ago. Cost us £14.50 each only on the tickets. Just a regular Odeon.
wtf is a "convenience fee"? please explain
It’s convenient for them to charge you a fee.
It’s a convenient way for them to rip you off.
I believe AMC charges a convenience fee for purchasing tickets online. I don’t believe that fee is included if tickets are purchased at the kiosks.
oh thanks. but the idea of having a fee for purchasing online is bs
You’re not gonna hear any disagreements from me!
the convenience fee is the thing that pisses me off the most. yes it’s convenient that you don’t have a to pay a worker to deal with me and the 10 other people that got a ticket at the same time and yet i have to pay?
You should find some small local cinemas. Sure screen is smaller, but so is the price and the atmosphere is great.
That's ridiculous. I can get recliner seats with tons of arm room and reserved seating for $15 CDN. $12 for a matinee showing.
How is it legal to make up a fee then offer a paid membership to avoid the fee you just made up? How is that different from the mob guys that would collect your "insurance" membership so that you didn't incur a "business burned down" fee?
Have to hit the matinees. I take my son to a nearby movie theatre that has a full bar/menu and the tickets for he and I to go are around or under $20 for both of us. It's like $9.25 per person.
Holy shit that's outrageous. Me, 2 other adults and 1 kid all saw Spider-Verse 2 at the fanciest theater I know the other week. It was like $7 a ticket. You're being robbed.
Don’t forget another $20-$30 for popcorn and drinks!
There was a movie theater when I was a kid in the 80s and you could see movies that had already stopped being shown in the regular theaters for a while for $1. So, like, if you missed Return of the Jedi or Temple of Doom in its original run, you could catch it later on the big screen for $1.
We had that here too. Tuesday and Wednesday was $1 for a ticket, $1 for a popcorn and $1 for a drink.
Yup, second run theaters are (were?) awesome. Saw so many classic movies like Temple of Doom and Total Recall at my local one.
We had one of those in the 2010s here in Texas, although it might have raised to $2
We still have that in MA. And independent theaters with unique programming.
As a producer who aims to make 2-10 million dollar genre flicks, I don't see why ticket prices shouldn't be scaled to budgets. Don't want to pay 25 bucks to see Avengers 16? Pay 10 to see a low to mid budget crime or horror flick instead.
To keep profits up, theaters should bring back double features, intermissions, and sell popcorn with THC butter. Snack sales will explode.
JESUS FUCK. I can pay $20 a month for UNLIMITED movies.
Plus snacks. Piracy and stay at home is the only option these days!
i bought a VR headset (one of the cheap Facebook ones) and it is remarkable how immersive the illusion is when watching a film. totally different than sitting close to a screen at home, it just sucks to wear the thing for 2 hrs
Tickets at my local theater is still lik $8. Wtf do you live?
I'd rather buy some kind of AAA game.
I actually went to a theater a couple of days ago after not going to one for a couple of years and I was shocked at the price. I’d much rather wait until I can just watch it from the comfort of my own home.
Also not worth it when others are talking and using their phone in the theatre.
I think in the age of streaming saturation, going to movies still offer an experience for people vs watching Netflix on your couch. It should ultimately be something that's most of all, fun, and exciting.
Nobody should ever feel like they are getting ripped off for the money they paid, even if everything is getting more expensive, and having blatant tagged on fees, or request for tips for things that didn't use to ask for tips, just makes people feel bad that they got cheated out of their money. And that's not fun.
just paid $3.97 to watch a movie on my TV at home with friends. that is ridiculous pricing
Funny, inEU we are around 10/11 € per ticket
Every day I realize what a good investment is was to build a screen into my unused basement room.
(picture simulated)
I use AMC movie pass. It’s amazing.
Something tells me this was an imax or dolby theatre. In which case, of course the tickets are more expensive.
wow you guys are getting rinsed over there!
for a UK perspective, we have a cinema chain over here called Everyman, it's cinemas but every seat is a sofa/couch! and you can order food to the seats. unless it's a peak screening, you usually get a whole couch to yourself. matinée shows are roughly ~$17 for adult, ~$11 for child. what's pictured in the OP is no doubt one of those pull-down chairs with the itchy carpet material too. ouch!
