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Popcorn Extortion in UK
posted by
HowardBHaas
on
November 24, 2010 at 7:52 am
An article in Money Market takes a look at how the price of moviegoing has changed over the years in different areas.
What we found was that London was the city with the single most expensive ticket price, both on weekdays and holidays, but with a wide variety of prices according to the time of day or day of the week. The individual price for an adult is $19 (14 pounds), Monday through Thursday after five in the afternoon and before 5pm on a Friday.
Comments (13)
I love movies,spent Eight years in the Theatre Business with three different chains.I don’t care what any price is anymore,$19.00 is entirely too much ,I think six or seven dollars should be top price be it New York City or some small town in the South.Case Closed!
If one takes a look back to 1955. One sees that the top price for “Oklahoma” was $3.50. I’m sure if checks, $3.50 in 1955 dollars would be much higher than $19 2010 dollars.
In Aurora, Colorado there is a Cinemark theater that charges $6.50 for evenings and $4.50 for matinee. Just down the street at the Regal Continental the same film shows for $10.50 and $6.00 (a dollar more if you want to see it on their largest and oldest screen).
Both theaters are in safe surroundings. The cheaper theater is newer than the current remodel of the more costly theater. They’re both as clean as each other.
Ticket price seems to have little to do with location.
Kirk Besse is entirely correct; $3.50 in 1955 equates to about $28.00 in 2009 dollars.
The $3.50 top price is for a Roadshow presentation of “Oklahoma”. The average U.S. film theatre admission price in 1954 was .59 cents with U.S. tax on admission.
1953=.60
1952=.60
1951=.53
1950=.53
1949=.46
1948=.40
1947=.40
1946=.40
1945=.35
1944=.32
1943=.29
1942=.27
The pathetic state of show business, in today’s cinematic world, is controlled by nothing but a bunch of ill trained, yuppi, candy merchant, money grabbing extortionists who have absolutely NO IDEA as to what the hell real cinema presentation is all about.
May our beloved forefathers rest in peace!
Ah, now from that perspective, admission prices for movies today are indeed highly inflated, because $.60 in 1953 would be worth about $5.50 today.
In most cities and towns in 1953 you also saw double features along with a cartoon, newsreel, prevues and possibly an added short. You also didn’t have to take out a mortgage to visit the concession stand! Nobody was texting or talking on their cell phone either. And believe it or not there was a projectionist on duty back there to keep the film in focus and frame at all times. Ah yes those were the days…and days we will never see again! That all being said I still enjoy visiting the multiplex once in a while but only during a bargain matinee and only bypassing the concession stand!
Thanksgiving 1960
Top price New York Philharmonic $4.00
Thanksgiving 2010
Top price New York Philharmonic $128.00
Thanksgiving 1960
Top price New York City Ballet $3.95
Thanksgiving 2010
Top price New York City Ballet $175.00
Thanksgiving 1960
Top price for “MY FAIR LADY” live on Broadway $8.75
Thanksgiving 2010
Top Price for “MARY POPPINS” live on Broadway $157.00
Thanksgiving 1960
Top price for “SPARTACUS” $3.50
Thanksgiving 2010
Top price for IMAX “HARRY POTTER” $19.00
…and you all think movie prices are too high?
The last example is probably the most relevant because a 3D IMAX presentation would be comparable, at least in some respects, to a high quality roadshow presentation of a film in the 1960’s; $3.50 in 1960 would have the purchasing power of about $25.00 today. The ticket prices for live professional theater have increased more rapidly, especially over the last two decades, than movie tickets, for a number of reasons, but especially due to escalating production costs.
Production costs and star salaries have increased more dramatically at the movies. Distributors and theatre owners have simply managed their business better in an effort to appeal to the masses without resorting to government subsidies, private donations and added ‘theatre remodeling’ taxes.
Man when my theatres went from$2.50 to $3.00 in the 70’s people were pissed.
tis,We had the Same thing in Augusta,was it a South Thing.