By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
Paintings don't cost the same: David Leonardt saves the movies
he New York Times is speaking—shhhhhh—listen. Biz columnist David Leonhardt decrees changes to come in movie pricing. “It’s not how airlines sell seats, the Gap sells shirts or eBay sells anything. Soon, it won’t be the way the movies work either. You will pay more for a ticket on the weekends and less on weekdays. You’ll be able to buy a reserved seat in the center of the theater for a few extra dollars.” [No note is made of the dismal failure of this experiment in NYC earlier; why would you want to be stuck next to a tall or loud or fragrant fellow consumer?] “One of these days, you may even have to pay more for a hit movie than for a bomb. The changes are under way, and they are long overdue,” Leonhardt sez. “The theater industry’s attempt to ignore the laws of supply and demand is as good an example of corporate inertia as you will find. For decades, going to the movies was one of the rituals of American life, and competition among theaters revolved mainly around trying to land more hot films than the theater down the street. A thumbnail version of “variable pricing,” noting the souk and discount airline People Express follows, as well as the bromide, “A theater can’t sell marked-up popcorn to someone who doesn’t buy a ticket first.” After quoting an industry source who says that movies are “ultimately… art,” Mr. Leonhardt brings on the mighty cymbals: “Fair enough. But the next time you’re in an art gallery, check the price tags to see if all the paintings cost the same.”
