Is 20 Too Much to Spend on a Movie Ticket? Debunking the Myth

In Toronto, a typical IMAX theater ticket can cost upwards of 20 Canadian dollars on a regular evening. Similarly, Montreal sees similar pricing. However, for those who have experienced pricing in major American cities like New York, the cost can escalate significantly. During my visit to NYC three years ago, I found myself paying nearly 30 Canadian dollars for an AVX screening. This price point matches with the cost of premium seats for sporting events in Canada, like 30 Cdn. for cheap seats at the Argos game and 32 Cdn. for bleacher seats at the Jays. The ticket for an opera was even more, costing 62 Cdn., and a concert by a beloved band was priced at 92 Cdn. These types of experiences, especially in the realm of live performances, have historically kept prices high due to exclusivity and the scale of production required.

Despite these higher costs, the experience in a theater remains superior to watching films at home. For instance, I watched "The Matrix" about 15 times at home, but the final time, I saw it on a regular screen at a theater for 8 Cdn. The experience had more depth, with dialogue that blended naturally with the background sound, enhancing the immersion. This natural volume of dialogue compared to the artificially elevated levels at home, where the dialogue tends to drown out the background and sound alike, thus robbing the viewer of the realism that a theater experience provides.

The Detriment of Continuous Home Viewing

There is a growing concern among movie enthusiasts about the cost of movie tickets, but also about the diminishing quality of the in-theater experience. My journey of not going to movies for a long time was due to the frustration of constantly seeing rising prices and a decline in the actual quality of the experience. For a long period, I only went to theaters for the 11 am and 5 pm showings, as I found the more expensive afternoon and evening shows to be an outrageous cost. This stopped only when subscription services like MoviePass and AMC Stubs A-List entered the scene, offering a much better deal. Currently, I pay 20 Cdn. per month for AMC, which allows up to 12 movie viewings per month, a much more economical solution.

The Value Proposition of Movie Theaters

Whether 20 Cdn. is too much to spend on a movie ticket is debatable. It does depend on what value one is looking for. Personally, I would never spend that amount of money on a movie, no matter how good the movie is. However, I would consider it if the theater offered a more extensive bundle that included complementary services like massages, which could enhance the movie-going experience.

Conclusion

Deciding whether 20 Canadian dollars is too much for a movie ticket involves weighing the price against the experience and value one gets from it. While the cost has been increasing, the quality of the movie theater experience still holds its ground as the superior counterpart to home viewing. With the rise of subscription services, the cost and value of going to the theater have found a new equilibrium for many.