ItS ThE ExpERiEncE
Where the F*** are you paying so much. Even with Canuck-bucks that's like double what it costs here
Not only that, but then the prices of all the food inside is unreal. I just wait until discounted ticket days at my local theater if I really wanna go see somethin
20$ a ticket whew plus the feel, this is almost as bad as doordash, like dang
My local Orpheum is $9 for adult tickets and includes a drink and a regular popcorn. $11 gets you a ticket, large drink, and large popcorn. Drink refills are $1. Both theaters have recliners, couches, and Love seats at the back. They're awesome! Though you have to show up quite early if you want a comfy seat.
I'll conveniently save the fee by not watching movies in the theatre!
I like all the jokes about the fee. I’d say the price before that isn’t convenient either.
You also have to go to a good theater, because a lot of the time you go and the picture is too dim and out of focus, and the sound system isn't balanced properly. That will be $60 dollars.
AMC has $5 Tuesdays. It's the only day I go to the movies.
That's a ripoff. I imagine that theater is a lot nicer than the one nearest to me but tickets are usually $12 for an adult and $6 for a child. But on Wednesdays all tickets are $6 regardless of age. They call it date night but you don't have to bring a date. You can even come alone. Or so I've been told ಥ_ಥ
The popcorn isn't even all that expensive either, but the drinks are. I think mostly because drinks are the easiest to sneak in.
AMC sucks, don't you have any other theaters around there to choose from? There is a theater near me that only charges $7 for normal tickets, and even cheaper for matinees. Then the AMC theater in my same town charges $12.50 for a ticket...plus that stupid convenience fee.
My local Cinemark has $5 matinees.
That convenience fee is damn annoying. I usually just try to get the tickets in person.
Imagine wanting some popcorn and candy to top it off... streaming from home is the way to go now and they did it to themselves.
It's a shame too, because there are some movies that just benefit from that large form factor viewing. I'd love to go see Oppenheimer on imax but I'll be damned if I have to spend 50 bucks to go watch it alone with some refreshments and snacks.
Lol, hell no. Especially when the movie will be streaming in 3 months time. Haven’t been to a theater since Endgame.
Last film I watched in the cinema was Dumb and Dumber in the early 90s...
(That's more to do with living rural and not really wanting to spent an hour each way travelling to be disappointed by distracting audiences)
They are falling for the same logical missteps that cable took. Losing customers = rate hikes. Pushing more away leading to more rate hikes. Instead they should be lowering costs and finding ways to encourage people to come back
I live near an Alamo Drafthouse in Colorado and never went to movies more since they started doing $7/ticket Tuesdays in like February which I believe was only meant to be limited time originally but SO MANY people kept coming and getting food/drinks/popcorn/etc they're still doing it. It's very smart on their part that they may be losing money on the movie ticket but getting their staff paid more so it works out.
Yep, people like going to a show. It's a simple equation of cost vs reward. As the other response mentioned, movies just aren't worth 20 bucks plus 15 for food. They aren't good enough. For 7, I would totally go.
Don't forget the shitty product too. TV and movies are mind numbingly bad these days. Sure there's the occasional good/great show or movie, but the vast majority are just shit. Add that to everything else you pointed out and it's no wonder they're in trouble and keep hiking the fees.
Ya spot on. Such a waste of money for both.
Here in Italy cinema is priced around 9-10 euros and carnets are often priced 5-6 euros per ticket.
That is one danger of (sometging close to) monopolisation, I just payed 24€ for 3 movie tickets at my local theater chain yesterday.
For a family of 4 which includes 2 adults and 2 children, we’re looking at $100 for tickets and snacks easily. It’s crazy how expensive going to the movies have become. That said, I really like recliner seats + Dolby Atmos without having to worry about “getting the best seats”, so some of the hike is a little more digestible. Movie theater snacks though, now that’s highway robbery.
Man. I stopped going to movies when they started showing ads before them. If I pay you, you don't get to double dip with advertising imo. To see this is ludicrous, and I hope they all fail.
I've never known the movies to not have ads before them and I was born in 1970. How old are you? lol
Then you have a bad memory. This wasn't common until the 90's.
Or maybe you just assumed that everyone in the world lives in your country. You know, like the World Series?
That's a humorous take, because I've known so many people who went to see crappy movies because of the movie previews for something they liked. This was way before the internet took over as a way to see videos, but still, interesting to note the opposite.
Previews are one thing. I remember the very first time I saw an ad being shown in a movie. People BOOED.
And rightly so.
Now it's considered normal to advertise sugar water and so on....It's shameful.
Going to the cinema has become a luxury at this point, like (classical) theatre or opera. Which is not a bad thing per se, but the industry should stop complaining.
