As some of you may remember, a little while ago it was announced that a new limited series of premium movie theaters are being built that will have a bunch of perks… but that also will cost you about $35 a ticket to get in to see a movie at them. This got a lot of people talking both pro and negative.
Anyway, our friend Brad over at RopeOfSilicon put up a great top 10 list of the things he would need to have in a $35 ticket movie theater if he is to even consider going to one. His list includes:
Membership cards and Infraction tracking
Pre-selected seating
No Ads and 3 Trailer Maximum
Private booths and suites
5 Ushers per screening
Meal and Alcohol service
No late entry
No children to R rated movies
Properly trained projectionists
Comfortable seating with ample leg room
You can read his article with his full rationale behind each point here.
I agree with most of Brad’s conditions. It should be mentioned that there are theaters around that already have many of these in place (and still only cost $11 instead of $35). Personally, I don’t see the need for 5 ushers per screening, but aside from that I’m pretty much right with him.
I would however also add a couple of things to that list:
1) Screening Room VERY close to a bathroom
Look, despite your best intentions, sometimes during a 2 hour movie you find you may have to hit the bathroom. I hate that… but it’s reality. When that happens I want to miss as little of the movie as possible, so it always frustrates me when I have to hike through the 15 screen multiplex to get to the 1 men’s room they have and then hike back. If you’re going to have a $35 per ticket screening room, I want a bathroom right outside the door.
2) The ability to change your ticket
If I’m going to pay $70 for a movie for me and my date, then I want the ability to change which show time my ticket is for (kind of like an airline ticket). I like to order my tickets in advance… but it my date is running a bit late for our 7pm screening, I want the ability to hop online and change my ticket to the 9pm show. That’s a premium service for sure… but I did pay $70 for two tickets.
3) No Cellphones
Shout out to James who put this one up in the comments section… I slapped my head when I realized I forgot this one. Unless people refer to you as Mr. President, or the letters “Dr.” are in front of your name, there is no reason why you can’t be without your bloody cellphone for 90 minutes. Check your messages when you get out.
So those those are things that I’d add to the list of conditions for me to pay $35 for a movie. What other things would you add to that list that could possibly tempt you into trying a movie at such a theater?
I actually don’t know what American cinemas are like, but in Denmark, it’s a bit more respectful.
Everyone usually shows up 10 minutes before the (trailers and) film starts, and you can buy beer if you’re 18+ and usually people are quiet, but you can be unlucky and wind up next to three teenage girls who are chatting about everything that goes on on the screen or elsewhere.
But I agree, I always put my phone on vibrate if I’m waiting for a call or completely shut it off, because I made a decision to go to the movies and watch a film, not sit and make conversation with people who aren’t present.
A handjob would be nice for that price.
And what are the ushers for?
There used to be a place in Milford, Connecticut that showed second run films for 3 bucks, which you can drink, eat and smoke in the theater while you watch the film. Of course the place was filthy because it was a hangout for teenagers/young adults. But it had its own “atmosphere” that was not prententious or hoity toity.
I dont know what kind of a film would warrant a 35.00 fee. My guess would not be the latest box office hits, but perhaps, newly remastered great films of the past. Films that no longer get played in the theaters anymore.
It does not matter how far the bathrooms are. If you gotta go, then it just sucks, no matter how much it takes you out of the film.
Massage chairs, free popcorn and lots of space.
Mark Salinas, MN
In Fairview Texas,outside of Plano Texas this theatre is being built as we speak, and it is a major talk in Dallas. Keep in mind Plano is the hdquarters for Cinemark.
1. An automatic weapon
2. A Hefty Raise !
Seriously, if it was a movie that I felt was epic in nature, which could only be appreciated in a theatre, I Might consider it.
The way that the cinema grill in my hometown worked as that there were tables throughout the theater on “risers” so that you didn’t have your view blocked, and a bar through the middle where we usually sat since I often went with a large group.
