Movie Routine Change Commentary by Shale Friday, May 24, 2013 As of next week I will be changing from my regular weekly Cinema, Regal South Beach Stadium 18 to Frank Theaters Intracoastal 8. Since I live on North Beach I am equidistant to each, about a 5-mile bike ride. I have always preferred Regal since it is modern, has more showtimes and has this railing which I use as a footrest and can lean back and enjoy the many movies I see. However, last Friday when I went to see Star Trek, instead of the $8.50 senior discount, it cost me $9.50 - the regular matinee price. Today I went to see if this was just for that theater or for all Regal theaters and the manager told me he thot it was for all. He said that during the week the senior discount of $8.50 will apply but Friday and the weekend we have to pay full price. I mentioned that this was a significant increase especially for someone who comes every Friday matinee to see opening movies and he said he even mentioned me since I am a regular Friday presence at that theater but the suits running the theater thot we seniors were getting in too cheaply. I am not a business man but it seems that this was not well thot out. While it does affect me, a guy still working who likes to watch opening movies on Friday so I can write my blurb and discuss them online, the seniors who are actually retired might just wait until a weekday to see the movie. And, how many of them make a point to see a movie every Friday. Now another business observation: Check the pic of me at an early matinee on a Friday. (actually, that was a 9:30 matinee in 2007 so there are usually a few more ppl around me at the noon showings) Today as I talked to the manager at noon the theater had no crowd. Ppl were not standing in line at the box office. I had no new movies to see but I was going to see either Star Trek or Iron Man again, having already seen both twice. But I didn't. They woulda made a dollar more but I opted to deny them $9.50. I don't only go to the movies once a week but average 70 times a year. Oh and as for us seniors not spending enuf money in their theater. Last year my movie budget was $502, the year the senior discount went from $7.50 to $8. In 2011 it was $471 and 2010 $488. From 2006, when I started doing my movie blurbs to 2009 I averaged $325 a year when the senior discount was $6.50 to $7. So, I just went to my homepage and changed my showtimes from Regal South Beach to the Intracoastal. While the movie selection is fewer they usually do have the prevailing opening movie playing. And, their regular matinee price today, a Friday for an adult is $8.50 with the senior discount a quarter less. Seems only logical that I should go to that theater to spend my $500 a year.
Update - June 1, 2013 There were two movies I wanted to see this weekend, After Earth and Now You See Me. I saw both at the Frank Intracoastal Theater for $8.25 each at the noon matinee. So, instead of Regal South Beach making an extra two dollars off me this weekend by removing my senior discount at the matinee, they lost $19. I may be a unique regular customer at their theater. Not everyone lives the same biking distance to their nearest competitor and I'm sure their $9.50 to $19 loss each Friday & Saturday will not impact their millions of dollars in ticket sales but it is nice to have options. There are actually other advantages to this smaller theater. One, if I were driving a car there would be free parking in the strip mall parking lot. I have gone to this theater for that very reason when taking other ppl by vehicle. Another is the actual showtime. For months I have endured the increase of trailers at Regal from 15 minutes to 20 minutes. On a long movie that extra five minutes waiting for a bathroom break can be excruciating. At the Intracoastal, I noticed that the movie actually starts 15 minutes after the scheduled showtime. In these hard economic times I don't know what bottom line convinced the suits at Regal to gouge their senior customers an extra dollar on the weekend matinee prices. Neither theater has great crowds at these early matinees. I sometimes wonder if their increase has been a wash in their ticket sales, with any increase diminished by the old codgers who just refused to attend those more expensive matinees. Those still driving might just go the 10 miles from SoBe to North Miami Beach - their gas cost made up by the parking fee, which at Regal even with validation costs more than a gallon of gas. BTW, our tropical weather seems to be giving me a break today so I might just bike up to the Intracoastal and catch a third viewing of Iron Man or Star Trek before they leave theaters. This is what I like to do with the cheap matinee admission prices - see movies I really like several times. I woulda done this at Regal a couple weeks ago but the price increase pissed me off.
