Burn After Reading: The $22 Movie
Published on - September 25th, 2008 (Modified on - September 29th, 2008) (by J.D. Roth) I’m going to sound like a crotchety old man for a minute here — but it’s my blog and I can write what I want. Movies are too damn expensive.
One of the luxuries of working from home is that when a friend calls me at 2 o’clock to go see a movie, I can do it. So when Paul called yesterday to ask if I wanted to see Burn After Reading, I said, “Sure.”
Not so long ago, Kris and I were avid movie-goers. Once or twice a month, we’d catch a new film. As we’ve flexed our frugality muscles, however, we’ve fallen out of the habit. Mostly we stay at home and watch movies from Netflix. When we do go out, we make a point of hitting the cheap theaters. It hurts less to pay $4 to see Indiana Jones than to pay $9.50.
But when Paul and I looked for a venue yesterday, none of the cheap places were showing Burn After Reading. The closest theater playing the film was part of the Regal chain, which I generally avoid on principle. Yesterday was a good reminder of why that’s the case.
Here’s a quick run-down of my expenses at the Regal-owned “Hilltop 9″:
- One movie ticket (matinee) = $7.50
- One “medium” diet soda (44 ounces, or about 1.25 liters) = $5.00
- One order nachos = $6.25 (and I only ate about half!)
- One box Raisinets = $3.50
I paid a total of $22.25 to watch a 96 minute movie (plus about 20 minutes of loud in-your-face pre-film advertising). Wow. Not very frugal. ($14.75 for refreshments! In retrospect, I’m amazed at myself.)
Now obviously I chose to pay $22. Nobody forced me to spend this much — I’m not denying that. But you can bet I won’t be doing this again for a long, long time. I’ll stick to the second-run movie houses and the bargain theaters, of which there are many in Portland. Some of my favorites include:
- McMenamins Theaters ($3 films with pizza and beer!)
- Cinemagic (Four or five bucks for a movie, and cheap snacks)
- Moreland Theatre (less than $10 for a movie and snacks)
- Laurelhurst Theater (all films $3)
- Family Cinemas ($5 matinees and reasonable refreshment prices — plus they have Red Vines!)
It would be fine to spend $22 to see a movie if that’s what I valued. But it isn’t. I’d rather save my money to splurge on other things. $22 would buy a nice meal. It would pay for five lunches at the local taco stand. $22 is about the price of a new comics compilation. $22 would buy one-tenth of one percent of a new Mini Cooper. I value a trip to the movies at about ten bucks, not $22.
When I told Kris about my movie-going experience, she too was shocked. “That’s insane!” she said. “That’s more than an entire month of Netflix. In fact, you could watch the entire month of Netflix and buy a bag of popcorn and buy two liters of diet soda.”
Indeed.
(Bonus ten-second movie review: Burn After Reading is goofy fun, but it lacks punch, and the ending is weak. It’s no Fargo or No Country for Old Men, and it’s certainly no The Big Lebowski.)
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Nachos have to be the stupidest idea for a theater snack ever. They should find and shoot the guy who thought that up.
Seriously, I can’t think of a louder, more annoying food to eat in a quiet movie.
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I guess it has been a while since I have been to a first-run movie. Seven and a half bucks for a matinee does seem outrageous.
Last weekend I went to Baghdad to see “Moulin Rouge”. It cost five bucks(before the pizza and beer) and had a little show before the movie. It included a little burlesque, a can-can contest, and a costume contest. I was amazed how many people showed up in costume. It was a very entertaining evening and didn’t come close to $22. I guess, like anything else, it pays to shop around for the best entertainment value.
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Thanks, J. I’m glad somebody enjoyed the rant.
You know, I got to thinking. What’s really going on here is my perspective has changed. What I did yesterday was just go to the movies in the same way that I’ve been going to the movies for years. Yes, it’s much more expensive than it used to be, but the Old J.D. wouldn’t have noticed or cared. He just would have paid his money (and possibly put it on credit).
The New J.D. is aware of how much things cost, and aware of how much “life energy” (to borrow from Your Money or Your Life) goes into each thing he chooses to do. The New J.D. is always making comparisons: this movie experience costs as much as dinner at Pok-Pok.
When I think about it, that’s what’s really going on here.
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Tickets in Australia at Greater Union cost $16.50 (standard adult – normal session) and that’s just for the movie… no popcorn, drinks or inclusions… sounds like we are getting ripped off over here!
