Who still goes to the movies?

Last week we went to go see Ready Player One, and this is the first time I have gone to the movies in quite some time. My main reason is due to cost ($10-$12/ticket is obnoxious), but time has been a hindrance as well. Plus I have a nice home entertainment setup, so missing out at the theater is not as bad as it once was.

I was stunned when I saw the prices now. The cheapest theater anywhere in the New Orleans area was Canal Place at $15. All the others were $17. For my wife, daughter and I to go see this (canal was out due to their age restrictions), just to sit in the seat was $50.

I understand the business model here. They have remodeled their theaters to be more comfortable, and as such they have less seats to fill per screen. The problem with this is that they are pricing the average consumer out of the marketplace. It's outrageous that there's no standard movie theater to go to now where I can just sit down in a normal seat and watch a movie at a reasonable price. What's sad is that I am now referring to $10-$12 as reasonable.

At what point will the breaking point hit and people stop going? I think we've seen enough evidence of this over the last few years, but they skew they numbers by reporting total revenue income. Those numbers don't reflect the number of people going, because they constant rising prices make up for the fewer viewers.

I get the feeling they know their audience now is comprised of either die-hard fans or wealthy who think nothing of spending this, so they are refining their theaters to attract those wealthy people by implementing reclining leather chairs and such. This is unfortunate, because movie lovers like me are now relegated to waiting until it's on video.

We are reaching the point where the movie experience is no longer an option for the average citizen. Actually I think we are already there. It's very sad.