Box Office Shakedown

Whoever would have thought that when it came to a night out for dinner and a movie, it’d be the movie part that would be more expensive? Yet so it goes across the country as ticket prices have continued to soar in 2010, with a 4 percent rise in regular movie tickets and 8.3 percent hike for increasingly popular 3-D sales. In Los Angeles and New York City, two adult tickets to a 3-D movie like Dec. 17’s TRON: Legacy will cost almost $40 — and that’s before you add in any extra fees: purchasing tickets in advance (at a charge of about $1.25 each), parking, and a visit to the concession stand (in NYC, a medium popcorn and soda can run you an additional $11.50). It may explain why movie attendance so far this year is down 2.1 percent from 2009. As one EW.com reader recently ranted: ”I used to average 20 to 30 movies a year, easily. This year, I haven’t seen [anything] since Inception…. I’ve watched lots of Netflix — but nothing has been worth the ridiculous prices.”

Things have certainly changed since 1948, the earliest year tracked by the National Association of Theatre Owners, when a ticket cost around 36 cents. ”People are always surprised when things get more expensive,” says Patrick Corcoran, NATO’s director of media and research. ”But on average, movie tickets have increased less than other things.” Corcoran says that the $7.85 national average (which takes into account children’s rates, matinees, and even those fancy IMAX 3-D showings) is still lower, when adjusting for inflation, than it was in 1967. (A ticket then cost $1.22, which would be $7.99 today.)

Be that as it may, many potential moviegoers are feeling the pinch in these tough economic times, and some find themselves wondering not Will I like this movie? but Is it worth it to see this in the theater? ”We get a lot of feedback from people [who say] ‘I’ll wait till it comes out on DVD,’ which I know the theater owners hate to hear,” says Matt Atchity, editor in chief of Rotten Tomatoes, a site that aggregates film reviews. ”People’s home systems are getting closer and closer to the theater experience — you already have the Netflix subscription, you have the HD cable, you can wait the two months and watch the movie then. Which is why everyone is doing 3-D now — you gotta do something to get people out of their houses.”

And that’s where a big movie event, like 2009’s Avatar — the highest-grossing film in history — will score an advantage over more modest fare. ”People seem to be okay with paying that extra buck or two to see something if they’re seeing it on a really big screen and they’re getting an extraordinary out-of-home experience,” says Fandango spokesman Harry Medved.

But simply being in 3-D is not enough; for every major 3-D success so far this year (Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland, Despicable Me), there’ve been plenty that disappointed audiences (Clash of the Titans, The Last Air-bender, Piranha 3D), mostly because of their hasty, last-second conversions. (The backlash against 3-D conversions surely played a part in Warner Bros.’ decision to release Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 in 2-D. Viewers still have the option of splurging for IMAX, where the surcharge generally runs between $2 and $4.) That means Hollywood has its fingers crossed that a bona fide, shot-in-3-D epic like TRON: Legacy will prove irresistible. Even weeks before its scheduled release, the follow-up to the 1982 cult classic has already sold out more than 100 showtimes. As Fandango’s Medved notes, ”I think TRON follows the tradition of Avatar, where film-makers will deliver a lot of bang for your buck.” But maybe you should skip the popcorn.

A look at movie prices nationwide
What does it cost to catch a new release at your local multiplex? A sampling of costs for an adult ticket to an evening showing of a first-run 2-D movie:

The Highs…
New York City: $13.00
Los Angeles: $12.50
Boston: $11.50
Philadelphia: $11.00
Chicago: $11.00

… And lows
Oklahoma City: $5.75
Kansas City, Mo.: $6.00
Jackson, Miss.: $8.00
Charleston, W.: Va. $8.00
Cheyenne, Wyo.: $8.50

Ticket Prices Through the Years
What would it have cost you to see these classics on the big screen? Here’s how the national average for theater admission has risen — and risen some more.

1958, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Ticket price: $0.68*

1967, Cool Hand Luke
Ticket price: $1.22

1980, Ordinary People
Ticket price: $2.69

1990: Dances With Wolves
Ticket price: $4.22

2000, Erin Brockovich
Ticket price: $5.39

2010, Alice in Wonderland
Ticket price: $7.85

*Averages provided by the National Association of Theatre Owners