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Yes, a trip to the movies is extortionate! We are a family of five, so you can imagine how much that can cost. Consequently it is a major treat for us and we only do it once or twice a year. It’s much cheaper for us all to go and see a local High School football game and just as much fun!! If we really can’t live without seeing the movie, we wait and rent it through Netflix.
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You can’t bring your own food and drinks to the movies? Since when?
Erm, last movie I saw in a theater was…lemme see, “Star Trek: Wrath of Khan”, I think. (First run). It was excellent!
I will add that if you live in a University town you can go to the movies at the Student Union, or the plays they give.
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I am from India and while growing up used to frequent cinemas which were huge single screen cinemas. Tickets were inexpensive and the cinematic experience was worth it. The growth of multiplexes and the high prices in multiplexes has eroded the value for money. After coming to the US, we sometimes go for the matinees ($7.50) for select movies based on their box office performance.
However, we found IMAX to be a phenomenal cinematic experience (of course, depends on the movie too). Although tickets are around a dollar more than the regular prices in first run multiplexes, we find the cinematic experience in IMAX worth every cent.
My view is that it boils down to the value for money of the cinematic experience.
Has anyone tried RedBox? For 1$ per night, I can’t imagine a much better deal if one has a good digital tv or home theater. Redbox has most of the new movies. Of course you need to ensure that you watch the movie the night you rent it.
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First, wanted to mention that I like these types of posts as well.
As for movies, I compromise the same way KC and Chloe do: Go to the theater for theater-quality movies, watch the rest at home. I happily paid $16 per ticket to see Dark Knight in IMAX, but I wouldn’t pay half that to see, I don’t know, Pineapple Express in the theater. It all evens out.
I also sneak in food and have my entire life. My parents would NEVER pay the concession stand prices and instead we’d buy candy on the way to the theater. The big chain drugstores sell movie-theater candy for about a buck a box.
Finally, I think there are child prices and student prices that make it a little less expensive to take a family… but still probably pretty pricey. Baseball tickets are starting to get that way, too.
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Okay, IMAXians, what makes that worth the cost? I’ve never been. I don’t even know what it means other than ginormous screen. (And I might even have *that* wrong.)
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Beer at the movies in the U.S!? I always thought it wasn’t allowed.
I enjoyed going to the movies in Japan and being able to have a beer, I could never understand why they didn’t have theatres that served Stateside.
Glad to hear they actually exist
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One “medium” diet soda (44 ounces, or about 1.25 liters)
Oh my! If I drank that, i’d miss half the movie running to the toilet all the time. That is MEDIUM?
Sean.
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Dang. Now you’ve made me all nostalgic about McMenamins. Beer, movies, and old historic buildings are the best!
I thought it was cool that you could buy beer from a vending machine in the middle of the street in Japan. It might have to do with their harsh criminal system though.
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I went to the theater 10 times this summer and probably spent a total of $77. I haven’t bought a snack at the theater in at least a decade. I always bring my own.
Nothing beats a good cinema experience. In my experience, 2nd run theaters have crummy sound and video.
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Now y’all have me curious. Of those who are reading down this far in the comments, how many bring your own snacks to the movies? Always? Sometimes? Never? How many don’t have a problem with other people doing this? How many do have a problem with other people doing this?
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Hubby and I worked in “The Industry.” We even met at an industry screening. Of course movies were what brought us together and it’s been hard setting aside that strange and unique shared experience with strangers in the dark. But as the children were born, we certainly couldn’t afford to take the whole family anymore, and movies became special dates for the two of us.
As prices have risen, we have cut back dramatically. There are still films we see in the theatre, but the majority of films we get from Netflix.
Regal Cinemas has recently changed their matinee showing times to end at 3PM. That means for the greatest part, there is one matinee showing a day.
As for snacks, we try hard to buy something at the theatre, even if it is only something to share. It might be poor personal economic policy, but we support our local theatre (especially the Mom and Pop operations.) Concessions are where the theatre make their income. Those outrageous ticket prices line the pockets of the film companies, NOT the theatres. I don’t have a problem with others bringing their own snacks, but please get educated about where that money goes (giving your teens a safe place to work, hiring someone to work the projector and someone to scrape gum off the floor and scrub the toilets) before deciding to not purchase concessions.
