Regal Cinemas looking to charge "dynamic pricing" AKA further screwing movie patrons....

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Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Fri, 10/27/2017 - 10:18

According to NJ.com:

Regal Entertainment Group, the second largest chain in the U.S...is partnering with mobile ticketing app maker, Atom Tickets, to test out a "demand-based pricing for film tickets in several markets early next year," according to Variety.

The higher demand in a movie -- say "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" or "Justice League," to cite two upcoming titles expected to be hugely successful -- the higher the ticket price.

Alternately, if it's a flop -- or if it's a popular movie nearing the end of its run -- you're looking at a bargain night at the movie theater.

"If an alternative pricing model is going to be successful we believe that one, it must provide a clear economic benefit to both exhibitors and our studio partners, and two, it should provide a compelling value proposition for our consumers," CEO Amy Miles said in an announcement this week.

"This test could be the first step towards a pricing model that drive incremental revenue in peak periods and incremental attendance in non-peak periods."

...

Dynamic pricing, as the term is known in the industry, has been increasingly commonplace, but not without controversy. Many have complained that the dynamic pricing model for such Broadway shows like "Hamilton" or "Springsteen on Broadway" has made it virtually impossible for everyday fans to see these shows.

Source: NJ.com

Commentary: I will admit that I don’t completely disagree with the idea here. If there is more demand for something, the consumer will pay more for it. And for the most part, the more in-demand movies would tend to have bigger budgets, so charging more to see them isn’t all that crazy. It is also possible, that this could convince people to check out smaller, more independent movies, since they would, in theory, be cheaper.

But at the end of the day, the whole thing still feels a little sleazy to me. The argument of “well, they do it for Broadway shows” just doesn’t excite me all that much. I used to go to Broadway shows all the time, but it’s just not affordable these days. And it is already pricey to take my family of five to see a movie…and my kids have never asked “Dad, can you take us to see that Oscar-worthy documentary?” Throwing on premium prices and it’s going to be “Sorry, kids, we’re waiting for it to come on Vudu!”

Hopefully, this is just an idea being thrown around and doesn’t become the new normal…it’s up to you, movie goers. If you continue to bend over and pay for the shady practices, they will just keep doing them and getting worse.