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Surviving the Cinema

I’ve always been really big on movies. For as long as I can I’ve been enjoying and watching movies. Unfortunately for me, I also enjoy watching new releases at the theatre. People on the street often stop me and ask: ‘But Matt, you get to sit in a comfy chair in front of a huge screen while eating delicious snacks and drinking soda – how on earth is that unfortunate?’. To them I always respond that the unfortunate bit about watching movies in a movie theatre is the obvious monetary cost involved in an outing to the cinema.

What is often regarded as a very profound and ‘moving’ affair has been kicked in the nuts by large theater chains. In my area, we have the Marcus Theatre chain. I’m not here to rail against big business or anything but I feel that in order for me to paint a decent picture of the situation it’s worth mentioning that their competition in the area went out of business.

As I stated in my first paragraph, the thing that really blows about going out to the movies is the price. Tickets are expensive, and stuff like condiments are equally costly. I mean, if you plan on going to the show twice in a week you’ll probably have to dip into your college fund. If you want to see two movies that came out the same weekend, you might as well take out a second mortgage on your house.

The Movie Experience…

Lets look at what I deal with. Say my girlfriend and I want to go see a show on a Friday night to a movie that was just released – a blockbuster – if you will. The first thing we have to deal with when going to the local theatre is parking. This is a very real concern, as this is the only cinema for quite a large distance. It was such a big concern the owners of the place put up a huge fucking (four-level) parking garage right next to the building. Assuming we get a space, we then have to see if tickets are available. Marcus allows for the purchase of tickets on the internet so sometimes the show is sold out before we even get there. Obviously this is a risk you take with going to see a show on opening night – but I think online ticket sales really undermine the whole experience, and it really does suck to find that a show you want to see is sold out but some fella with a slip of paper gets in no problem – but that’s neither here nor there. Assuming we are able to get tickets, they are going to cost us $9.50 each. If your good at math, you’ll know that we’ve already payed $19.00 just to get in.

After we’re in, we’re faced with the question of whether or not we’ll need some munchies to entertain our taste buds during the magical movie experience. For argument’s sake, my girlfriend and I spring for a medium drink, and a medium popcorn without butter. The price? $10. If you’re really good at math, you’ll know that we just spent $29.00 for two tickets, a popcorn, and a drink. For me, that’s about 5 hours of work at my minimum wage job.

Oh the Inhumanity…

Like I said, I really like movies. I enjoy them a lot, and they’re a big part of my life – but I can’t afford to see the newest releases every weekend. I just can’t. It’s a shame to see that movies are going in this direction. It really is. It’s especially sad because I’m going to the movies with just one other person. What about a family of five? Five tickets to a movie on a Friday night costs $47.50 – not including those ‘ohsodelicious’ snacks that the theatre graciously provides to patrons at nut-crunching prices. Who can afford that? The short answer? Nobody.

Something has to give in the theatre industry. With things going like they are now, going on an outing to the movies will be as appealing as getting your shins kicked by a construction worker. It makes me sad.

So what can you do to make it easier on yourself?

1. Buy tickets online to avoid lines
2. Go to an early showing at a discounted ticket price. As an added bonus you’ll get lots of parking space!
3. Bring your own snacks

Or, if you’re like me, you can wait until the flick comes out on video and rent it.

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