As you came in, you got your alcohol from the bar, and your waitress came in to get your drinks and your dinner order. They came in and brought your food very early, I think during the trailers, but I can’t recall ever being even slightly distracted, and I went to this theatre on a regular basis (it only cost $2 a ticket, then food was extra). They had the best chili cheese fries in town.
You didn’t really get to order desert unless you asked for it ahead of time, because the waitress didn’t talk to you after the movie started, just quietly brought your food. But seriously, it is NOT that distracting to have somebody come in and bring a plate and then leave when there’s plenty of room for them to get around and they don’t have to scoot past going “excuse me, excuse me…”
I would LOVE to find a theatre like that around here. It was great to get dinner and a movie at the same time.
Obviously that shit ain’t gonna fly when there’s a full theater and a blockbuster movie showing. That’s why I don’t DO that shit when there’s a blockbuster and lots of people.
Marisa…
I assume that they have the meals and drinks served before the movie starts?
I am wondering how they are able to serve drinks and meals while the movie is playing without causing a distraction….
In Framingham, MA, they have a theatre like this. They charge about 12 dollars for matinee and i believe 18-20 for night showing. It includes soda and popcorn. You can order meals and alcohol. The bathroom is very close to the room and it is 21+. Seats are very comfy and they have some booths on the side. It’s actually a wonderful experience (I saw both Pirates of the Carribean movies of the past couple years because of it). So I don’t think I would pay 35 dollars, especially since there are similar theatres where I live now (Orlando, FL — the enzian and the aloma grill) that also charge less and offer the same. So, it’s not a new experience.
Well, that’s a rare occurence. You’re in a nearly empty theater and the guy was cool with it, so fine. I’m telling you right now for your own safety, that shit ain’t gonna fly when Indy or the Joker is onscreen.
True story: During the screening of Shoot’em Up (in a nearly empty theater) the first 20 minutes of the movie I was playing with an iPhone the guy behind us had and let me experiment with.
True story.
@ Kristina
Yes.
Although, even though I RARELY get texts in the middle of movies, it’s enough to bug me thinking about missing a good movie I’m at, so I may just start turning it off. At least for the blockbusters.
@Nbakid
This is running the risk of turning into a personal attack on you, so I’m gonna tell you upfront that this is not what I’m intending.
Having said that, I don’t get why you can’t just turn off the phone for two hours. I really don’t understand the logic there. Odds are, nothing traumatic is going to happen in your world while you watch the movie, and you’d be doing everyone in the theater a big favor by creating one less distraction. Glad to hear that you plan to power down for Indy 4, but speaking as someone who turns off her phone as soon as the lights dim in the theater, I’m genuinely interested in knowing why some people just can’t turn their phones off for two hours. Are we that dependent on technology that we are willing to sacrifice our good time at the movies(and the good time of an entire theater) just to text and call people?
Quite honestly, I’m not very happy when my phone goes off in the middle of a movie either.
I’m half tempted to turn it off (not for those around me) but for me personally – every time I have to see who texted me or respond back is time I’m taking out of watching the movie I paid good money for.
In fact, when Indy 4 comes out, I’m GOING to turn it off so no one distracts me.
As far as waiting for the DVD, that’s what I USUALLY do. I avoid the theater usually unless it’s a must see movie. I rarely go to theaters because it’s much more convenient to watch movies at home.
Where I live, there are daytime showings, so while the school year is in progress my friends and I tend to go to the movies when all the kids are at school, go to either the noon or the 3:00 showing, and it majorly minimizes the obnoxious distractions.
As for the summer, the noon showing on Sunday works fine, as Kristina said. Most everyone is either at church, sleeping in, or hung over from partying the night before, either way, it’s always almost near empty.