And all that money spent just to sit in a room with many people looking at their bright phones, talking to eachother, chewing loudly and causing a mess.
No, thanks.
Our local theater has huge heated leather seats, a fantastic sound system, and you can go to a matinée for $6 with popcorn included. I love Marcus Theaters, they do it right. Good food and drinks, too, delivered to your seat.
I actually went to a theater a couple of days ago after not going to one for a couple of years and I was shocked at the price. I’d much rather wait until I can just watch it from the comfort of my own home.
Also not worth it when others are talking and using their phone in the theatre.
Two things worth checking with your local theater: they may have cheaper viewings on Tuesdays, and look for any rewards program that will most likely waive your convenience fees on top of earning points. Points make your drink/concession purchases much more reasonable.
We SHOULDN'T have to do this, but until something better comes along, these are ok alternatives.
The last time I went to a movie was whatever year Once Upon a Time in Hollywood came out. I honestly don't even know where or if a theater is located anymore.
I'm glad my daughter is an adult because we still had the second run dollar theaters when she was little. So... Many... Animated... Movies
I'm about to go completely devoid of simulation. I cut cable in 2009, just cancelled Netflix, will not renew Amazon Prime (there appears to be an all or nothing refund for cancelling mid-year and I'm in the morning category), just left Reddit, deleted Facebook years ago, never had Instagram, Twitter, tic-tac, or any other social media.
The only thing that's still worth anything to me is Spotify, and I won't be surprised if they pull some shitty shenanigans in the near future.
I think we last went to the movies about the same time. The last movie I was in the theater was the first Black Panther.
In the UK I feel like we've come out of a huge price hike. Things are relatively affordable now. Now though there's also more cinemas that offer a premium price for a more premium service - IMAX/Dolby Vision, big reclining seats etc that I happily pay more for.
We go to a chain called Cinemark and the tickets are far cheaper than AMC. I think for 6 people on opening night with heated D-Box seats (the kind that move and shake and vibrate) directly in the middle of the theater cost me $100. Plus I have a membership so free tickets and no fees too.
If we went with regular seats we would have gotten them at around $10 per person. Heated recliners all around.
I feel spoiled honestly.
Same. I pay 9.99 a month for the club and that gets me a free ticket every month. I get a sizeable discount on food with that too. When a blockbuster film comes out, I have enough credits for the family, we pick our seats and everything in the app, and just go. Full reclining seats in a really nice theater. I spend $120 bucks a year and as a family of 3, we can see whatever, whenever, 4 times a year.
Oh yeah! Platinum member over here! 25% concessions is great!
We see a ton of movies all the time. I buy other people tickets and send the QR and they send me the cash because I save on fees.
My membership is so worth it.
I pay $5 in india ig we are living in heaven when i see your pricing.
Those prices are wild, but what the hell is a convenience fee? Is that just some bull that they've come up with to charge more?
Really hoping my country doesn't follow suit to this. I can get a seat in a nice cinema with big seats that can become a bed with a push of the button for only 10 usd (which includes free popcorn!). Did you perhaps pay using a Credit Card? From my experience every time I buy stuff online like bus tickets which you usually buy at their booth, I have to pay extra for the "convenience".
It's expensive and at least here in Finland you have to watch 15 minutes of commercials despite paying for the ticket!
$3 in my country (Sri Lanka) at a high quality cinema.
But it's just as expensive compared to the average household income, so your point stands.
Cinemas have gotten really popular here though, probably because we didn't regularly get the latest releases until roughly ten years ago. Also the middle class has been growing, at least until we destroyed the economy last year. Maybe one of the few markets where cinema patronage is still growing.
The problem is the opposite. People are still going to the cinema. If they didn't, cinemas wouldn't get away with this crap. They would either go away or knock it off.
If you look at how the budget for a movie is spent, you'll realize that at least half of that money goes into marketing, ads and other annoyances. It's nuts.
It costs £16 at our local Odeon here in England which is ridiculous for a basic cinema.
The everyman is the same price but you get to sit on couches and order food and cocktails which is obviously a much better experience.
The Odeon Lux in Acton, London charges £11 per ticket??
The Lincoln one has always had stupidly high prices compared to the others. It's usually empty too, weird huh?
Ah yes I remember that cinema from my Uni days. Saw tropic thunder there 3 times
What even is a convenience fee for??
It's really gotten ridiculous. Then they want you to buy their snacks and end up spending the price of admission again if you decide to do so.
