3-D Ticket Prices Going Up By 20% As of Now

Posted by on March 29th, 2010   Filed under: Industry News
Source: Vulture

3dpricesup

The floodgates are really starting to open on 3-D movies this month, with Avatar finally dropping out of the box office top 10 only to be replaced by Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon and (next weekend) Clash of the Titans, all of which are competing for a limited number of 3-D screens. Since many theatres won’t be able to accommodate all of these movies at once, three of the major cinema chains in the U.S. have decided to maximize their profits the old-fashioned way: by jacking up ticket prices. According to the Wall Street Journal, Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings Inc. and AMC Entertainment Inc. have all decided to implement higher prices on 3-D movies as of last Friday, with an average increase of approximately 20%. 20%!!!

Apparently they think that moviegoers are so gaga over 3-D right now that they are willing to pay almost anything for the experience… and sadly, it seems that they may be right. The question is, how long will this fascination with 3-D last? As more and more movies are released that don’t live up to the standards set by Avatar, surely people will start to think twice about the price they are paying. They may also opt to see movies in 2-D instead (although, apparently those prices are going up as well, just at a lower percentage). What do you think… is this a smart business move? Can they get away with this sudden inflation, or will it eventually drive away moviegoers? Is 3-D still going to save the movie industry, or will it end up killing it?



  • RaphNL

    FAIL.

  • Matt

    I was alredy pretty shocked at my ticket price to see avatar, this just makes it worse. I thought one of the reasons behind the 3-D push was to give a person an extra reason to go to the movies in a time when your entertainment money time can be spent in so many other areas (Blu-ray, video games etc.) But by jacking up the price you just make it less attractive to go see a movie in theaters.

  • .. its a clear case of supply and demand,

    since most theaters that play 3d movies are usually sold out, that means there is a potential to make more money here. But since its not easy nor cheap to build bigger theaters.. The only logical thing to do in order to make more money is to raise up the prices.

  • SirPrize
  • xego

    Honestly I just couldn’t get interested enough to go see Avatar so I guess I am not going to see 3-D movies…F them! As far as I am concerned the trend in the last Decade in big tent movies has been to put all the effort into special effects rather than story and character. Now with 3-D I am afraid it is just going to be amplified. I was recently looking at Blu-Ray new releases and there wasn’t really anything I really had to have.

  • “But since its not easy nor cheap to build bigger theaters..”

    that’s false, look at your average theater the next time you go – basically a Walmart with seats. concrete block, or, concrete panel tilt-up buildings that don’t even properly soundproof between rooms or limit the amount of noise heard from mechanical systems – cheap to the point of not even being good.

  • ”cheap to the point of not even being good”

    ..yeah man sure whatever.. but still, is way cheaper to just raise the prices than to build bigger -cheaper- theaters.

  • ..ugh.. Cameron is so obnoxious in that picture..
    you picked it on purpose Sean?

  • Falsk

    I’ve been told a few chains (AMC and two others?) are planning raising the prices of all ticket sales, not just 3D.

    As for me, have yet to see a full 3D film beyond the Avatar preview back in August and, well, this just continues to turn me off from the idea of ever trying in the future. (Besides Hubble 3D. I’ll see that shit regardless of price. Just gotta find the time.)

  • If these chains are not careful, they are going to fuck it up by being too greedy. 3-D is a gimmick to combat all the other options people have. It’s essentially 1952 all over again. It’s not as if any of these movies NEED to be in 3-D. And that gimmick is going to loose its appeal if the price of a ticket moves to 16+ bucks a pop.

  • Ben

    FUCK 3D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Hugo

    3D can sink into the earth. Bored with it already.

  • Steve

    3D’s great as long as the movie is deigned for it. A lot of these newer ones (like Titans) were filmed in 2D then ‘converted’ to 3D meaning the depth perception is bad and forefront, background etc look like cardboard cut outs.

    The people saying “Fuck 3D” probably saw Avatar 3D too. James Cameron wins.

    Yes 3D is just a fad, yes not all ‘3D’ movies are done well. But Hollywood has it right, if you jack up prices, there’s more competition for the same number of seats and they laugh all the way to the bank.