@NBAkid
I’m sorry, but those glowing lights are distracting, especially if the person is sitting right in front of you. It’s disrespectful and inconsiderate. I came to the theater to watch a movie, not to watch people text their friends. You may THINK you’re being discreet, but you’re earning the hatred of everyone sitting around you. If you want to play with your phone while you watch a movie, wait for the DVD. I have zero tolerance for that stuff in a theater. I’m dreading the summer so much because I KNOW some dude’s phone is gonna go off right as Dark Knight and HBII get to the good stuff. I KNOW some bitch is gonna bring a crying bastard mistake baby in the theater. I KNOW a row of sassy teens will yak through the entire damn film. And I’m SICK of it. Word of advice to everyone: go to the movies on Sunday, the very first show. All of the loud, obnoxious people are usually being loud and obnoxious in a house of worship at that time.
Now don’t misunderstand me – I would have no problem being in a theater that restricted cell phone usage – as in none allowed during the movie.
However, since none of the ones around here DO that (that I know of), I also have no problem using my phone in a discreet, non-obnoxious way.
Hey John,
I totally understand where you’re coming from, but I disagree.
Talking is COMPLETELY different than little lights that glow BELOW the movie screen and don’t give off noises.
As I said before, IF I get a text, I duck down so it’s not obvious I’m playing with my phone. It’s not like I’m just waving my phone around obnoxiously like the teenagers apparently do mentioned in earlier posts.
And as I mentioned before, most of the time 99% of the theater can’t see me because I’m usually in the very back row.
I have never complained about people who silently do their thing, and never will. What I DO have a problem with is obnoxious laughing/talking/people getting up/down/up/down during a movie (directly in front of me, if they’re below my field of vision I don’t care).
Hey NBAKid,
The point is that people checking text messages is distracting to people who are there to see the movies. It’s inconsiderate to everyone else in the theater.
You can’t just say:
“Why don’t you guys pay attention to what’s happening on the screen instead of paying attention to the people around you?”
That’s like saying, “why not listen to the movie instead of the teenagers talking all the way through sitting beside you”
The onus if for people to show respect to the others in that movie theater who paid MONEY to watch a film undisturbed and undistracted by the inconsiderate actions of others around them.
I strongly encourage you to leave the cell phone in your pocket and turned off.
Also, when I do text/check my messages, I duck down so it’s not blatantly obvious. I’m pretty discreet about it.
Besides, whenever I go to see a movie, I’m USUALLY in the very back row at the top (because I expect the best seat in the house when I go) or at the very least somewhere in the middle of the back 3 rows.
Drewbacca – I don’t do pot, and wouldn’t know where to score it except through other people, so I’m usually the very last person people ask on scoring pot – IE, never.
Cell phone lights – don’t bother me. At all. Why don’t you guys pay attention to what’s happening on the screen instead of paying attention to the people around you? Isn’t that why you went to a movie, so you could watch IT instead of people watching? If you want to watch people, go to the mall. Or lobby.
Even if you’ve got the letter’s doctor in front of your name, put your phone on vibrate and step out of the theater when the phone rings. And then, ONLY have your phone on if you’re on call or something.
We survived for a very, very long time without cell phones. Even doctors don’t get a pass on this one from me. VIBRATE MODE, learn it.
Also: I absolutely and massively disagree with a trailer limit. I would pay a full price movie ticket to see a trailer reel that lasted an hour and a half. Happily.
Why do people hate trailers so much? I get to the theater twenty minutes early so I don’t miss the trailers, not just for a good seat.
And for me to pay $35, they’d have to have food (though most cinema cafe’s I know of are cheaper) and it would have to be a specifically 18 and up only screening. Even for children’s films. Honestly, I don’t have much of a problem with toddlers and smaller kids if their parents take them out when they have a tantrum. But teenagers…I would pay a lot of money to not be in a theater with teenagers.
nbaKid2000…
DON’T CHECK YOUR TXT MSGS IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCREENING! YOUR BUDDY ASKING WHERE TO SCORE SOME POT MAYBE IMPORTANT TO YOU, BUT THE REST OF THE THEATER HAVING TO SEE YOUR ENTIRE FACE LIT UP DOES NOT AGREE.
