Can A Luxury Theater Get People To The Theater?

from the might-be-tough dept

Tue, Apr 1st 2008 8:56am — Mike Masnick

We've talked for years about how the movie theater industry's real problem was that the movie-going experience was terrible. The prices went up and the actual experience kept getting worse and worse. That drove people to look for alternatives, such as home theater systems. A simple solution would be to make the experience better and convince movie goers that it was a fun social experience to go out to the movies, to be able to experience the movie in a way that was different from the home theater experience. Last week, we pointed out that some theaters were moving more towards things like IMAX screens, which is a start. However, rob wrote in to point out that a few firms have teamed up to build a series of "luxury theaters" around the country, targeting a higher class of movie-goer willing to spend more for a top notch experience. As Variety explains:

Each complex will sport theaters featuring 40 reclining armchair seats with footrests, digital projection and the capability to screen 2-D and 3-D movies, as well as a lounge and bar serving cocktails and appetizers, a concierge service and valet parking. But the circuit will especially push its culinary offerings -- made-to-order meals like sushi and other theater-friendly foods from on-site chefs (a service button at each seat calls a waiter).

That seems like a step in the right direction... other than the fact that the price is probably going to turn an awful lot of people off. It's $35 per movie ticket, and that doesn't include that special on-site chef food. While it definitely makes sense to charge more for tickets to such a theater, a $35 entrance fee, not including any food seems pretty steep. What's wrong with just making the regular theater experience better?

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Filed Under: luxury, movie theater, movies, social experience

43 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 9:36am

So if I skip 10 movies and save up that $35+tax+food I'm half way toward my own decent sized HDTV?

It seems like people who have the money to go to this theater already have the money to have a kick ass setup.
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- Johnson Rice, 1 Apr 2008 @ 9:50am
  
  Re:
  and possibly afford some catering too, to cover the food aspect. Even most suburban areas now have sushi delivery.
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Jesse, 1 Apr 2008 @ 9:39am

People think expensive means good
People will go. Anything to make them feel elite. Is first class worth the difference on a one hour flight? Why pay a million dollars for a 5-7 star hotel? People think expensive things are naturally better, and paying for it naturally makes them better.
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- Johnson Rice, 1 Apr 2008 @ 9:48am
  
  Re: People think expensive means good
  People willing to spend that kind of money don't think of going to movies as "elite", and never will, unless the experience is way better than that, and even further out of reach of the average person. Sorry.
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Mark, 1 Apr 2008 @ 9:47am

Might be nice for people to go out and have a nice dinner & movie. However, $35 just to get in to see the movie and then you have to pay more for food?

Please, an IMAX screening costs like $15... where does the extra 133% come from? Nice seats don't cost $20/person/time.
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Shawn, 1 Apr 2008 @ 9:47am

in my city of STL
We have a theater called the Moolah theater which offers leather couches to sit on when watching the movie and used to offer a bar which I hear as unfortnutly been closed. In any case it offered a movie experience I could not find else where and would drive out of my way for to have a great date.
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moore850 (profile), 1 Apr 2008 @ 9:49am

If they kick out jerks sure
I would pay 35 bucks if they immediately ejected anyone who's phone goes off or who talks or interrupts the movie in any way.
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- MC, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:25am
  
  Re: If they kick out jerks sure
  AMEN to that. The issue isn't the venue (generally), it's all the other ill-mannered idiots who think the theater IS their living room. By god they have rights, and don't you dare tell them different.
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wooster11 (profile), 1 Apr 2008 @ 9:54am

I do think there is a market for this...
I do believe that there is a market for this. You're already seeing a bit of this with theaters like the ArcLight in Hollywood where they assign seats and never fill up a theater (on purpose). They have a bar and provide a really nice experience. I really enjoyed the one time I've been there. I'd go more often if it was closer to me. Tickets are about $15 though. I think there are people who are willing to pay for a really nice experience. This just won't be a theater that a family goes out to because of the cost.
However, mentioned in your post is something about making the "regular" experience better. I definitely think that's where it needs to start. And to be honest, if they just kept the theaters clean, I think that would make huge strides into improving the experience. No one likes to stick to the floor when they walk the aisles in a theater.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 10:01am

alamo draft house
austin, tx got it right with the alamo draft house. i wish they would open these everywhere. i've since moved away and miss the funky atmosphere, regular priced tickets with comfy seats, unusual and fun shows (ex. shrimp dinner with forest gump movie), and a yummy diverse menu that you can order from throughout the movie. you just write your order down, stick it in front of you and a waiter will come by and pick it up. oh, and yes they serve booze.
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slimcat (profile), 1 Apr 2008 @ 10:05am