Going to the movies used to be one of my favorite things to do, but it hasn't been worth it in quite a while
Same. We usually only go when there are deals or special pricing. I'm not spending $70 to take my kids to see a new movie.
Used to go several times a year. Now they're lucky if I go once in several years.
In London my local cinema charges £8 per person. Some place are £6.
Also what is a convenience fee? Is that a booking fee?
A convenience fee is a fee charged through alternative methods other than cash, check, or ACH. Kinda like booking online has a convenience fee.
Was 7 quid back when I was in uni, with student discount. Didn't know that you could get regular tickets for that price though.
Where I live it's £4.50 other than weekends.
Cheaper to wait for streaming or Blu Ray. Bonus for Blu Ray - you actually own something.
Sheesh. Your convenience fee is much more expensive than our ticket prices here in my country.
I pretty much only go on Discount Tuesdays now. One of my local theaters also waves the "convenience" fee if you join their free rewards program. Helps me save a lot that way.
Well clearly you're doing it wrong. You should have AMC STUBS PREMIERE ™️!!
For real, it would save you the cost of the service fee. Ya know, the fee for being serviced. Fuck theaters.
Convenience fee? Wtf?
Have to hit the matinees. I take my son to a nearby movie theatre that has a full bar/menu and the tickets for he and I to go are around or under $20 for both of us. It's like $9.25 per person.
What "convenience" was experienced this visit?
I would say "I guess I don't need to see it THAT badly," and walk away.
I've got a nice home theater set up, an android box and a solid internet connection.... I guess I don't need to leave the house at all.
These companies will start complaining about poor attendance, not realizing it's entirely their fault, as their business model dies slowly.
This makes me grateful for my local non-profit theater :)
That's crazy. I think I spent that much seeing Guardians of the Galaxy 3 but I went with my partner and we ordered food and alcohol to our seats. If we would've just done without I think it would been like 20 dollars for two adult tickets. Your theater seriously robbed you.
As a kid, going to the movies on the weekend was a regular event. Nowadays as a dad with a family, it's a luxury.
This must be imax or 3d.
Looks like a pretty standard Friday night ticket for NY or Chicago
Yeah..nope
Pricing for the large scale theatre chains in Canada is similarly brutal.
The only movies I go to now are at the local independent cinema. Cheaper per ticket, membership that gets you access to two free members-only mystery screenings a month, the building itself is fucking gorgeous and I swear they grease their popcorn machine with crack.
Went a long time pretty much swearing off theatres entirely, but COVID gave me a bit of a "You need to support nice things that you want to keep existing" shake, so I'm happy to toss them a couple of bucks for the experience once and a while.
At that point its not even worth it for the 3d or big screen
Have to hit the matinees. I take my son to a nearby movie theatre that has a full bar/menu and the tickets for he and I to go are around or under $15 for both of us. $7.25 for me and I think $5 for him.
I won't pay that. Simple as that. That's a crazy total.
Holy fucking shit balls.
I'll spend thousands on a home theater setup instead even if I never make up for that cost in movies watched at home.
Holy shit. At my local theater in rural New England it only costs 10 bucks. I've never seen one above 15.
Where was that? I just went to the movies for the first time in years, and bought 5 adult "premium seating" tickets for CAD$91.80, taxes in.
$16.25 each
I'm also not the biggest fan of the whole required reservations thing either. It makes spontaneous movie nights with friends a massive hassle. You have to have a designated ticket buyer now, or somehow perfectly coordinate your online buying times to ensure you get seats together.
A subscription to save? Say it ain't so?!!!!! Assholes
Nah, it's not that it's gotten more expensive, it's that most of the films are shit or otherwise unsatisfying. Maybe a combination of the two? :)
Of the films I've seen at the cinema recently, the last one I remember really enjoying was Joker (which is not even recent), and the most recent one I mostly enjoyed, but then it had a shit cliffhanger ending instead of feeling like a complete film in its own right. I was literally saying to my friend before the film started that Dune pissed me off because of the absolutely shit ending, and then the same fucking thing happened. I don't go to the cinema and pay $15-20 for the ticket to come out feeling like I watched half a season of some Netflix show. I could have a month of Netflix for the same money, watch what I want at my own convenience and pause/rewind if I need the toilet or want to check something.
I still like going to the cinema, but I feel like the movies have got to be more varied, more surprising, and fucking end properly instead of teasing a second part in a fucking year. I would love it if they were more respecting of my time and didn't run on for three fucking hours too. I'd love more movies like Terminator 2 where there is zero fluff and the whole thing ends in 2 hours? That's what the cinema is for!