(Type your comment here. Make sure you’ve read the commenting rules before doing so)
I would like to see a decent Western….no language, no naked women and the good guy has to win!!
Yeah, I really love trailers, too, especially if I know that a big trailer is playing in front of a movie. I plan on getting to theaters early in order to get a good seat and so that I don’t miss any trailers. However, there is such a thing as too many trailers. When I saw Return of the King opening day, they must have played at least 8 or 9 trailers, plus all of the commercials and little messages from the theater. People were literally screaming at the screen and booing. 5 should be the limit.
I’m with Alfie, trailers are a huge thing that I love about going to the movies. I mean, there are some movies I’ll go see, JUST because I heard of a trailer in front of it that I want to see on the big screen (I.E. trailers for Dark Knight, Indiana Jones, ect). So yeah, if a theater guaranteed to show NO trailers, I’d guarantee I’d never go to that theater.
Commercials in theaters, like car commercials and such, yeah, I HATE those and they have no place in a theater. But movie previews and trailers? Bring them on!
@James
AMEN about the cell phone lights. I went to see Sweeney Todd at my campus theater a week ago, and I literally had to go to another seat to block out some bitch in the front row who was on her Blackberry for the entire damn movie. God, people are so inconsiderate. Drives me NUTS. You need the time, you leave the theater and check your damn phone. Better yet, wear a little watch that lights up that you can look down at without lifting it up and distracting everyone. Please turn off the goddamn phones. I get calls round the clock from people. I routinely have about five or six voicemails waiting for me at the end of a movie. Can you imagine how awful it would be if I took all of those calls in the theater? Even if I got up to go take them, having to walk over people in the aisle five times? Blocking the screen five times? Actually, it’s double that since I have to leave and then come back. People would have my head on a spike. Power ’em down, folks. Power ’em down!
1. No kids, that is defined as under the age of 18. I am 17, but I can wait too many kids have ruined really good movies for me.
2. No phones, check them at the door and I am sure with 35 seats a head the theaters can find a way to discretely page someone if they recieve a call.
Hey Ross, I see where you are coming from now and I agree that people should keep their cellphones on their person, but the cellphones need to be turned off once in the theater because….
nbakid2000
“I ALWAYS leave my cell phone on when I’m in the theater, but I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS leave it on vibrate and I don’t answer it. That way if someone text messages me I can check it/respond.”
If you are checking your messages during the movie, you are distracting others. Trust me, those little screen lights really show up in a dark auditorium. So, knowing that you shouldn’t check your phone at all while the movie is playing, why not just shut it all down for the next two hours and check your messages when you get to the lobby?
If you are a doctor on call, then I could see having the vibrate function enabled and a quick step out into the lobby to attend to matters. Otherwise, power down people.
I have theatres like this already where I live and I pretty much always use them.
I like the comfy seats….plain and simple.
They offer a lot of these services listed not all of them but lot of them…you get endless soda and popcorn as much as you want…you can buzz a little button and get a waiter to come directly to your seat.
I don’t mind it at all but at the end of the day I like the seats and thats what sells me…you get leg room and space on all sides. you are not crammed in like most of the multiplexes near me.
and I personally would want a 5 trailer minimum. love the trailers…
I don’t get why everyone keeps going on about not being able to drink beer in their theaters. The theater right across the street from my college serves beer aplenty. I guess being located right across from a campus filled with alcoholics in training means they must serve beer.
I Say no kids period. How awesome would it be to drink beer during a sports themed or college themed movie. Unlimited soda and popcorn.
