Earlier quoted context omitted.
One of the joys of having Moviepass in that brief period where it was very cheap but still worked was going to random late-night showings of stuff I'd have never otherwise seen, sometimes being the only person there. Of course you can still do that with the surviving "all you can eat" plans, but they're way more expensive and aren't quite as generous.
MoviePass was one of the most absurd ideas for a company ever. I don't know what they were thinking. Unlimited movies and they ate the entire cost? They didn't arrange any special deals or anything - they just paid the full price of the movie. It was insane.
Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
151–160 of 280 posts
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#152To me this suggests that theater’s are at least partially incorrectly pricing things which explains why they are struggling.
> To me this suggests that theater’s are at least partially incorrectly pricing things which explains why they are struggling. Theaters are struggling because they need the working class to attend, and the working class has no money. This is true for any non-essential business that depends on 90% of the people. To find new ways of extract money may help a little, but in the end the basic economics do not add up.
A couple of years ago Odeon turned our nearest theatre into a 'luxe' theatre (adult tickets £20), and the next nearest theatre was left as it was, but all tickets £5 each (tickets at both theatres where about £14 previously). I think it was an experiment to see which model was most economic: major investment in tech and comfort/£100+ for a family of four to watch a film with snacks and beverages/fewer tickets sold as a result OR minimal capex/far more affordable to attend/loads more tickets sold. The £5 tickets for all showings have stopped, but you can still get them a lot of the time (they have surge pricing for blockbuster releases,and some upgraded premium seating now). I think they've found a way to be affordable to the masses and fill seats, but still extract max revenue from better off families, by having half their theatres follow one model and half follow the other.
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#153Do enough people buy tickets in advance now that this really indicates anything of value? I'm old and have never pre-purchased a movie ticket in my life. I assume a lot of people do, but the few times I've been to the movies lately, it seems people are buying tickets at the theater.
For theaters with reserved seats, if you don't buy early, you only end up with the worst seat.
That said, for "general admission" theaters, if you want to get good seats, you'd have to show up early and waste time watching all those trailers.
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#154Makes me wonder -- does it make any economic sense for a theater to have screenings before 2pm on a Tuesday? I get that some people can afford the leisure, but I'm almost certain the theater loses money on that
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#155To me this suggests that theater’s are at least partially incorrectly pricing things which explains why they are struggling.
Movie theaters are insanely cheap. People just prefer to sit at home and scroll on their phones.
Amc a list is 20$, that's 16 movies a month. Cheaper than 4k Netflix. Amc is already bleeding money. Sadly consumer choices just changed to second screen bullshit
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#156To me this suggests that theater’s are at least partially incorrectly pricing things which explains why they are struggling.
I think Hollywood has been churning out derivative content for a while, and catering for "modern audiences" (as opposed to the silent majority) too much. One or two exceptions - Project Hail Mary, for example. But the decline of Marvel, Star Trek and Star Wars franchises has been stark. https://www.youtube.com/@TheCriticalDrinker has some great commentary on the problem. Also, a number of other factors: * massive TVs…
"cinema tickets are unaffordable" they are actually cheaper than before. Amc charges you like 7$ on Tuesday it's basically free
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#157Delightful! Thank you.
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
That I've seen, the problem is worse than that. A movie merely says it's "based on a true story". If you're a lawyer or literature professor, that "based on" might be correct usage - since 40-ish percent of what the movie told was true. The other 60-ish percent was utter fiction. Meanwhile, people who saw the movie and found it decently engaging are busy convincing themselves that it was 99% true. And 99% of 'em will…
There is no data to support your last paragraph. But it is fun to talk about how dumb the “other” people are.
I coulda added another "That I've seen" disclaimer to my second para. My dataset is just friends & family who I've seen "based on a true story" movies with, where I happened to know the history.
The term to describe my "99%" isn't "dumb". It's "don't care".
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#159To me this suggests that theater’s are at least partially incorrectly pricing things which explains why they are struggling.
> To me this suggests that theater’s are at least partially incorrectly pricing things which explains why they are struggling. Theaters are struggling because they need the working class to attend, and the working class has no money. This is true for any non-essential business that depends on 90% of the people. To find new ways of extract money may help a little, but in the end the basic economics do not add up.
Theater attendance is down every year since 2001(I believe) the "working class" has much more disposable income than back then adjusted for inflation. Movies are hilariously cheap, people just prefer streaming and TikTok. It's sad but i have accepted this fate.
Re: Empty Screenings – Finds AMC movie screenings with few or no tickets sold
#160To me this suggests that theater’s are at least partially incorrectly pricing things which explains why they are struggling.
I think Hollywood has been churning out derivative content for a while, and catering for "modern audiences" (as opposed to the silent majority) too much. One or two exceptions - Project Hail Mary, for example. But the decline of Marvel, Star Trek and Star Wars franchises has been stark. https://www.youtube.com/@TheCriticalDrinker has some great commentary on the problem. Also, a number of other factors: * massive TVs…
Never expected to see the Critical Drinker mentioned on HN. I find myself agreeing with the majority of points he brings up in his videos, but I suspect the majority on HN would disagree with him.
I'll be curious to see if others chime in.
This was my first thought upon seeing the OP as well. I haven't been to a theater in years, and part of the problem is I don't know what I'd go there to watch.
I've been pretty explicitly told that Hollywood does not want to sell to me or my demographic by this point, and it's also pretty evident in the media that is being produced.
And the media I do consume, I don't really feel a need to see in theaters.
I feel bad, because I have many fond memories of going to the theater as a kid with my parents. With the way things are going, they may be long gone before I ever get a chance to replicate that experience for a family of my own.