The Cheap Seats $$$ - Blu-ray Forum

carpaltonnel · 02-24-2009, 04:50 AM

I was thinking back to my earliest movie outings as a child, where for what seemed like mere pennies you could see a movie grab a popcorn, candy and drink for like less than five dollars total. Nowadays five dollars will net you a Matinee if you are lucky. Last week me and my fiancee went to see a movie at 4pm, (missed the matinee, somehow) spending nearly 50 dollars for two tickets, value combos???

and candy. Sick I know, but hey we love the movies so we deal.

What was the cheapiest price from your earliest memory that you paid for a ticket to a movie?

Personally, mine was like $3.75 about fifteen years ago. I think it was a regular show time too.

wnicholas76 · 02-24-2009, 05:09 AM

My first earliest memory was when my mother took me to see Batman (1989), Throw Momma From the Train, and Masters of the Universe. I don't remember how much tickets were at the time, but I was sure that they were a hell of a lot cheaper back then than they are now. And my second earliest memory paying only $2.00 at a discount movie theater that ran movies that were released earlier in the year that they first went into theaters. I remember seeing such movies like Armageddon, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Mouse Hunt, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Anaconda, House on Haunted Hill (1999), Judge Dredd, The Specialist, Disclosure, Street Fighter, Holy Man, and Demolition Man -- all for only $2.00! Before said theater closed down, my very last movie that I saw there was Mission: Impossible II. Man, those were happy days! I miss those days.

carpaltonnel · 02-24-2009, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnicholas76

My first earliest memory was when my mother took me to see Batman (1989), Throw Momma From the Train, and Masters of the Universe. I don't remember how much tickets were at the time, but I was sure that they were a hell of a lot cheaper back then than they are now. And my second earliest memory paying only $2.00 at a discount movie theater that ran movies that were released earlier in the year that they first went into theaters. I remember seeing such movies like Armageddon, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Mouse Hunt, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Anaconda, House on Haunted Hill (1999), Judge Dredd, The Specialist, Disclosure, Street Fighter, Holy Man, and Demolition Man -- all for only $2.00! Before said theater closed down, my very last movie that I saw there was Mission: Impossible II. Man, those were happy days! I miss those days.

Thanks for sharing your memories, seems like you have had a passion for films for a while.

toef · 02-24-2009, 05:30 AM

I have no way of really knowing what the first movies I saw cost, but I often take ticket stubs and throw them in a little pot on my desk when I get home (that is, if I don't throw the ticket stub out at some point before getting home).

I like just looking back at the "evolution" of movie tickets, including logo changes by the theaters, and the change in theaters in general (buyouts, mergers, and whatever else).

Anyway, the oldest ticket I have is from seeing Twister with some friends back in 1996. That was for $4.75.

I also have a ticket from The Wedding Singer (March 1998), which was for $4.50, so it must have been a matinee, because I have another ticket from the same theater for The Newton Boys (April 1998) and that was $6.50. And then there's Urban Legend (don't hate me because I see great movies; October 1998) and that was all the way up to $7.75.

The most recent ticket I have is a matinee for Slumdog Millionaire (December 2008) and that was for $7.50.

carpaltonnel · 02-24-2009, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toefer

I have no way of really knowing what the first movies I saw cost, but I often take ticket stubs and throw them in a little pot on my desk when I get home (that is, if I don't throw the ticket stub out at some point before getting home).

I like just looking back at the "evolution" of movie tickets, including logo changes by the theaters, and the change in theaters in general (buyouts, mergers, and whatever else).

Anyway, the oldest ticket I have is from seeing Twister with some friends back in 1996. That was for $4.75.

I also have a ticket from The Wedding Singer (March 1998), which was for $4.50, so it must have been a matinee, because I have another ticket from the same theater for The Newton Boys (April 1998) and that was $6.50. And then there's Urban Legend (don't hate me because I see great movies; October 1998) and that was all the way up to $7.75.