Some theatre companies offer discounted tickets to their own hired “Mystery Shoppers.” You purchase a block of tickets for half price, then after your film, fill out a short online form telling about the service you received. These arrangements are usually in a special boxed section on the theatre company’s home page.
Ah, I miss McMenamins. What a great date night.
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Amen, JD! On vacation last week, my husband took our three older ones to an Imax movie, and without ANY snacks, the bill was $46. It so did not used to be that expensive. And next year, we will not be doing that.
To answer your question, we don’t bring our own snacks. It seems deceptive and dishonest to me. And I know I’d never get caught if I did it, but God sees and knows, and I’d rather go snackless(or buy expensive snacks) than do something that would be dishonoring to Him.
I remember my dad bringing dried apples to a movie once, though! LOL
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I’m reading this far down! I NEVER eat during movies, period. I think it has to do with how I was raised. When my parents took us to the movies, we just bypassed the concession area without a second thought. It was something other people did but not us. I was never conditioned to associate movies with eating, and I still don’t.
Reminds me of when my grandmother used to take my cousins and I to the “doll museum” down the street. There were all kinds – antiques, new ones, some in cases, stacked high. It wasn’t until years later that I realized it was actually a store – not a “museum” at all. But we were content just to ooh and ahh because she framed it in a way that made us think nothing was for sale.
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IMAX is great for movies like The Dark Knight and 300, both of which I saw in that format. One, the screen is huge and encompasses your vision. Two, the sound system tends to rock your socks off… a bit more so than standard movies. However, IMAX is best for documentaries where the expanded field of view is most effective.
As for sneaking candy into the theatres, I do it from time to time, but only when I’m seeing a big movie such as The Dark Knight. Otherwise I go without and tend to be happier and healthier for it.
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We have found an especially frugal alternative to Netflix–the public library.
You can put movies into a queue online and get them from the interlibrary loan, so they have 20-30 libraries to choose from. Check it out–there are many more titles than you might think, even new releases. The best part–it’s FREE! And you can check them out for 2 weeks, while having as many others in your queue as you want. My husband loves “beating the system”!!
I will admit going to the theater is great fun, but a luxury we don’t often partake in. We did see U23D at a really nice theater this summer though–worth the money!
As for your question, yes we smuggle in a couple water bottles, but usually buy a small bag of popcorn to share. We wouldn’t have more than that at home either (don’t buy much pop–told ya we’re cheap!)
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I still don’t get the point of all of your whining given how much you chose to spend on junk food. I’m 33 years old, and I have NEVER bought food in a movie theater. This is both to save my budget and out of principle — the stuff is an obvious trap and is grossly overpriced. I wouldn’t get any pleasure from buying it or eating it knowing the insane price and the profit margins.
You made two bad choices — buying all of that food was bad for your budget and a disaster for the health/weight loss plan you are supposed to be following.
$7.50 is about my threshold for a movie, and I don’t mind paying that much to support a great movie. It actually costs a lot to make and advertise many films these days. In contrast, it costs the theaters next to nothing to make popcorn and nachos and then sell them to impulsing movie-goers.
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J.D., the issue about the snacks you had has been beaten to death, but…aren’t you supposed to be on an exercise and fitness regimen?
I very rarely go to first-run movies, and never eat during a movie at all. If I can attend an opera or a concert or a play without stuffing my face, I can sure survive a movie without doing so.
And besides–here’s my inner grump emerging–I truly hate it when people (around me) eat and drink at a movie. All of the chewing and slurping grosses me out and is distracting, and I can’t stand the smell of buttered popcorn. BLECH!!
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My definition of a movie theater has always been “a concession stand that happens to be showing a movie”.
I don’t go to the theater because two tickets is the price of the DVD and I can watch the DVD more than once.
There are two psychological “tricks” about movies. 1) You need to watch on a bigger screen. 2) You need to see it right away. Believing both makes you a good little consumer but getting over both makes it much easier to shrug off the theater all together.
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Yup, my wife and I just went to see “The Dark Night” yesterday. All said and done it was about $45.00. It was a really good movie, and I wanted to see it in the theater, but now I know why I don’t go to the movies much. The only thing that made it worth it was that I was able to get my wife out of the house. She’s been cooped up because we just had our second child 2 weeks ago.
