I find it a bit strange that the answer to the drop in theater patronage seems to be to increase the costs of tickets (as has been happening over a number of years). That approach may work with gasoline, something that most people actualy "need" to buy, but the general public doesn't "need" to go to the movies, especialy when so many cheaper DVD options are available. Isn't lowering your price against the price of an opponent the normal course of action in a capitalistic competition? Lower your prices and advertise more, stick it out for a while and build up a new customer base and more customer loyalty?
"Hey, you at home, tired of waiting to watch the latest movies on your small home television?! Well come on down to Mega-Plex 3000!!! (insert special effect of tv morphing into huge movie screen) We've brought back the cheap matinee show and come enjoy our new Midnight Madness $5.00 show that comes with a free drink and free large popcorn!!!!!"
It seems strange to me that although I see a constant river of ads for movies, I never see any adds for Movie Theaters untill I actualy go to the theater and they show me that little reel that starts every show!!!!!!!!!!! An add for a movie is no longer an add for a theater, it's an add for a DVD.
I love movie theaters. I mean I freakin' LOVE movie theaters. An image on film is about a billion times better than what I see on a television, but for an industry (just theaters, not movies themselves) to take this much loss and not advertise their product is foolish.
People may not "need" to go to the Theater, but they do "need" to be told stories. Right now, DVD is the cheaper story. If you want people to go to the theater, make them go with advertising, value, and good old showmanship.
(Back in the mid-nineties, a theater in my home town changed over to new management. As a promotion, popcorn and drinks were both 50 cents for like two months. EVERYONE was going to see movies for those two months)
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Dylan C Johnson
Savannah, GA