Okay, I'll bite (1Apr08)
"...as well as a lounge and bar serving cocktails and appetizers, a concierge service and valet parking."
What, no blackjack and hookers?
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 10:14am

Heh, I'm the AC that posted that same suggestion on this site about two weeks ago.
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Jezsik, 1 Apr 2008 @ 10:15am

Bangkok is way ahead
I've gone to two movie theaters in Bangkok that were very high-end. They have assigned seating, an exclusive lounge area, reclining lounge chairs (or couches if you pay more), pillows, blankets, wait staff to bring you drinks and food. It's really a royal treatment to see a movie there. The price was about four times the cost of a low-end movie theater ticket. While I'd be willing to pay more for such a seat in the US, it would have to be under $30, be devoid of advertisements and show a few shorts to warm up the crowd.
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M., 1 Apr 2008 @ 10:33am

Theaters
Hell - if they sold Taco Bell/fast food at the Theater - i'd go more often. But when you have to sneak in decent junk food and practically get body searched - who wants to go.
Screw them.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 10:33am

There is a theater in Vancouver WA that is already succeeding with this business model. They do not charge $35 per ticket however. I think the most I have ever paid to get into Cinetopia was less than 15 bucks for the "Living Room" theaters which have very comfortable chairs that recline. Foot stools, blankets and pillows available down in the front, and food/drinks served to you at your seat. They are also a completely digital theater, even in their "auditorium" style ones.

http://www.cinetopiatheaters.com/cinema/theaters.htm
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David, 1 Apr 2008 @ 10:34am

We have it in FL
In the Boca Raton area, they call it the Premier and it is part of one of the big theatres, on the second floor. They sell out 2-3 weeks in advance...

You can reserve your seat either eat in the restaurant then go to the theatre, or bring your food in (no seat-side service, they thought it might disturb the viewers), it $20/seat.

Never actually tried it, though.
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Pro, 1 Apr 2008 @ 10:51am

Riff Raff
I think the whole idea is to keep the riff raff out. Most of the distracting people are kids with less means.

Also, the main problem with the movie going experience is that the cost doesn't begin or end with the ticket price. Exhibit A -> Take wife out to the movies.

Babysitter: $10 / hr = $20
Tickets: $10 / ticket = $20
Popcorn and 2 sodas = $10

So that's 50 bucks to go out and see a shitty movie. Maybe if something good were to emerge you could consider it, but I can't recall the last time that's happened...

People are being forclosed upon, and everyone is complaining about how expensive it is to fill their SUV with gasoline and we're supposed to pay $50 to go to the movies?
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BTR1701, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:01am

Better Exerience
Until they can figure out a way to deal with rude and talkative audience members and cell phones (not just the people who talk on them, but the people who constantly text-message and check e-mail and whatnot, which lights up the dark theater with their glowing displays), then it will never be as enjoyable as a movie watched on my home theater with a few select friends.
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ehrichweiss, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:02am

Let's go out to dinner and see a movie....
Yes, the subject is a Phish song if anyone is wondering. Anyway, we've got a "Movie Tavern" in the area. They seem to have everything in order as the tickets are only $8, you get HUGE seats, and the servers(waitresses, not Sun Microsystems) will a)leave you alone when you don't care to hear from them and b)come assist you ASAP when you require their services. The dinners are a little expensive but they're good food and cooked to order. Last Memorial Day when we went it cost us about $100 for 6 of us to have gourmet hamburgers and several beers. So it might have been a bit expensive but it was a great experience overall, at least as a treat.
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Another Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:12am

Those who argue $35 for ~2 hour of entertainment is too much are hypacrits.

You wouldn't think twice about plopping down $75+ for a ticket to see 1 to 1.5 hours of the Foo Fighters, or $95 for kick ass seats at a hockey game, but you guys complain about a measly $35 for lazy-boy, waited on service to watch a movie with no screaming kids.

Just because movie theaters have lagged behind with how much they charge doesn't mean the entertainment isn't any less enjoyable (depending on the movie you go to that is).

Yes, this will probably exclude a certain amount of the movie-going public, but then again these Luxury Theaters are not replacing the normal ones, they are just adding another option.

Just my $0.02.
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- Jesse, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:35am
  
  Re:
  >You wouldn't think twice about plopping
  >down $75+ for a ticket to see 1 to 1.5
  >hours of the Foo Fighters, or $95 for
  >kick ass seats at a hockey game, but
  >you guys complain about a measly $35 for
  >lazy-boy, waited on service to watch a
  >movie with no screaming kids.
  
  I would - that's one of the reasons why I don't go to big-name concerts and sporting events.
  
  There is a fundamental difference between a live performance and a movie, anyway.
  
