Eh... yes and no. There is the convenience and comfort of one's own home. Plus, of course, for a single $20 payment you could have several family members and friends participate in the viewing experience.
On top of that, of course, you get the benefits of home-movie watching generally, such as being able to pause or reverse the movie back or forward if you wish, cheap snacks and candy (since you're not paying movie theater prices), and so on.
$20 is definitely not a terrible deal, especially if more than one person might be watching.
Agreed. We've gotten used to a few models of digital downloads it seems:
1. Pay to "own"[0]: ~$10
2. Pay to rent for 24h or so: ~$5
3. Unlimited streaming of all titles: ~$15/mo
It'd be a bit weird to pay $20 for #2, even for a first-run movie. I get that the price we pay doesn't always reflect just the seller's cost (sometimes we pay more just for the perception of a premium product), but it's hard to justify paying an extra $15 for the costs of running a theater when you aren't actually going to that theater.
I get that there are certainly people who would value that (like the OP who has kids and can't get out with his wife to go to the theater), but I expect most people of average means would balk at $20 for home viewing, and just wait for a normal rental price or for it to appear on whichever AYCE streaming service the subscribe to.
[0] Scare-quotes because of course the download you get is still DRMed, which means you don't really truly own the copy.
It depends... I went to see "New Mutants" and after the covid period, I think the ticket was something like $14, and the consession (popcorn and a soda) were another $20 and that was just for me alone... a date would be closer to $60-80 and a family close to $100...
Vs: $20-30 at home, where you can pause etc and microwave your own popcorn for under $2
Are those American or Canadian dollars? Or like HK dollars? Although concession prices are high, I've definitely never seen them that high. Or was $20 the price of ticket and popcorn+drink?
USD, Phoenix, Harkins after Pandemic lockdown relaxed...
I remember the ticket being around $14 and the popcorn and drink being around $20, just for myself... It's been a few months, so I may be off by $2-3 on each portion, but the sticker shock was real... I'd be more open to $20-30 and staying home.
Yes, it could be seen that way, but in practice, are people really going to collect a few dollars from everyone who's watching a movie in their house with them?
There are ways to justify a $20 movie rental, but it feels different to go spend that at a theater vs paying it at home. I will wager that it's a much harder decision to make as the value proposition is different.
> are people really going to collect a few dollars from everyone who's watching
Eh, not really, and that's not really the point. The gist 8is split amongst everybody (all your friends getting value out of the same $20) even if you're still paying the whole amount.
Plus when this happens usually they'll bring food and drinks, or they'll do similar when at their house, or cover you when the next time you go out, etc. So it all evens out.
It's the same concept as having a BBQ. You're not the only person eating the bbq but you likely bought it and ate doing the cooking lol
When you factor in being able to have cheaper food, not to mention intermissions whenever you want (bathroom break, making popcorn, etc), I feel like streaming is still better than theater, price-wise, even at $30/movie.
Unfortunately, it doesn't _feel_ that way. We still haven't seen Mulan yet, though, and I'm not sure if price is a factor in that. I suspect it's a small factor -- we subscribed to Disney+ to see Hamilton, for example -- but it just hasn't come up in months. I forgot about it until writing this comment.
It's hard to convince myself that I should pay $20 or $30 for a screening, when a year from now I can likely rent it on Prime for $10 or less.
I just checked and IMAX tickets here are $21.31 per person. Even $50 is a bargain if you want the luxury of a few handfuls of popcorn. Watch with another couple and it’s downright cheap. Obviously doesn’t apply everywhere, but for cities it is perfectly priced IMO.
I'm not sure many people would. $20 seems astronomically expensive to me to see a single movie. I don't think I could ever justify that.