@James,
when I gave the reasons people need cellphones I wasn’t really referring to having cellphones in the theatre and the debate about that but the the thing of having a cellphone with you when you go to the movies PERIOD. I mean as in you HAVE to leave it at home and not even have it on your person. This is a drastic way to combat the annoyance of cell phones in theatres. I mean I obviously think you should turn your phone off when the movies on but I definitely think you should be allowed to have it with you to use before and after the movie.
in the odeon leicester square, london (the famous one where all the premieres take place) tickets can be £17/18 = $34/38. and there are no perks, except that the sound system is brilliant and the cinema is more like a theatre.
A nice lap dance after de movie.
The ticket is just too expensive. They should charge 20 at most.
Anyway the experience of this theaters is very good (they’re called V.I.P here in Mexico) .
You have little coffee tables between the reclinable seats and a shit lot of space between you and the people in front. The screen is big, but the room is not, so everyone gets a good sit, about 50 people fit in the room. No kids, no cells, the hole atmosphere is different and respectful, because all of you are people that could afford the ticket and are better educated than everybody else. The only problem is that if you drink a big jar of corona you’re gonna have pee at the middle of the show.
I would pay $35 to see one of my TOP favorites that I was convinced wasn’t ever going to be playing anywhere else anytime soon. Oh and probably with someone who had never seen it before and to whom I’d hyped it constantly. But they have to buy their own tix of course, ha.
Maybe I’m nuts, but that’s about all it would take.
oh and also a built-in, stocked, beer cooler in the seat.
I ALWAYS leave my cell phone on when I’m in the theater, but I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS leave it on vibrate and I don’t answer it. That way if someone text messages me I can check it/respond.
Cell phone usage in theaters doesn’t bother me at all, as long as they don’t have it go off audibly in the movie.
As far as the 35 dollar thing goes…I want a meal included in the price, including a selection of alcohol. All the alcohol doesn’t have to be included, but they can add a couple of bucks onto the 35 dollar ticket price for the really expensive stuff (if you so choose).
Everything else you guys mentioned sounds good.
I went to some VIP cinemas in Bangkok and they were plush: waiters, blankets, socks(!), fully reclining sofas. I think it cost about $18-20.
Why not rent DVD’s, then save your money and go to Thailand!
The killer argument for a 35 Dollar movie ticket for me would be drinks (alcoholic as well) and snacks included as much as you want. But that would not happen I’m afraid.
Ross, while I agree in part with your statement about people ultimately being able to hold onto their cellphones, I can assure that 99.99999% of the time, cell phones being used in theaters are for trivial purposes.
All the cases you mentioned (finding your party, getting a ride after the show), with the exception of a rare emergency, are situations that can be handled well before or after the show; simple life skills.
“3) Some people need to be available as much as possible”
This one makes me laugh. Everyone is on call these days. Seriously, peoples’ egos have inflated 100-fold since the cellphone revolution.
Only doctors need to be on call, and they can put their phones on vibrate or, if they are THAT in demand, then they probably shouldn’t be risking the welfare of patients by going to a showing of Scary Movie 10. .
Nothing at all would get me to pay $35 to see a movie. Thats insane. Most of the things listed should be included for the already steep price of $10-12 per ticket. Not only that, but wait a couple months and have a big screen TV, and you can get all that for about a $6 rental. Comfortable seating, no interruptions, a good meal, no cell phones, no idiots, and no $35 gone. I’ve pretty much written off theatres as it is. Tripling the cost isn’t going to suddenly get me to come back, regardless of what “extras” they come up with.
The more I think about it, the food and drink deal would really only work if there were sections of seats apart from each other….kinda like little dining table sections. Granted, the theater wouldn’t be able to sit as many people, but when they are charging $35 a person to begin with, they would at least break even on big ticket movies.
Ultimately, it’s a shame that it even comes down to this, that people are just so damn clueless and rude that it actually has created a market to deal with it.
With regards to your hate of cellphones in movie theatres; I 100% agree that it’s annoying when they go off during a movie, and when other people are talking (loudly) on them AND when you can see out of the corner of your eye the cellphone lights (etc. etc.) but I have to say I think that for a lot of people phones are a necessary thing to have. For many reasons, a few are:
1) They may need to call someone when the movie finishes (to pick them up etc).
