In the last few weeks a couple of wild news pieces regarding the movie industry have appeared and they’re super effective! After reading, and listening to a few articles on the subject I wanted to share some information and opinions.
One: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas predict that the film industry will change to a two-tier ticket price system. It will be more like a “Broadway show” where the popular big-budget movies will be more expensive (like the next Iron Man movie being about $25) and have longer runs whilst small-budget movies will be cheaper (like Lincoln would’ve been about $7) and have shorter runs.
Two: Select cinemas in America are promoting a World War Z premium ticket for $50 to see an advanced screening with lots of extras like a poster, digital copy of the movie when it’s released, small popcorn and more. This is a test run of what could be a viable future option.
I’ve seen a lot of negative feedback regarding this as in people not wanting to pay more, not thinking it’s worth paying more or they just don’t like the change at all. I, however, think this could potentially be a positive thing. High-budget movie productions need to earn more money than they put in to be considered successful and this is becoming increasingly harder to do. The movie industry is just trying to offer solutions to make this easier.
I believe our current system is based on selling the cinema experience instead of the movie itself. This is why tickets are basically the same price no matter the movie, but if you want to watch something in a specialised cinema the price will rise. You’re paying for the cinema and not the movie. It’s entirely different in the TV and DVD industry where you pay for the movie itself (on DVD, Blu-Ray or Digital Download) instead of the viewing method (TV or Computer) which you already own. DVD’s vary in price, for example blockbusters and new releases are more expensive whereas low-budget and less popular movies are cheaper. Why should the cinema industry not adapt to this also?
The risk in raising ticket prices so high would, of course, be in pushing more people to pirate the movie or wait until it’s released on DVD. However, I believe the portion of people who regularly go to the cinema instead of pirating or waiting (perhaps the fans, ones with more disposable income or kind friends) will continue to do so. Time will tell if this will become standard or flop miserably but they will have to ease into it with smaller margins between ticket prices, perhaps $20 instead of $25 for high-budget movies and $10 instead of $7 for low-budget movies.
I think this premium ticket bid could be a HUGE hit. Many people want to be the first to see a movie, especially if it has an established fan base, which is why they may pay more for an early screening. If you have been waiting eagerly for months, or even years, to see a movie you are going to want to see it as soon as it’s released. This is why I also predict newly released movies will be more expensive than ones that have already been out for a while. People love having special treatment and will pay extra to be treated as a VIP. You don’t have to buy a premium ticket if you don’t want to, just get a normal one, but the option would still be there.
The reason why kick-starters like the one for the Veronica Mars Movie are so successful is because of the extras like the special edition copies or the posters that you could get depending on how much you “donate.” People will pay money for these extras, especially if they are rare, and I think this is a perfect selling point to boost profit for cinematic movie releases. What if they did this for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug? What major fan wouldn’t pay $50 (or even more) for say an early screening, a collectible key ring, a limited edition poster, a digital copy of a movie when released and (a much kinder) medium popcorn and drink? I think that’s a good bargain – especially for a copy of the movie which will be about $25 alone.
There will be some sort of change in our world because it is already becoming more technologically advanced. With TV’s and cinemas becoming bigger and better, where do we draw the line between the two? The internet is also playing a huge part in how we view visual media. Sure, it’s cheaper and more convenient to view something from the comfort of your own home but does that take the magic away from dressing up, going out and making a night of going to the cinema? Cinemas boast a massive HD screen with HQ surround sound and an audience of people making it a unique experience.
Would you be willing to pay a bit more for bigger movies with goodies included or would this move drive you away from the cinema all together? Where do you see the film industry going?
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.