The most recent ticket I have is a matinee for Slumdog Millionaire (December 2008) and that was for $7.50.

Wow toefer, this is quite impressive of you. I tried to hold on to old stubs but I move often and well, some things don't travel as well as others I guess. I two recall seeing Twister and spending the same amount. Nice post man, good times.

STARSCREAM · 02-24-2009, 07:20 AM

The cost of buying drinks and food at the theater is what will get your wallet.

matthieuxdetoux · 02-24-2009, 07:56 AM

There is actually a first run theater about 15 minutes away from me where the regular tickets are $4.25 and matinees are $2.25. I would never go see something like Tranformers there but just took the fiancee there to see Taken saturday for a whopping $4.50 total...

http://movies.yahoo.com/showtimes-ti...mall-cinema-5/

Other than that my brother in law used to print t shirts for the Kent State University theater so he took me there alot for free.

Sushisake · 02-24-2009, 09:57 AM

When I was a kid, I remember my parents dropping my sisters and me off at the movies - and the movies were 50 cents or 75 cents!!! That would have been around 1964, or so. And then - when SOUND OF MUSIC came out, my parents took us (although they were far from wealthy - VERY far), and it was an ASTONISHING $2.00 per person! It was considered almost highway robbery at the time - and this was 1965.

Marquoz · 02-24-2009, 11:13 AM

I saw Coraline the other day with my son and it was $20 total for the two of us. $5 each ticket, and $10 for popcorn and a drink. I just shared the popcorn and drink with him, and it was all good.

Also GREAT movie, it was well worth the $20 to see it even though it wasn't in 3D. All I know is, Aliens Vs. Monsters I'm driving an hour to see in 3D.

jsteinhauer · 02-24-2009, 11:28 AM

I recall seeing $1.25 movies at the Marquis in Downtown Northville, MI in the 1970's. The last thing I remember seeing there was Moonraker, but I do remember seeing Young Frankenstein there, as well. Going to the Mai Kai in Livonia was cool, because it was a huge theater (it seemed) and they had Dolby Stereo. That's where I saw Superman, The Spy Who Loved Me and Smokey and the Bandit. My parents liked going to the Quo Vadis in Livonia, because they could get adult beverages there. I saw my first R-rated movie there. The Long Riders, I think it was, which was a Jesse James movie.

By then, most cinema theaters were in shopping malls, and most movies were $4 a ticket, which I thought was outrageous.

Rob71 · 02-24-2009, 12:06 PM

I remember seeing quite a few movies for $1. Now these were after they had finished their run at the chain theaters, but for a kid it didn't matter. They were lax on the parent/guardian rule and for about $20 you could stay all day. I remeber seeing Clash Of The Titans four times in a row at that theater. Also remember seeing Raiders Of The Lost Ark quite a bit also.

carpaltonnel · 02-24-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matthieuxdetoux

There is actually a first run theater about 15 minutes away from me where the regular tickets are $4.25 and matinees are $2.25. I would never go see something like Tranformers there but just took the fiancee there to see Taken saturday for a whopping $4.50 total...

http://movies.yahoo.com/showtimes-ti...mall-cinema-5/

Other than that my brother in law used to print t shirts for the Kent State University theater so he took me there alot for free.

Congrats on your proposal! I just popped the question two days ago myself!

D1-2005 · 02-24-2009, 02:11 PM

They still have a 2.00 movie theatre by me, and its pretty good considering it was an AMC that closed down. So it has some big screens and good seats.

Diesel · 02-24-2009, 02:41 PM

the cheapest i can remember paying is around $4.00 (at a regular theater)

a few years ago we had a discount theater around here though, 1.95 per ticket
thats how i saw Fantastic Four, Click, The Pacifier (hey i like Diesel, lol), and a few others

also my grandfather was recently telling me about when he would go to the movies when he was younger with a quarter and get a ticket, a large rootbeer and a popcorn....and have change

mikejet · 02-24-2009, 03:00 PM

There's still a $1.50 movie place in Los Angeles on Fairfax. Sure the movies are a little older but it's $1.50.