Whoa, That's bad. In the UK (outside of London) £5-10 can be found. Popcorn and drink would double your ticket price.
Cinema tickets where I live are $15AUD. Is this in US because that is crazy expensive
And the convenience fee! The more I look at this picture the worse it gets!
I got into Moviepass again because of this. They changed it from the last iteration to be points based. Around me a matinee is 10/20 and a normal time is 20/30 based on day of the week. They have deals certain days too where any movie is 7 points as well. I get the 34 credit plan for $10/mo and I get to go see 1 or 2 movies a month for less than 1 movie normally
I subscribe to Cinemark Movie Pass for $12/month and every additional ticket is another $12. I also get a 25% discount on concessions which definitely causes me to go the theaters more than I otherwise would. That’s with inflation because a couple years ago it was $8.99 not $11.99 so more but not unreasonable in this market. I wouldn’t go anywhere that charges more than double unless it’s a special occasion or location.
I also subscribe to Cinemark Movie Pass, and it's well worth it. My family loves going to theaters, so I also get a lot of points. Now and then, I can redeem points for multiple free tickets. It won't be an "XD" movie, but I don't see a difference. Plus, we get one free movie ticket every month that rolls over. Very much worth it for avid movie goers.
Same thing going on here in Finland. Movie tickets are often 20-25 € for "normal" movies, shit ton of ads to go through and rude customers scrolling Insta or talking through out the movie.
Holy shit, 20-25€ is fucking bonkers. I pay 11€ for a 2D screening in an amazing cinema in Germany (big city).
Yeah, it truly is. There are some local smaller and cheaper cinemas here and there, but they usually cant show new movies at all. They are rare, too. There are couple of big movie chains that dominate and effectively force an duopoly/triopoly with their prices.
My AMC in ATL charges 5.49 for matinee and $7.49 at night
I'll conveniently save the fee by not watching movies in the theatre!
And all that for a mediocre superhero flick with story beats so predictable you might as well stay home.
I got a $10 ticket to see Asteroid City the other day and both my friend and I were like “wow that was really cheap!”
The fuck is a convenience fee?
Like the name, they just charge whatever they feel convenient lol.
Why did you go there after all this bullshit?
I didn't, I'm not the OP.
Oh heck, sorry
Whats a "convenience fee"?
Looks like it’s for using the kiosk?? I thought they only pulled that crap for online orders
Wow... That's something
I don't know how much does popcorn etc costs in US theaters but here is India, in multiplexes, popcorn costs more than the price of a single ticket.
lol thankfully cinema chains aren't completely evil with the subscription services.. i'm likely going to sign up soon once summer is over.
this is absolutely wild. where do you live? we go to the "emagine" theater chain and have been able to get the front row "cuddle seats" for 12$. it sits two of us to one loveseat. bring a friend/partner or have a giant seat to yourself. i think emagine is only in a few states tho (USA).
I haven’t been to a full price showing since 2015 or 2016. I went to a handful of $5 Tuesday showings just before the pandemic but it’s so inconvenient given my commute that I haven’t been to a theater at all since 2017. The only part I miss is not having a family member’s constant running commentary during the whole show.
What are you seeing and where do you live?
That's absolutely not typical here.
Movies are releasing into streaming at record pace these days too, so I skip the cinema altogether now. Used to be you'd wait half a year for a movie to go from theaters to video, now it's up on a streaming service the moment its theater run is finished.
Went to an AMC theater recently after not going to one for years. I waited through about 30 minutes of forced ads before the movie started. The "shut off your cell phone warning" was about 10-15 min early. Guess I'm prepared to show up later than the advertised times in the future and skip it, but can't say I want to go back.
They say on their website that there's trailers for about twenty minutes before the movie. That's fairly accurate in my experience
That's crazy! I just paid $18 for IMAX tickets to Oppenheimer. Regular screen is like $11 here.
I barely get change out of $100 for two people and food in "Austrortia" . That's with one large popcorn, a choc-top and two large sodas. Needless to say I don't go very often.
There’s 2 of them.
That’s insane, in the UK we have ODEON which is probably the most expensive cinema at £15ish a ticket and then we have others like VUE where it’s only £6.
Tbf £15 == $19
Tbf £15 == $19
True, but I wonder if op’s ticket is at the high end of the prices.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I went to the theater so I have no idea how much a ticket was
So convenient to go to another website, enter my info, PAY AGAIN, have to sign in every time for my discount...