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Hi JD! I kind of see your point. A few weeks ago my friend invited me to see The Dark Knight at the IMAX theatre with some friends of hers. I had already seen it and told her I was trying not to spend money. She kept bugging me and told me it was only $12. I didn’t want to flake on her so I agreed to go. When we got there it was really $17! I couldn’t back out since her friend had already purchased the ticket. I also ended up buying a pretzel that cost $4.50. To top it off, I felt really uncomfortable because I didn’t know any of her friends. They all basically talked amongst each other and ignored me. In total I paid 21.50 for a crappy uncomfortable night out.
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A movie here in LA costs $12.75 (and a matinee is $9), so feel lucky you’re paying so little.
I always sneak food in (if I bring food, which is seldom. My folks would never pay for movie snacks so I never got in the habit). I don’t care what the rules are; I just bring my big purse with a box of Hot Tamales (my preferred movie food). For what you paid for your snacks, you could go to Costco and buy, like, 5lb. of Hot Tamales
Sodas just make you want the movie to END so you can pee, so they’re a crummy investment.
I like how you said you’ve changed your perspective over the years — I think the best part of the experience is the awareness that you value your money and don’t want to waste it on frivolous junk. If everyone in America thought like that, maybe movies would be better quality. *shrug*
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That stinks, and it’s why I never buy snacks at a regular movie theater. I do go to the movies regularly, however. I’m so frugal with the rest of my life that I really don’t mind spending the cake once a month or so. I like the big screen.
For those times that I want to eat during the movie, I like to go to Chunky’s, which is a local theater around here. I think admission’s like $6 or something, and then you order food from a menu and they bring it to your table and you eat while you watch. (Or beforehand if you got there early enough.) It’s standard Friendly’s/all-American type cuisine. Nothing special. They also serve beer and wine and some mixed drinks.
Did I mention that you sit in reclining Cadillac seats? Yes, literally, reclining Caddy seats back when they were big and comfy. There are quite a number of middle-aged and elderly men and women who go at all times of the day and night. It seems to transcend the typical teenybopper megaplex concept.
It’s my favorite way to go to the movies.
http://www.chunkys.com/
Pity you don’t have them where you are. It’s cheaper to do that than go for dinner and a movie separately.
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Yes, Get Fit Slowly readers, I did have snacks. However (and get ready for some rationalization!), they consisted of 440 calories of Raisinets, 2 ounces of chips, some fake cheese stuff, and diet soda. The rest of my day included plenty of exercise and healthy meals.
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You should have waited a day – all of the Regal Cinemas in the Portland area had an event today (the 25th) in conjunction with the Oregon Food Bank called “Cans Film Festival”. If you bring in 3 cans of food you get a movie AND a small popcorn for free. The 4 newest movies are excluded, but Burn After Reading was not. Hey, you still have an hour or two to get to a Regal Cinema near you…
I just realized someone else above posted this same information… didn’t catch it on the first scan through the comments! Sorry for the repeat.
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Snacks at movie theaters are way overpriced. I avoid them. It’s like buying water at the airport. With the airport security in the US these days I cannot bring water in any more. I have a good mind to sneak in an *empty* bottle next time I fly and fill it with water from the water coolers inside.
I’ve never brought my own snacks to the movies because I’m usually not hungry. :p Drinking water during the show forces me to use the bathroom mid-movie and causes me to miss part of the movie. What’s the point? Unless they are showing Lord of the Rings Director’s Uncut Extended DVD Edition or something long like that, might as well wait until after the movie to eat and drink.
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Dumb Money: The Movie Theater
You saw it here first… back in March
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I know the guy that runs the three theaters in our little foothills area. They make no money off the films. Income is produced by the popcorn and candy etc… Just the way it is.
I don’t do a lot of movies.. Only when there is something that I really want to see, otherwise, it’s a rental later. But, nothing beats a good movie on the big screen with theater popcorn.. Gotta do it once in a while…
Anyway.. Who says you need a 44 oz drink … Or comics? How frugal is that?
jegan
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Kris: “You are such a rationalizer. You can never rationalize 440 calories of Raisinets and nachos. Never.”
I would like to point out to those unfamiliar with my current fitness woes (and successes), that this is what I’m going through right now. And it’s exactly the same as what I went through with money before I finally got it under control. You don’t see me rationalizing my $22 expenditure here. I know exactly what it is and what it means. But my food consumption? Well, I still make excuses…
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Wow, 80 comments already for a current day post. We must be some movie watchers or something
J.D., of course you’re allowed to wear your crotchety old man hat once in a while, but pick something where you don’t break every GRS rule in the book!