SquidPuppet · 02-24-2009, 03:05 PM

I grew up in Orange County CA. When I was 10 or so, we would walk to the theater on Saturday morning for the Monster Matinee Triple feature...it was .50 cents.

When I was 13 or so we would get up at 4:30 in the morning to ride our bikes to the beach to go surfing. We brought a whole Dollar. We would stop At Winchells on the way and get 2 doughnuts and a milk and get change from a quarter. At the beach we would eat nachos and Hostess junk food. On the way home we would pick up a basket of strawberries at a field. And when we got real close to home we would get a burrito at Taco Bell for 15 cents. We played all day and had a few pennies left from A DOLLAR.

When I was 16, $10.00 put some gas in my car, dinner for 2, and a movie...and change.

SquidPuppet · 02-24-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

There's still a $1.50 movie place in Los Angeles on Fairfax. Sure the movies are a little older but it's $1.50.

dpomp · 02-24-2009, 03:08 PM

there's a place here in OKC that only costs $3.50 to get in to the movie during matinee.

popcorn and drinks and everything else are still an arm and a leg though.

but that's the cheapest i've seen a movie in recent years with the exception of the dollar movies.

carpaltonnel · 02-24-2009, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

There's still a $1.50 movie place in Los Angeles on Fairfax. Sure the movies are a little older but it's $1.50.

It's still a day/night out!

OrlandoEastwood · 02-25-2009, 05:37 AM

I took my sister to go see Bolt 3D back at Thanksgiving and it was $13 a ticket and I ended up spending $26 on tickets alone since it's the 3D version. With the military discount it would have only been $14 total for the 2D version. That 3D did not really cut it for me and it royally annoyed the hell out of me. Popcorn and Soda really got us too, but that's always $11.

But the real time tickets got me was when me, my dad, and sister went to see King Kong back in 2005 in Scotland. If you convert the Pound to US it was $33 for tickets alone. Then an extra $22 for a small soda and popcorn. I loved King Kong but the USD to UKP really beat the crap out of us money wise.

Like since the theaters out here in Hilo, HI do not do Military discounts it's $9.50 a ticket during the regular showtimes. The matinee is $6.75 so it's almost the price of the discounts back on O'ahu. I just went out and bought an advanced ticket for Watchmen after class next Friday.

02-24-2009, 04:50 AM	#1
carpaltonnel Power Member Member since:Jan 2009 Location:New York, Long Island Blu-ray collection:118 Blu-ray reviews:7	The Cheap Seats $$$ I was thinking back to my earliest movie outings as a child, where for what seemed like mere pennies you could see a movie grab a popcorn, candy and drink for like less than five dollars total. Nowadays five dollars will net you a Matinee if you are lucky. Last week me and my fiancee went to see a movie at 4pm, (missed the matinee, somehow) spending nearly 50 dollars for two tickets, value combos??? and candy. Sick I know, but hey we love the movies so we deal. What was the cheapiest price from your earliest memory that you paid for a ticket to a movie? Personally, mine was like $3.75 about fifteen years ago. I think it was a regular show time too.

02-24-2009, 02:41 PM	#14
Diesel Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Digital collection:- Blu-ray reviews: 31 Trading Score:10	the cheapest i can remember paying is around $4.00 (at a regular theater) a few years ago we had a discount theater around here though, 1.95 per ticket thats how i saw Fantastic Four, Click, The Pacifier (hey i like Diesel, lol), and a few others also my grandfather was recently telling me about when he would go to the movies when he was younger with a quarter and get a ticket, a large rootbeer and a popcorn....and have change Last edited by Diesel; 02-24-2009 at 02:43 PM.