They know they aren't fooling anyone this shit should be illegal and they're killing themselves not just streaming prices...
Depends on the theatre. I went to a smaller one yesterday and spent 20 bucks for an adult and one child . Not too bad, considering.
Mindly boggling.
Damn, I live in one of the most expensive cities in the US, and they don't charge that much here.
Insane. Also what the fuck is a convenience fee?
🏴☠️
We have some cinemas around here that offer an unlimited option. For a set monthly fee, you can go to the cinema as much as you want. Obviously you have to pay for all the extras (3D, popcorn and stuff). I have one and I go to the movies like 3 times a month on average.
Yeah AMC the one in the picture has a plan where you get 3 movies a week for like $25/month
Yeah AMC the one in the picture has a plan where you get 3 movies a week for like $25/month
I had the Cineworld Unlimited pass for a few years and went to see a lot of movies that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten to see - not all of them would have been worth a full ticket's price, but once I had already seen enough in a month that the rest were basically free, it was a "why not?" situation!
Yeah AMC the one in the picture has a plan where you get 3 movies a week for like $25/month
For AMC specifically, they have a subscription plan where you can pay a smaller amount and get three movie tickets a week. For me, here in the Midwest, it pays itself off in two monthly visits, and I usually go 2-4 times a month, so in my situation I'm actually saving money.
They would do better if they brought prices down, though. I usually bring my own food and drinks due to the high concession prices.
This is not just mildly infuriating.
That’s crazy. In my country is $3.5 - 6 for a normal ticket, and around 5-7 for IMAX.
That’s crazy. In my country is $3.5 - 6 for a normal ticket, and around 5-7 for IMAX.
That’s crazy. In my country is $3.5 - 6 for a normal ticket, and around 5-7 for IMAX.
I went to see the new Indiana Jones last friday and it was... € 9
You can get the A-List subscription or whatever they call it (basically AMC'e version of Movie Pass). Some friends and I do this and we all see a movie usually every Tuesday.
I go to the movies at least once a week. This is one of the few cases where the subscription is where it's at. 25 dollars a month gets me three movies a week. I usually only see one but that nearly pays for itself the first week. It's great!
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
In Austria our biggest cinema company has discounts on every first Sunday of the month, where most of the tickets only cost 5€
I, uh, heard that the theatres are doing good numbers this summer, actually. I wouldn't know, though. The last movie I went to was a Sunday matinee for a movie that every had seen already, so it was pratcually a private showing.
Holy moly.
I'm in a medium town with one theater and the same three tickets are about half that.
And it's not a second run theater either. Same premiers as the big chains, just fewer screens. And no upcharge for 3D.
If you watch the matinee shows, it's much cheaper. And you sign up for the basic stubs marketing thing and the convenience fee is waived.
I just paid $45 for 2 adult, 2 kids tickets for Indiana Jones at AMC.
It’s not the best theater experience in the world but tickets to a standard screening near me are $8 for regular or $5 for matinee. Much better than the $26 per ticket I spent elsewhere for Avatar…
Is it IMAX 3D or just plain old 2d ? Their price is a lot cheaper for 2D where I live, and I don’t bother the 3D ones because wearing two sets of glasses is not fun
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
Go 8 times and that’s the price of a brand new OLED tv.
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
Honestly that's why we joined Cinemarks club. You get a ticket a month, plus another one for $1.99, and then as many more as you like for $9.99. with no fees. And you get discounts on snacks and drinks.
I subscribe to Cinemark Movie Pass for $12/month and every additional ticket is another $12. I also get a 25% discount on concessions which definitely causes me to go the theaters more than I otherwise would. That’s with inflation because a couple years ago it was $8.99 not $11.99 so more but not unreasonable in this market. I wouldn’t go anywhere that charges more than double unless it’s a special occasion or location.
"I think op is rage baiting here". Yes, that's the point of this sub. Its called mildlyinfuriating for a reason.
Holy fucking shit balls
I don’t want to have to subscribe to every facet of my life. If literally everything is a subscription, monthly costs build up fast. I just want to be able to pay for something normally.
There aren’t 2 new movies I care to see a month most months, honestly there’s barely 1. Having to keep constant track of 20+ subscription services to evaluate whether they’re actually worth the money (especially when prices constantly fluctuate) is exhausting. 90% of content that appeals to me is on streaming platforms first these days, and most of it is longer form than a movie.
People are probably fatigued by everything becoming a subscription