Ticket prices are a direct reflection of the cost of operating a movie theater. The industry does not release figures, but having worked in the biz some years ago, here are some of the factors:
The building - heating, cooling, cleaning up after those nasty snacks, general maintenance. Look at the size of the building and estimate what that costs.
The prints - theaters rent the films for the length of time they get (based on some arcane negotiations in which, of course, the highest-bidder wins) and first-run theaters pay the most.
The movie theater biz is a series of big gambles, and the owners hedge their bets by charging ridiculous prices for the ancillaries like popcorn and soda.
And it doesn't matter how old the movie is - houses that show classics also have to negotiate print prices and balance those against the number of cinephiles who will show on a given night.
These practices have been around for more than 100 years and are not about to change. The studios would rather see theaters close than make exhibition less expensive.
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It's an expensive business
The building - heating, cooling, cleaning up after those nasty snacks, general maintenance. Look at the size of the building and estimate what that costs.
The prints - theaters rent the films for the length of time they get (based on some arcane negotiations in which, of course, the highest-bidder wins) and first-run theaters pay the most.
The movie theater biz is a series of big gambles, and the owners hedge their bets by charging ridiculous prices for the ancillaries like popcorn and soda.
And it doesn't matter how old the movie is - houses that show classics also have to negotiate print prices and balance those against the number of cinephiles who will show on a given night.
These practices have been around for more than 100 years and are not about to change. The studios would rather see theaters close than make exhibition less expensive.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by Scribblenerd.
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