I quit going to the public movie theaters a very long time ago. The experience is just ruined now. The wall-rattling commercials/promos, the idiot behind you who saw the movie yesterday and just has to provide running commentary to his companion, the jerk in front of you who is so important to the world that he absolutely must take this very important cell phone call (and who seems a little peeved now that his precious phone is in little pieces under the seats). I won’t put up with it anymore.
My wife loves movies. So I built her a nice home theater; huge HDTV, surround sound etc. Sure, there’s several hundred $22.25 theater visits in there. That’s one of the things we could choose to do once we learned to control our money situation.
See how I spun that back to GRS? Pretty cool eh?
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I live in a community with three places to go to movies in our county, all are independent and I will always purchase something from the snack bar when I go because that is the way the staff gets paid and the owners make money- also they purchase their snacks from a local family owned distributor and when the place gets messy a local company comes in and cleans the seats- since all of these local businesses support the community through a variety of activities including free kids movies on Saturdays during December, almost free kid movies on Mondays during summer, and sponsoring almost every kid who comes down the street I figure the least I can do is buy a bratwurst.
That said… I seldom go see anything except what’s playing at the drive-in where (a)it’s $10.00 a carload on Saturday and Sunday nights (b)ice chests are encouraged (c) if you happen to bring an adult beverage, and don’t get stupid, no one cares.
Also, the most expensive ticket at the regular theater is $6.50
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I am with the military and have been living overseas since 2002. One of the true joys of raising a family in this environment has been the base movie theater. We go to the movies about once a week and they are a great value. No commerical advertising (except some base information)and everyone is expected to stand for the national annthem before the movie.
Tickets are $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for under 12. A popcorn and soda is anwhere from $3.00 to $6.00 depending on size.
The sound system will never be THX certified and it isn’t uncommon to have an occassional focus problem with the projector but who cares?
Twenty years ago we would get new releases a few months after they came out. Now we get them a few weeks late but on occasion at the same time.
I really am going to miss this when we go back to the states.
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Also, everyone might be able to stop referring to “sneaking” in food. The last time I went to a movie (which is the fanciest, biggest theater complex in Georgetown in Washington, DC — maybe an AMC, but I forget), I just happened to ask someone if outside food was allowed in the theater. I was told YES. I never even expected that. They have an official policy that any outside food and drink can be brought into the theater. So, no more sneaking and no more justifying insanely high snack food prices! Double-check with the theaters in your town.
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Hm, I may be cheap–not frugal but so be it.
I sneak into a second movie- thus dividing the cost of a ticket (8$) to 4$/movie
I bring my own snacks 2$
I download any movie I feel isn’t worth 4$ (Cloverfield…)
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odd – i thought it was obvious to everyone that concession stand items are ALWAYS overpriced.
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Just seconding Tim Tate’s comment above about St. Johns Theater. It’s a bit out of the way for most people but I’m pretty sure it’s the only 1st run “brew & view” in town. It’s the only place I see new movies. I love living in Portland!
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we don’t pay to go to the movies for the same reason- way too expensive. However, my husband and I have just seen 2 first run films this month for free by attending previews- there’s a website here in the UK that you can sign up with and if you have the codes, you can get free tickets (the previews are usually on weekday evenings, so we go straight after work.) As for refreshments, we brought in our own snacks for the first film and for the second split a popcorn/drink deal that cost £3. Not bad for a night out!
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D’oh. Eat at home, don’t buy snacks and price will be no more than 7.50.
Sorry, DUMB money is not the one spent on movies.
DUMB is buying the newest gadget or car or whatever just because it’s new.
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Here in Ireland we have a deal where you pay 19.99 (thats euro – approx $30) and you can see as many movies as you like. Its called an unlimited card, it has a minimum of 1 year subscription but when you consider that its usually about 10 euro to see one movie, you only need to go twice a month to break even. I would easily see a movie a week, I live just 1km from the cinema, and this card is great value to me. When I went last night they had a special, where unlimited cardholders could get 25% discount on popcorn and soda – a nice added bonus!!
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I don’t go to movies anymore. Cineplexes are disgusting breeding grounds for disease. I did go to see “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” however. But that was at an art house theater, that’s much cleaner than run of the mill movie theaters.
