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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph At The Movies (film discussion thread)

Discussion in 'Community' started by DarthMane2, May 23, 2015.

  1. Luke02

    Luke02 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 19, 2002
    For me, I would be more on board if they were simply charging less for the non-prime seats. I actually "80 for Brady" showed that the inflated ticket prices are part of the problem and having a bit of a discount will bring more people in. If they were going to charge slightly less for the non preferred seats, then not only is it more fair and reasonable, I think it be good for business as I think some people who been staying away might be tempted to go a bi more often. Instead there is now a surcharge for the preferred seats, while most of the other seats stay the same with the only "value seats" are in the front row basically. And to top it off this is for every showing, not just like prime times during the weekend when they are busiest. Definitely a family like us (5) would get with an extra $10 to go see one movie if we want good seats so even though we live slightly closer to an AMC, we will continue going to the Cinemark like we have for years. Just hope they see they the backlash AMC is getting and therefore will go "oh heck no!".
     
  2. Guidman

    Guidman Skywalker Saga Mod and Trivia Host star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 29, 2016
  3. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Well, it makes sense that "the ticket price" represents the most common seating options, while only a few/better ones are upcharged and value ones are discounted with those average seats being the point of reference. I do agree that they should expand the discount to more than just the front row, however. Anything in the wings and the last 2-4 seats at the end of a (average) 20-seat central row (depending on how close the row is to the screen, with the back row maybe not getting any) at the value pricing.

    But they're only testing things right now. One can hope that they'll adjust their specific layout based on feedback and performance before the full roll-out.
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2023
  4. gezvader28

    gezvader28 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 22, 2003
    just buy a cheap seat and then sit in an expensive one.
     
  5. Rogue1-and-a-half

    Rogue1-and-a-half Manager Emeritus who is writing his masterpiece star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2000
    That'll be hard to police, unless every single middle seat in the auditorium is taken.

    Per the original article, "Sightline at AMC is applied to all showtimes that begin after 4 p.m. at participating locations. It’s not applicable on Discount Tuesdays, when all movie tickets are discounted to $5."
     
  6. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000

    Once a month is not infrequent is my point though. I bet the average American goes more like once a quarter.
     
    Luke02 likes this.
  7. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    For AMC specifically I think the average American goes somewhere else.
     
  8. Rogue1-and-a-half

    Rogue1-and-a-half Manager Emeritus who is writing his masterpiece star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2000
    Yeah, I try to go to the movies at least a couple times a month, but the AMC is not where I typically end up, unless it's a movie I specifically want to see in Dolby.
     
  9. Ahsoka's Tano

    Ahsoka's Tano Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2014
    So this dropped on YouTube. Tbh it looks kind of dumb; but it's got Mel Brooks' name on it and they managed to shoe-horn as many contemporary comedians as was possible. I'm sure I'll eventually watch it on Hulu; but I'm not so excited about it and know already it won't hold a candle to the original.

     
  10. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    That seat pricing just went into effect at my theater, surprisingly enough. Didn't think it would happen here so quickly. On the upside, the seats I usually get aren't in the upcharge field.

    [​IMG]

    So, I find that kinda funny even if it wouldn't have affected me either way. But glad any friends joining me don't have to pay extra nonetheless. But, then, when I do go to the NYC IMAX, it does seem that my seats are in that field (it's much larger there because, well, much bigger screen / sightlines), and since those are usually the tickets i have to buy through Fandango because AMC's site crashes whenever the big film tickets go on pre-sale (thus preventing A-List usage), I guess i do get a little screwed there.

    [​IMG]

    But then again, because of a friend's schedule, we often have to settle for Sunday night showtimes instead of Fri or Sat, and those don't sell out right away so I can wait until AMC works for those usually, so... break even?

    [​IMG]

    I mean, semantics, I suppose. But the subscription passes for all these theater chains are specifically targeting "frequent" moviegoers as a value as a base concept (it's why they use "up to 3 a week [not month]" as their main selling point). So, that would technically mean anything not within that value range (well, maybe not the full 3 a week, but 2-3 a month to make the subscription fee a discount) would be considered infrequent or less frequent in this context, however you want to phrase it. Outside of that metric, yeah, once a month is certainly more frequent than the average person.

    I dunno, but you gotta figure that, for opening weekend evenings the majority of those prime seats are going to get filled by A-Listers anyways (they have something around a million subscribers or something), whether or not there's an upcharge. And those other straggler seats get filled quickly after that. So the most common scenario is probably going to result in most people getting the "standard" seats anyways with no change in pricing.