  - Jesse
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drtaxsacto, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:32am

Luxury Theaters
These are common in Mexico and worth the extra expense. The food is better (and has been getting better in many chains even without this addition) and having a cocktail is nice. I hope it does well.
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Eric the Grey, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:42am

I heard an ad on the radio...
for a theater that served dinner along with the movie for Boulder CO, and thought it was a cool idea. If I recall, the price was all inclusive.

However, I've not heard the ad again, and cannot locate the place online, so I've not been able to check it out. If they do something like this, they better make certain they advertise it well enough to attract people.

EtG
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scuzzbukket, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:53am

Ohhhhh yeahhhh!!!!!
I prefer my my movie theaters like I like my bars.
Liquor in the front and poker in the rear...that way if the movie gets boring, I know there's options
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2gravey, 1 Apr 2008 @ 11:58am

We have the same thing but cheaper.
I just moved to the Massachusetts/Southern New Hampshire area and we have these theaters called Chunky's. They have tables and all the chairs are later model Lincoln leather front seats on custom built frames. They are comfortable and recline. They serve cocktails and beer and Chilis/Applebees type food for about the same price that Chilis/Applebees charges and the ticket prices are the same as a regular theater too ($7.50). If we can get a sitter, my wife and I are going to see 21 there this weekend.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 12:01pm

I own a theatre and we offer any movie ticket at $ 5.00 which includes a pop and popcorn. We hate cell phones and loud talking patrons. We have DTS sound and comfortable chairs. Come early or you wont have a seat. Any Questions ?
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- Pro, 1 Apr 2008 @ 1:24pm
  
  Re:
  Yeah, I like the sound of your place, but I think the cost of gas to get to Ohio will make it all not worth it.
  
  Am I right? ;-)
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  - Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 1:44pm
    
    Re: Re:
    North Dakota !!!!
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John (profile), 1 Apr 2008 @ 1:37pm

Advertisements
Here's a question: if people are paying $35 for a movie ticket, will they have to sit through commercials that were sometimes (literally) shown on TV the night before?

I'm paying $10 to see a movie: I don't want to see the same BMW ad that was shown last night on TBS.
If the theater is going to get money from BMW to run TV commercials on every screen, then the theater should *reduce* the price of the ticket.
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- Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 1:49pm
  
  Re: Advertisements
  We limit our ads to 3-20 second ads. They are at the begining of the reel. The ads generate $ 20.00 for each ad per month. Hardly worth our while. Ask your cable company to reduce the price of their service for the 5 minutes commericals every 10 minutes on TBS. A hour and half movie lasts well over 2 1/2 hours. At least we don't stick our ads in the middle of the show.
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  - Pro, 1 Apr 2008 @ 2:05pm
    
    Re: Re: Advertisements
    It sounds like you have a nice place.
    
    That's the interesting thing about the economy these days, is it's completely different in Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, North Dakota, Ohio, California, etc...
    
    While cinema model might work great in N. Dakota still, it's completely broken here. Property values make everything so damn expensive that the whole experience loses it's value. Meanwhile, the same plasma TV and Sound system cost me the exact same thing that it costs you (which in effect makes a TV cost half as much for me because I live in a place where everything costs double, but salaries are double as well). I bet the girl next door doesn't ask for $10 an hour to babysit either in ND.
    
    Here, you spend $50 to listen to someone talk Spanish into their cell phone.
    
    That being said, I'll probably go to see 21 some weeknight at 10PMish by myself, when the place is mostly empty...
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 2:07pm

What a bunch of cheapskates.
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LittleBeanCurd, 1 Apr 2008 @ 2:18pm

The Sundance Theater in San Francisco is FANCY!
San Francisco now has what I believe to be Sundance's first foray into running a theater. It's SUPER fancy! It's the Sundance Kabuki, in Japantown where the AMC Kabuki once was. But, they didn't just take it over, they've completely remodeled it into a pretty extravagant moviegoing experience. Tickets there are still only $10-$12 (average ticket price in San Francisco is $10) and includes reserved seating in very comfortable and spacious aisles. There's a Sundance restaurant next door, a sort of minglyish mini restaurant inside along with a few bars. I must say, the price is only a buck or two more than the other theaters, but well, this one washes their floors and I don't have to show up an hour before my movie just to stand in line (reserved seating is a blaaaaaast!)
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gregory, 1 Apr 2008 @ 3:22pm

Common in Australia
Over here this is a very common practice that has been around for probably up to 10 years. They call the 'luxury' cinema's 'Star Class' or 'Gold Class'.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Apr 2008 @ 5:20pm

