$9.75 to see a movie?
On Friday night we saw Swing Vote, which we thought was terrific since it was set (and largely filmed) in New Mexico. Though it was about the political process, I wish it had been more overtly political, that it had really taken a side. There were some truly hilarious moments, and we'll probably buy the DVD when it comes out.
In fact, we'll probably buy the DVD instead of going to see another movie in the theater - for the price of two adult tickets ($9.75 x 2 = $19.50), it really makes more sense to buy a DVD you can watch over and over. Even with our 20" TV, it can be worth it.
But the thing that really gets me about going to the movies is all the ads and previews you have to sit through. They would never get away with this at the opera. When I've paid twenty clams to see a movie, I don't also want to have to sit through half an hour of "Movie Watchers Club" selling me all sorts of things, from TV shows to movies to food and drink to local services, like cars, restaurants, motorcycles, colleges, and the like, before then having to sit through another twenty minutes or so of previews. I guess I just don't want to be "informed."
Then again, my time is apparently more valuable to them than it is to me, since I keep going back and sitting there watching their ads at my own expense. Curious about their racket, I called the number on the screen Friday night and left a message about getting my OWN ad up there before the movie starts. Someone called me back this morning. She wanted to put together a whole proposal for my "business," but I told her I just needed a ballpark estimate before wasting any of her time.
She really didn't want to say, but it boils down to about $25 per screen per week. So, for example, if you want to advertise in a theater with ten screens, it would only cost you $250 a week to bombard folks with your message.
That's almost cheap enough to make me want to spend a few hundred bucks taking out fifteen-second spots saying "FUCK YOU: this message brought to you by the First Amendment" but I don't think my wife would go for it. She thinks it should say "FIRE: brought to you by the First Amendment."
In fact, we'll probably buy the DVD instead of going to see another movie in the theater - for the price of two adult tickets ($9.75 x 2 = $19.50), it really makes more sense to buy a DVD you can watch over and over. Even with our 20" TV, it can be worth it.
But the thing that really gets me about going to the movies is all the ads and previews you have to sit through. They would never get away with this at the opera. When I've paid twenty clams to see a movie, I don't also want to have to sit through half an hour of "Movie Watchers Club" selling me all sorts of things, from TV shows to movies to food and drink to local services, like cars, restaurants, motorcycles, colleges, and the like, before then having to sit through another twenty minutes or so of previews. I guess I just don't want to be "informed."
Then again, my time is apparently more valuable to them than it is to me, since I keep going back and sitting there watching their ads at my own expense. Curious about their racket, I called the number on the screen Friday night and left a message about getting my OWN ad up there before the movie starts. Someone called me back this morning. She wanted to put together a whole proposal for my "business," but I told her I just needed a ballpark estimate before wasting any of her time.
She really didn't want to say, but it boils down to about $25 per screen per week. So, for example, if you want to advertise in a theater with ten screens, it would only cost you $250 a week to bombard folks with your message.
That's almost cheap enough to make me want to spend a few hundred bucks taking out fifteen-second spots saying "FUCK YOU: this message brought to you by the First Amendment" but I don't think my wife would go for it. She thinks it should say "FIRE: brought to you by the First Amendment."