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02-24-2009, 05:09 AM	#2
wnicholas76 Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Memphis, TN (for now...) Home Theater Gallery:188 4K collection:495 Blu-ray collection:1068 Blu-ray reviews: 24 Trading Score:12	My first earliest memory was when my mother took me to see Batman (1989), Throw Momma From the Train, and Masters of the Universe. I don't remember how much tickets were at the time, but I was sure that they were a hell of a lot cheaper back then than they are now. And my second earliest memory paying only $2.00 at a discount movie theater that ran movies that were released earlier in the year that they first went into theaters. I remember seeing such movies like Armageddon, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Mouse Hunt, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Anaconda, House on Haunted Hill (1999), Judge Dredd, The Specialist, Disclosure, Street Fighter, Holy Man, and Demolition Man -- all for only $2.00! Before said theater closed down, my very last movie that I saw there was Mission: Impossible II. Man, those were happy days! I miss those days.

02-24-2009, 05:30 AM	#4
toef Blu-ray Champion Member since:May 2008 Location:Isla Nublar 4K collection:229 Blu-ray collection:545 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:4	I have no way of really knowing what the first movies I saw cost, but I often take ticket stubs and throw them in a little pot on my desk when I get home (that is, if I don't throw the ticket stub out at some point before getting home). I like just looking back at the "evolution" of movie tickets, including logo changes by the theaters, and the change in theaters in general (buyouts, mergers, and whatever else). Anyway, the oldest ticket I have is from seeing Twister with some friends back in 1996. That was for $4.75. I also have a ticket from The Wedding Singer (March 1998), which was for $4.50, so it must have been a matinee, because I have another ticket from the same theater for The Newton Boys (April 1998) and that was $6.50. And then there's Urban Legend (don't hate me because I see great movies; October 1998) and that was all the way up to $7.75. The most recent ticket I have is a matinee for Slumdog Millionaire (December 2008) and that was for $7.50.

02-24-2009, 07:20 AM	#6
STARSCREAM Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Dagobah Blu-ray collection:148 Trading Score:67	The cost of buying drinks and food at the theater is what will get your wallet.

02-24-2009, 07:56 AM	#7
matthieuxdetoux Active Member Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Kent, Ohio Blu-ray collection:136	There is actually a first run theater about 15 minutes away from me where the regular tickets are $4.25 and matinees are $2.25. I would never go see something like Tranformers there but just took the fiancee there to see Taken saturday for a whopping $4.50 total... http://movies.yahoo.com/showtimes-ti...mall-cinema-5/ Other than that my brother in law used to print t shirts for the Kent State University theater so he took me there alot for free.

02-24-2009, 09:57 AM	#8
Sushisake Active Member Member since:Aug 2007 Blu-ray collection:1806 Blu-ray reviews:8 Trading Score:3	When I was a kid, I remember my parents dropping my sisters and me off at the movies - and the movies were 50 cents or 75 cents!!! That would have been around 1964, or so. And then - when SOUND OF MUSIC came out, my parents took us (although they were far from wealthy - VERY far), and it was an ASTONISHING $2.00 per person! It was considered almost highway robbery at the time - and this was 1965.

02-24-2009, 11:13 AM	#9
Marquoz Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jan 2008 Location:New Orleans Home Theater Gallery:4 Blu-ray collection:167 Trading Score:2	I saw Coraline the other day with my son and it was $20 total for the two of us. $5 each ticket, and $10 for popcorn and a drink. I just shared the popcorn and drink with him, and it was all good. Also GREAT movie, it was well worth the $20 to see it even though it wasn't in 3D. All I know is, Aliens Vs. Monsters I'm driving an hour to see in 3D.