I would not pay $35 a ticket to watch what amounts to a big-screen TV (what's being marketed as digital projection). Theatres should bring back competent projectionists to properly handle the 35mm film most still already have.
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Daz, 1 Apr 2008 @ 5:53pm

In Australia a standard ticket is around $10, which is too much as it puts many people off going, when compared to alternatives such as your own home/rent a dvd etc. So $35 for such a service isn't such a stretch. (Geez, how much do you pay in US for a movie ticket?)
If you can actually get to a Star Class or Gold Class cinema without traveling for 2 - 3 or more hours then fine, but its still not exactly luxury.
They should make the standard experience more compelling.
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Bill Samson, 1 Apr 2008 @ 7:18pm

The real deal!
Hey no comments about movie piracy? Shouldn't that have eliminated the need for "fancy" theaters?
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Crosbie Fitch (profile), 2 Apr 2008 @ 2:38am

In London we can expect around £12 per cinema ticket, i.e. about $24 - without frills.

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/theatre/news/story/0,,2266761,00.html
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Michael, 3 Apr 2008 @ 12:46am

Priced too high
I think that luxury theaters could be the answer but the problem is the fact that ticket prices are just too high in general. I go to a discount movie theater fairly regularly, it costs me $5 a ticket and that seems pretty fair to me. I really think that movie theaters could double the amount of people in the theater if they realized that they could lower the price and make it up in volume.

Luxury theaters would be really nice but I'm not sure how much of an impact they could have, although I'm sure there are a lot of people in this world that would pay an extra $25 to see a movie in a theater with comfy chairs I'm not the kind of person that would want that, $25 extra is just too much.
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Bill, 4 Apr 2008 @ 4:15pm

Luxury theatres - almost but not quite
I can tell you what would get ME going to movies again and paying extra...

In Japan, they have tons of high-end Karaoke bars/parlors. These have a bunch of comfortable private rooms of varying sizes complete with comfortable seating, a great sound system, and a waitress to bring food and drinks. You take a group of your friends there and everyone drinks, eats great food, and has a blast making fun of one another singing. It's pretty popular there.

I always thought theatres should look into this concept with modifications appropriate to movie display as a high end alternative to traditional theatres. My idea is, let a group of friends (or a couple) rent a private theatre room with comfy furniture, amazing screen, and brilliant audio system. Let them select any available feature film from a menu to be displayed on the wall-sized screen in their room. Have a waitress serve them dinner and drinks with a button on the wall to call her at any time. Let the customers start the movie whenever they want and stay as long as they want, depending on the type of reservations they made.

The advantages are, folks still get to go out to dinner and a movie and get away from the kids. They can completely control WHO is with them in their private theatre room. If they want to be loud and chatty during the movie, they can do it without disturbing others. They can also have total silence to completely enjoy the movie. They can have a romantic night out with the wife or they can have a fun night of drinks and food with good friends.

The key is that this type of experience becomes whatever they want it to be because they have full control over the attendees, the pace, the menu, and the schedule. Plus, splitting the cost of the room rental among a group of friends makes it less expensive than it sounds. How much you spend on drinks and food is up to you. Which movie you choose is also up to you. Digital movies make this customized experience a very real possibility now.

It's like a strange cross mutation between a bar, a small hotel operation, a movie theatre, and private booths at a nice restaurant. They could even let people have karaoke parties in the same rooms with words on the big screen and the sound system playing music. Or just have a private party there with your friends and music videos, sporting events, or concerts playing on the big screen. I know a lot of guys who would pay a lot to have a waitress serve them and their buddies beer and food while watching football on a wall-sized screen with theatre quality digital surround sound.

THAT would be the type of theatre which would get me going out to movies again and that would be worth more money to me. Otherwise, I will continue to prefer my big LCD flat panel and built-in digital surround sound at home. Because at home, I control the environment, the sound levels, the attendees, and the pace of the experience. I can grab a beer from the fridge or a bag of chips whenever I want and I only buy the movie once for less money than it costs my wife and I to go out to a movie at the theatre.

-Bill
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Pax, 8 Jan 2009 @ 2:05pm

I would rather pay 35$ to download a just-released movie to my home theater. That way I can watch a movie without the near-certainty that some inconsiderate moron or uncontrolled rugrat will ruin the experience.
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Jane, 9 Feb 2009 @ 3:42am

Hi
I dont agree with the above statement. I think its the movie who gets people in the theater. ===================================== Jane homes for sale
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Jackie, 25 Feb 2009 @ 6:51am

Very good!
In class we are trying to Persuade Investors and our idea is similar to this one. But this one is a better idea because it has a lot more than ours. I am very impressed by how far the idea has extended. Hope that this idea will be able to travel around the world!
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