    In the end, we know that theaters need to do things to make money, and they can only raise prices on food so much. Of the various things they've tried or proposed in the last year or two, this seating charge seems like a very reasonable and logical compromise. It's providing optional discounts to people that want to take advantage of it, and the upcharge only affects a very small portion of the audience (even if you ignore A-Listers, these seats are around 1/6th to 1/4th of the auditorium in a worst case scenario). That's far, far better an alternative than variable pricing upcharges that affect everyone (or, at least, the majority of moviegoers, since it negatively affects the most popular films). I feel like if there's something to pissed off about, it should be the one that screws over most people without a choice, not the one that is an optional inconvenience for a small fraction of some people.
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2023
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  11. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000
    I think you vastly overestimate how many people have A List. I doubt any showing is ever "filled" with A listers.
     
  12. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Filled? No. But most of those seats within a opening weekend evening showing? Seems likely. AMC has less than 600 theaters in the US. Even if you evenly divide things (which we know they are not), that's an average 20,000 subscribers across an average of 12 theaters per state. With 2 or 3 evening showtimes across maybe 3-4 screens, on average, for the typical big films. So 144 showtimes across them all, times three days is 432, leaving an average of about 46 subscribers per showing to pull from. With exception to the outliers like full-sized IMAX screens, it seems most theaters will average 35-48 seats in the upgrade fee area, with regular IMAX screens being the most common ceiling with 84 seats and the smallest auditoriums providing a floor of around 25.

    Now, these are just averages, of course, and not everyone is going to go out opening weekend- but it's safe to say that anyone who has A-List is probably much more likely to do so (and will do so far in advance, as they avoid reservation fees and thus lack incentive to purchase at kiosks in person the day of). It won't be the entire subscriber base, either, of course. But under those typical conditions, it seems very likely that a good chunk (most likely the majority) of these seats will be A-Listers, on average, and/or people who already don't care about surcharges (ie: Fandango users, etc).

    Outside of those conditions? Yeah, definitely will start to thin out and leave more potential for a lot more non-A-Listers to be affected by the upcharge. Though that is somewhat offset by fewer evening showtimes on the weekdays (outside of the Dine-In locations, which are already premium venues with limited seating anyways). I also wouldn't be surprised for those non-opening weekend showtimes to be utilized for "buy standard tickets to a less-filled showtime, then swap to better, unused premium seats after the movie starts" behavior, as happens at any entertainment venue for music, sports, etc.
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2023
  13. Rylo Ken

    Rylo Ken Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2023
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  14. Ahsoka's Tano

    Ahsoka's Tano Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2014
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  15. Luke02

    Luke02 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 19, 2002


    Cannot wait to watch this on Amazon Prime late in the summer but my guess is they will stick on MGM+ first to try and lure people on to watch it.
     
  16. Rogue1-and-a-half

    Rogue1-and-a-half Manager Emeritus who is writing his masterpiece star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2000
    Just watched Infinity Pool in the theater. Okay, Skarsgard, you got me. That was a great performance.

    It's not as great as Possessor, Brandon Cronenberg's previous movie, one of my absolute favorites of the year it came out. But by the end, it had me cringing hard. Cronenberg 2.0 is a true cinematic artist. Remains to be seen whether he'll have the longevity of his dad, but this stuff is absolutely of the same quality, so I sure hope so and I'll be seeing everything he does. Go into it knowing as little as possible.
     
  17. Guidman

    Guidman Skywalker Saga Mod and Trivia Host star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 29, 2016
    **** it, this won me over by having one of the greatest rap songs ever in the trailer. I'm all in.
     
  18. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    ^ What happened to the 2 helicopters is probably fairly realistic. As for the airdrop out of the plane, as usual, that's just chock full o' no.
     
  19. Bor Mullet

    Bor Mullet Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2018
    Wish I could be interested, but I’m pretty tired of this kind of business genius/ hero story. The lionization of corporate success, essentially. OK, so he came up with the idea of linking a shoe line to a basketball player. Great. Humanity will forever be in his debt.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2023
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  20. Rogue1-and-a-half

    Rogue1-and-a-half Manager Emeritus who is writing his masterpiece star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2000
    I guess the main appeal is supposed to be Affleck and Damon together again and Affleck directing again, but I'm not really excited about either of those things, not in a movie that looks this hackneyed.
     
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  21. Bor Mullet

    Bor Mullet Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2018
    Watched Jonas Carpignano’s “Calabria” film trilogy (not billed that way, but they’re all connected by geography, culture and subject), all at once. Good Lord are these good movies. Incredibly authentic and led by insanely strong young actors.

    1. Mediterranea
    2. A Ciambra
    3. A Chiara

    Highly recommended.
     
  22. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 27, 2000

    Just watch The Last Duel instead.
     
  23. Pro Scoundrel

    Pro Scoundrel New Films Expert At Modding Casual star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    But he did it while WINNING! And WINNING is half the battle.


    :D
     
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  24. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    This FX breakdown video may be of interest to some who don't check into the Avatar thread. Some really amazing insights into how they filmed this movie and what tech challenges they overcame and evolved on:

    Using an automated, cable cam-mounted display for on-set p-cap playback and sightlines blew my mind.
     
  25. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2002
    It amazes me that someone has a full time job of trying to make water effects look real.