Despite a rather anemic year at the box office (a handful of superhero blockbusters to the contrary), the price of a movie ticket keeps climbing. And does not even include the extra coin that audiences must pay to see films in 3D or Imax formats. Moviegoers are being forced to shell out more for tickets than ever before. While ticket prices top $11 in New York and Los Angeles, the average cost at multiplexes around the country is a record $8.12. With more theaters cutting back on senior and student discounts and matinee prices, the cost to go to a film is nearly double the cost of downloading or watching a film in the VOD format in the comfort of one’s own home. That is not a good trend for movie theaters which may move into retrenchment mode in the years ahead.
