Alternatives to Movies
The prices of watching movies at the cinema has been on the rise and today, the costs of doing so easily matches or even surpasses the cost of purchasing a DVD.
Granted, going to the movies is largely about the experience the theatre offers and many of us do not usually go to the movies alone. Even if it is just 2 friends going to the movies, that easily puts the cost at $20, exclusive of any drinks or tibits that are purchased for consumption during the show.
But, today, many more of our homes actually have home theatre systems and the prices of large screen televisions have been dropping speedily. The quality of DVDs have also been on the rise with new formats such as Bluray and HD-DVD helping to bring the clearest images into the homes. These days, the DVDs of popular movies are also faster to launch and are typically available in 6 months or less and at much more affordable costs. Does it still make sense to spend money on going to the movies when a smaller amount can be spent on DVDs and then be passed around to family and friends? With a little cooperation, the cinematic experience can be had at home for many more movies at much lower costs.
Are the movie theatre operators realising this is a trend that needs to be swiftly addressed when they had continued on the relentless march to higher cinema ticket prices on the justification of rising costs? While operators like Cathay, Golden Village (GV) and Eng Wah have engaged in some form of price discrimination to attract patrons of specific target groups during off peak periods, it will be prudent to consider if such a marketing tactic can be sustainable in the light of rising inflation. Furthermore, there are more and more substitutes for entertainment these days and these may eventually post the biggest unseen backlash to the continually rising prices of movie tickets.
Granted, going to the movies is largely about the experience the theatre offers and many of us do not usually go to the movies alone. Even if it is just 2 friends going to the movies, that easily puts the cost at $20, exclusive of any drinks or tibits that are purchased for consumption during the show.
But, today, many more of our homes actually have home theatre systems and the prices of large screen televisions have been dropping speedily. The quality of DVDs have also been on the rise with new formats such as Bluray and HD-DVD helping to bring the clearest images into the homes. These days, the DVDs of popular movies are also faster to launch and are typically available in 6 months or less and at much more affordable costs. Does it still make sense to spend money on going to the movies when a smaller amount can be spent on DVDs and then be passed around to family and friends? With a little cooperation, the cinematic experience can be had at home for many more movies at much lower costs.
Are the movie theatre operators realising this is a trend that needs to be swiftly addressed when they had continued on the relentless march to higher cinema ticket prices on the justification of rising costs? While operators like Cathay, Golden Village (GV) and Eng Wah have engaged in some form of price discrimination to attract patrons of specific target groups during off peak periods, it will be prudent to consider if such a marketing tactic can be sustainable in the light of rising inflation. Furthermore, there are more and more substitutes for entertainment these days and these may eventually post the biggest unseen backlash to the continually rising prices of movie tickets.
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