2) Emergencies (self explanatory)
3) Some people need to be available as much as possible.
4) If you are meeting someone but you can’t find them or they don’t turn up then you may need your phone to get a hold of them and find out what’s going on.
As I have said I agree that annoying things happen in movie theatres with regards to people and their phones but I don’t think there should be a ban on having them with you. If people would just press that lovely red “power off” button before the movie starts I think everyone’s (including their) time at the movies would be a much happier one.
If you guys go to Europe you can get alcohol at almost any theater and the theaters are more comfy people have more respect over there and you don’t have theses huge hispanic groups walking around the theater yelling in spanish where they should sit. ( when i saw Rambo) Oh that would keep out the poor people with shitty manners or the kids the fuck in the theater no problem fucking in the theater just make sure its a real shity film. LOL
I would see Iron Man Dark Knight and Bond 22 in theaters then you feel like you have the VIP service they have in the films.
I’ll tell you what. For $25 you can come to my house and watch a movie.
Features:
Large Screen HDTV
Preferred, comfortable seating for at least 10.
Meals and snacks included in the price. (But you eat whatever I goddamned feel like making.)
A selection of bathrooms all within 10m of the screen. You can even leave the door open so you don’t miss the action.
Alcohol service with Self Serve Beer Fridge. (with the additional feature of being able to crash there if you drink too much during the screening, but you drink whatever I goddamned feel like serving )
No ads, minimal trailers.
Security in the form of a hairy, hulking 250lb man who will kick your ass if you whisper a peep during one of the screenings.
All kidding aside, if I wanted to have a great date night with my wife, If the topics you mentioned, John, were features, I would have NO problem paying that much for the experience. Why I remember a certain Gentlemen’s Club that gave you the option of paying an additional 20 bucks to avoid mingling with the unkempt masses and it was well worth it.
A max of three trailers per flick would be incentive for me to not attend that theater – I love trailers and enjoy seeing them before the movie. I have avoided Grand theaters because they only show three trailers per film, and usually crappy ones at that.
Forget the thing about the bathroom, John. For $35, I want a urinal attached to the back of the seat in front of me or a that comes up through the floor from the pipes or SOMETHING so I don’t have to get up to go.
I’ll pay $35 to see a film in theaters when the screening comes with either a DVD hard copy, or the film doesn’t come out for another 2 months.
“Meal and Alcohol service”
IF the meal and drinks are already included in the ticket price, then sign me up. I wonder if it would get annoying hearing people around me munching on their dinner during the quiet scenes? I guess it couldn’t being any louder than normal popcorn shuffling…
I would also add NO CELLPHONES…although I’m not sure how that would be policed: Would you have people having to hand their mobiles over to an usher before the show?
I think $35 is a good idea, in that if someone is going to spend that kind of money to begin with, then they probably are there for the show and nothing but the show.
No late entry, but you want five ushers walking around AS WELL AS people serving alcohol and food? And a guy showing up 6 minutes late bothers you? WTF?
I have NO issue with people showing up late. (I mean to me its the same as having someone come back from the bathroom. How can you tell?) What really burns me with some people is when the ass-hats who decide to show up 10 minutes into the movie with their five kids and grandma; carrying tons of food; who then decide to scour the dark movie theater for another 10 minutes, walking back and forth trying to find the best seats that are all together and asking people to move one way or the other.
You show up late? Come in, shut up, and just take the first seat you see. You wanna “scope out” the best viewing angle? Show up on time.
Transformers II
If it was a big movie screening weeks in advance, the profits went to charity, and the film’s stars were there sitting next to me, I’d ante up. Other than that, no way will I pay that much for one ticket. I can buy a ton of DVDs at Blockbuster for that price.
I love previews as long as there good and if there bad and I’m with the right friends they can still be enjoyable.
I think Twenty for the Matne.