Anywhoo… If you are the type who still likes to go out to see mass released movies, why not go to a dollar show. There are two cheap theaters in my area that show second run films (second run now being the day after they’re bumped from the first run theaters). Most of the time a ticket is slightly more than a dollar, but they both have a weekly true “dollar day.” These theaters are also really easy to sneak food into, as they are both in malls. When I used to go to those places, I’d typically sneak in enough Taco Bell, candy and pop (soda to some of you) to kill a man.
I’ve always operated on the principle that if I haven’t seen it yet, it’s new to me.
My new, slightly related thing, is that I go to see matinée performances of plays by myself. That way, I can afford to sit dead center in the first three rows of the orchestra seats. Were I to go at night and take my girlfriend, who really isn’t into live theatre, I’d be forced to buy two inferior seats and end up spending more money in spite of it.
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I guess I am one of the few who don’t think it’s expensive to go to the movies. Granted I only get there a few times a year but for $10 or less I usually feel I get my money’s worth (plus it’s cheaper than going out to dinner or drinks). Also there are plenty of *options* for doing movies on the cheap (low cost theaters, special promotions, etc.). I usually don’t buy food there but the few times I do I certainly don’t beat myself up for it (it’s a choice).
I guess that’s why I’m confused by the post. Most of the cost was a choice. If you didn’t want to spend so much why did you choose to do so? You are obviously a more mindful spender than most. The rising costs that really make me upset are the ones I HAVE to spend (gas, oil – yes yes I can conserve but many of us don’t have the option to eliminate). The rising costs that are optional are just that – optional.
Also if you haven’t been to an IMAX 3-D go now. It’s amazing…
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Oooh imax. We gladly pay £12.50 ($25ish) to watch films at the imax instead of normal cinemas (the local 12 screen multiplex lies 50m from home).
The screen is so much bigger than it beggars belief and so when you see the robots in transformers it is jaw-dropping because they are near life size and then proceed to fight (we saw it in the regular cinema first and then decided it was worth trying the imax – good call we still drool at the experience).
More than the screen though, I find the sound is better. Most screens pump us the volume and particularly the bass which comes from smaller screens. IMAX has huge bass speakers and I don’t know why but they are much more powerful (there must be a physics explanation).
We will only watch new action films in the imax (comic book adaptations especially) which also works as a good budget device (wait and save for it) and have a proper dinner too in central London.
For us it is worth every penny (cent).
Plus, you can sometimes see full length films in 3d (parts of them anyway although we have only ever seen this in Bangkok’s amazing imax theatre in the Siam Paragon – Return of Superman for those interested).
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Plus here, regular cinema tickets are £6.50 ($13ish).
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I hardly ever go to the movies unless it’s one of my kid’s birthday things or something like that, which while they have fun is no pleasure trip sitting in the front row with 9 kids. But that’s maybe every other year…
I don’t think it’s a big deal at all to go to the movies if that’s what you want to do for pleasure. I think that’s the bigger question really. Not how much you spent, but whether it was worth it to you, and you enjoyed spending time with your friend in that way. Was it worth the bottom line you paid? If yes, then your money was not wasted at all.
We were in DC not long ago and at the Smithsonian (free admission all the time btw) and we paid for an IMAX. Yikes…17 bucks is right and I just don’t find them very plesant to be crammed in with a bunch of people, sitting watching about great things when you can be out experiencing them for yourself on some level.
I have brought food in one time, some chocolate covered popcorn someone sent me for Christmas and it was so superb, I couldn’t eat any other popcorn until it gone! But yes, especially if it’s a mom and pop thing…I always buy something to support local folks.
We used to have a drive-in here, it was 5 dollars a person for two shows (new releases), the food was great and it was fun to go and see your friends and the kids could play between shows, but it closed to make way for new houses…not exactly progress imo….
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Look at all of the snacks you bought. At large movie theater prices, that’s enough food for 4 people. Why’d you buy so much, fatty?
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This is simple, just don’t order the soda and nachos and candy. Either don’t eat it at all, like I do or just buy your candy before hand and put it in your pocket. They don’t pat you down for contraband snacks at the movies the last time I checked. Had you done that your movie would cost about 9 bucks.
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What a rip off!!! The amusement parks are the same way 5.00 for a hot dog or a soda. I don’t run my business that way, I know that I am in business to make money (and so are they) but making money and ripping off someone are two different things. So I choose not to participate in those “rip offs”.
http://downwithdebt.today.com/
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