Going to "the Movies"

Ok, first, I'm a cheap bastard. So, if I'm going to plunk down my money for something, I gotta find value in it. When I saw Avatar, I didn't feel like I was getting ripped off. Hell, I don't think I even really recalled paying extra to see it in the full 3D "experience". I know that I probably did, but, it "delivered" so I didn't really notice the ticket price differential.

That said, as more movies have come out in 3D - and the 3D failed to add much, of note, to the experience - I've become acutely aware of how much they've been gouging me to see something in 3D.

My local theatres are expensive. It used to be, you could at least mitigate some of that expense by going to see a matinee. It used to be, you could get a discount with a start time as late as 18:00. Then, they dialed it back to 17:30, then 17:00. The last time I remember getting a discount, the cutoff was either 16:00 or 16:30. I haven't noticed any discounts, lately. So, even if I go see an afternoon movie, all I'm doing is avoiding crowds (but, even then, only during the school year on weekdays). I'm still paying $10 (or more) per seat, just to see something. Then, the local theatres want to tack on an additional fee for films presented in digital format. If I want to see something in IMAX, there's a different fee. If I want to see something in 3D, there's yet another fee.

Now, the IMAX that's available in Northern VA is not the kind of IMAX you used to get at the Smithsonian or other museums. It's just a digital presentation technology made by the IMAX company. So, even though it says "IMAX" on the theatre, it's not what I expect from an IMAX movie. So, in general, I skip that add-on.

When Avatar came out, I was rather pleased with the 3D effect. When I saw UP, I was decently pleased (though, it wasn't a critical component of the presentation). When I saw the new Alice, I saw it twice in 3D: once in theatre where the screening was VERY dark and muddy; once in a theatre where it was bright and crisp. I'd seen a few other 3D presentations, as well, but was becoming progressively less enthralled by the effect. Between the lines and the fees - and the realization that taking my wife to see a movie was costing nearly $30 without snacks or drinks - I've stopped seeing movies in 3D. At this point, unless I'm convinced, before hand, that a movie really must be seen in 3D, I won't pay the extra $3/seat to do so. Typically, I wait to hear what others have said on the value of a movie's 3D before seeing it. Apparently, I'm not the only one doing so.

Worse, because of the add-on, I've been made acutely aware of the prices of tickets. I mean, I always knew they were expensive. What I hadn't realized was the previously-noted evaporation of matinee-pricing. Snacks were always ridiculously expensive, but, I just sucked it up. Any more, though, I just can't. It's not that I don't have the money - I just am not seeing the value. I mean, it's gotten to the point with movie pricing that I'm spending as much to go see a movie as I might for a decent meal at a restaurant. At least with the restaurant, I'm fairly certain about how I'm going to feel about my meal. With the movies, it's always a gamble. I'm not inclined to just piss money away. So, unless I'm fairly certain a movie is going to be worth it, I wait for it to hit video.

I mean, yeah, I don't get the ginormo screen, but, with the multiplexes, unless I'm paying to see it opening week, I'm frequently not getting a ginormo screen experience. Worse, if I go during that opening week or two, I'm packed into the theatre with a bunch of noisey, ill-mannered people. If I have patience, I can watch in the comfort of my own home with good snacks (that are worth their price) and not have to worry about phone interruptions, squalling babies, someone kicking my seat, etc. And, given the price of an Amazon, Zune or even NetFlix presentation, I just have a hard time justifying going down to the local googolplex.