Counting to 40 - Part II

As a child, the days we would go out to the movies was a magical event. An afternoon matinee would cost $1.75. After I pass the ticket taker I would walk up to the concession counter and pick a bucket of freshly made popcorn and have them smear it with semi-real butter, extra butter. I would order a large soda and occassionally Juju Bees. Those three items would cost approximately $4.00.

With movie viewing snacks in hand I was free to walk into the theater proper and take a seat. It wouldn't matter if the film was midway through or not, the ushers wouldn't throw me out, I was free to see the film as often as I would like. But I would sit and love to see the previews of films that won't come to the theaters for 6 months or so.

I'd sit down and look at the 75 foot screen. A mammoth window into escapism, designed to entertain hundreds of people at once, only one film would play in this building at any given time. I might see a double feature but I only have one choice. If I really liked the film chances are I could see it again 2 or 3 weeks later.

Films were not made and distributed in great volume, a new movie would be released once a month or every other month. In there you would see a star-studded drama, an adventure epic or a B-movie destined to be a shlock classic.

Once the film was off the theater circuit you would have to wait for it to hit network television, other venues were not vastly available.

Things have changed dramatically since then.

Theaters show as few as four films and as many as 16 films in multiple mini-theaters.

A ticket now costs you $10.00 and it's good only for the time of showing. Ushers will tell you you have to leave the theater. If you want to see the film again you have to buy another ticket.

Snack variety has increased as has the cost: popcorn (not fresh but pre-popped), hotdogs, nachos, ice cream, soda, water, candy in a box and candy by the pound; an average cost of $3.00 or $4.00 for each item is not unheard of.

A film's shelf life is now measured in weeks rather than months. The day of a film like Star Wars to play in a theater for over a year is over. Turnover is the rule. A film makes it's money in the first three weeks of release, anything more is unanticipated and anything less gets the film pulled for a rush release to international screens, Cable pay-per-view, DVD/VHS sales and rentals, cable premium movie service broadcast, network broadcast television and finally the "Deluxe" edition of DVD release.

The amount of money now expended for marketing is enormous. It is measured in hundreds of millions of dollars. Summer blockbusters, fast food tie-ins, merchandising, product placement, making-of specials on cable channels, talk show junkets and MTV Movie Awards plugs.

It's a troubling change that has come about films and movie theaters. Assuming the average family consists of two adults and two children, does the average family routinely go to the movies at a cost of $60.00-$80.00 for a 90-120 minute experience? Is it appropriate to subject a patron to commercials in the theater as they wait for the film to start playing?

Movie theaters will continue to evolve and adjust their means and ways. Their ultimate goal is to make a visit to a theater a daylong event: play at the video games in between the multiple movies you purchased tickets for, visit the souvenier shop to purchase past movie memorabilia and present licensed merchandise, buy your favorite movies, take home a DVD of your family performing their favorite scene from a movie or television show at the in-house filming center, take part in trivia games where you can win materials from the souvenier shop. Concession stands will be replace with food courts where you can get anything from popcorn to take out food.

Imagine a mall with a theater, but it's the theater that's the mall where you wander through the many shops in between films. But you have to buy your tickets to enjoy the ride.