Thursday, March 27, 2008

Poll: How much is a good theater experience worth to you?

It's being reported that entertainment conglomerate Village Roadshow is entering into the movie theater business with a $200 million dollar project that will bring 50 deluxe movie theaters to the U.S. When I say deluxe, I'm talking really high-end, boutique theaters that only have about 40 seats, all of which are recliners. You know, the kind of theater that will charge and estimated $35 per ticket. Well, at least that's what they plan on.

The fact is-- there may just be a market for this type of theater. As of late, movie theaters in general have been suffering, due to both the advent of DVD/Home Theaters, as well as the rise in plain old bad movie theater etiquette. How many times do I have to sit there while some jackass types a text message, or even worse takes a cell phone call? That's why theaters used to have ushers.

The other perk to these deluxe theaters is that they will also include a bar an food made to order. Then again, it only takes one tub of lard to go chomping away on a burger and fries through the movie to ruin that idea. I'm not sure if the area to eat in will be separate or what, but that is definitely a consideration. The only other problem I foresee with these theaters arrangement is the price. $35 is a lot of money for most people, even if it does guarantee a quiet, peaceful screening. In reality, I think the price of admission would need to be around $25 for people to give this a shot.

However, I think it would make a fantastic first date, or a night away from the kids. To be able to sit back, have a cocktail and watch a film in luxury sounds awful tempting to me, but then again most people aren't as interested in movies as I am. So, that is the question I pose to you-- Do you think deluxe theaters sound like a good idea?

(You can read more about this story here.)




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Here's my concern: some movies are simply not meant to be viewed while chomping down on something, even popcorn. I think you will recall the jackass plundering a tub of popcorn (as well as sighing loudly) during "The Passion". Some movies should be labeled "No food service available" by the theater but they obviously will not do this for economic reasons. I just dread spending 35 or even 20 doll hairs to really enjoy a film such as "Atonement" and having my senses bombarded with the sounds and smells of a mouth breather molesting a cheesesteak.