02-24-2009, 11:28 AM	#10
jsteinhauer Gaming Moderator Member since:Aug 2007 Blu-ray reviews:120 Trading Score:66	I recall seeing $1.25 movies at the Marquis in Downtown Northville, MI in the 1970's. The last thing I remember seeing there was Moonraker, but I do remember seeing Young Frankenstein there, as well. Going to the Mai Kai in Livonia was cool, because it was a huge theater (it seemed) and they had Dolby Stereo. That's where I saw Superman, The Spy Who Loved Me and Smokey and the Bandit. My parents liked going to the Quo Vadis in Livonia, because they could get adult beverages there. I saw my first R-rated movie there. The Long Riders, I think it was, which was a Jesse James movie. By then, most cinema theaters were in shopping malls, and most movies were $4 a ticket, which I thought was outrageous.

02-24-2009, 12:06 PM	#11
Rob71 Blu-ray Knight Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Florida Home Theater Gallery:13 Blu-ray collection:295 Trading Score:5	I remember seeing quite a few movies for $1. Now these were after they had finished their run at the chain theaters, but for a kid it didn't matter. They were lax on the parent/guardian rule and for about $20 you could stay all day. I remeber seeing Clash Of The Titans four times in a row at that theater. Also remember seeing Raiders Of The Lost Ark quite a bit also.

02-24-2009, 02:11 PM	#13
D1-2005 Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Kansas City Home Theater Gallery:12 4K collection:20 Blu-ray collection:298	They still have a 2.00 movie theatre by me, and its pretty good considering it was an AMC that closed down. So it has some big screens and good seats.

02-24-2009, 03:00 PM	#15
mikejet Banned Member since:Sep 2008 Location:Los Angeles, CA Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:29	There's still a $1.50 movie place in Los Angeles on Fairfax. Sure the movies are a little older but it's $1.50.

02-24-2009, 03:05 PM	#16
SquidPuppet Blu-ray Duke Top contributor Member since:Dec 2007 Location:Club Loop Blu-ray collection:277 Blu-ray reviews:27	I grew up in Orange County CA. When I was 10 or so, we would walk to the theater on Saturday morning for the Monster Matinee Triple feature...it was .50 cents. When I was 13 or so we would get up at 4:30 in the morning to ride our bikes to the beach to go surfing. We brought a whole Dollar. We would stop At Winchells on the way and get 2 doughnuts and a milk and get change from a quarter. At the beach we would eat nachos and Hostess junk food. On the way home we would pick up a basket of strawberries at a field. And when we got real close to home we would get a burrito at Taco Bell for 15 cents. We played all day and had a few pennies left from A DOLLAR. When I was 16, $10.00 put some gas in my car, dinner for 2, and a movie...and change.

02-24-2009, 03:08 PM	#18
dpomp ₯ Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Texas PSN: dpomp131 Blu-ray collection:231 Trading Score:19	there's a place here in OKC that only costs $3.50 to get in to the movie during matinee. popcorn and drinks and everything else are still an arm and a leg though. but that's the cheapest i've seen a movie in recent years with the exception of the dollar movies.

02-25-2009, 05:37 AM	#20
OrlandoEastwood Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:R-Point Blu-ray reviews:86 Trading Score:24	I took my sister to go see Bolt 3D back at Thanksgiving and it was $13 a ticket and I ended up spending $26 on tickets alone since it's the 3D version. With the military discount it would have only been $14 total for the 2D version. That 3D did not really cut it for me and it royally annoyed the hell out of me. Popcorn and Soda really got us too, but that's always $11. But the real time tickets got me was when me, my dad, and sister went to see King Kong back in 2005 in Scotland. If you convert the Pound to US it was $33 for tickets alone. Then an extra $22 for a small soda and popcorn. I loved King Kong but the USD to UKP really beat the crap out of us money wise. Like since the theaters out here in Hilo, HI do not do Military discounts it's $9.50 a ticket during the regular showtimes. The matinee is $6.75 so it's almost the price of the discounts back on O'ahu. I just went out and bought an advanced ticket for Watchmen after class next Friday.

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