Jeff Bock, a movie theater industry analyst with Exhibitor Relations, says someone who goes to the movies infrequently may not even notice a slight upcharge. Through trial and error, cinema owners will have to figure out how much they can increase a ticket price before patrons begin to resist. Those in support of higher prices for blockbusters point to inflation it’s more expensive to get gas or go to a restaurant, why shouldn’t it be more expensive to go to the movies? Others fear it could scare away customers. For theaters, the real money is in popcorn and soda sales.ĪMC Entertainment did not respond to Variety’s request for comment. Additional foot traffic usually means more spending on concession stand snacks. But, he adds, “increasing prices isn’t necessarily a way to improve attendance.” What theaters really need, Handler argues, is more people going to the movies. “Movie theaters are fighting to recover revenue, so every single dollar helps,” says Eric Handler, an analyst MKM Partners who covers the media and entertainment industry. For movie theaters, it’s a way to offset stagnant attendance levels as they attempt to claw their way out of pandemic-related wreckage. That means moviegoers should expect to cough up extra to watch Jared Leto’s anti-hero adventure “Morbius” (April 1), Marvel’s “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” (May 6), “Top Gun: Maverick” (May 27), “Jurassic World Dominion” (June 10) and other big-budget tentpoles slated to release in theaters over summer and beyond. 3 chains, have already quietly jacked up prices, starting with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” last December. Privately, insiders wondered why AMC announced the move with such fanfare because Regal Cinemas and Cinemark Theatres, the No. In fact, it may have begun earlier than people realized. Theater operators have long wanted to test a range of ticket prices, and the ongoing pandemic became the catalyst to finally get creative. And AMC locations accounted for eight of the top 10 highest-earning theaters in North America for “The Batman.” That does not necessarily mean the circuit benefitted from higher prices (AMC venues are typically the top-grossing in the country), but it also doesn’t appear to have given AMC loyalists sticker shock.Īs the domestic box office slowly rebounds from COVID-19 disruptions, should consumers expect to continue to pay more for big-screen blockbusters?īox office analysts say yes, incrementally increasing prices may be the new normal, at least when it comes to big blockbusters. comic book adaptation generated a mighty $128.5 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, the second-biggest debut of the pandemic. It is not clear how the experiment, a version of variable pricing, paid off because AMC did not break down ticket sales versus attendance levels in any of its 620 domestic theaters.īut AMC was spot-on about the popularity of Robert Pattinson’s take on the Caped Crusader in “The Batman.” The Warner Bros. In a surprising break from industry standard, AMC Entertainment, the country’s biggest theater chain, boldly announced plans to charge customers about $1 to $2 more for “The Batman” tickets compared to other movies playing at the same time. If you went to the movies over the weekend, you may have shelled out a little extra to see “ The Batman.”
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