Is “Dynamic Pricing” The Death Of Entertainment?
Yes, I am “upside down” with fury at this latest attempt to gouge lovers of entertainment!
Have you heard of “dynamic pricing?” Have you been cheated out of money by it?
That’s your money being sucked down the hole of greedy entertainment companies!
If you aren’t aware, a toxic business plan is in the process of killing live entertainment – and now it is set to do the same to your local movie theater!
Have you heard about the plan that AMC theaters has to charge you more money for a better seat in the theater when you go to see a movie?
Their horrible plan is this: AMC patrons attending cinemas after 4 p.m. will be able to pay different prices based on their proximity to the movie screen within the auditorium!
“Pay To See The Screen” Is Here!
I find this reprehensible….you will pay more money to have a decent seat in the movie theater! Here’s how it was described in a news story:
The mega-exhibitor, which has already introduced “sightline seating” in select markets, is betting movie-goers will pay more for a better view of their favorite Hollywood titles, as do patrons of music and sporting events.
“Sightline at AMC more closely aligns AMC’s seat pricing approach to that of many other entertainment venues, offering experienced-based pricing and another way for moviegoers to find value at the movies,” Eliot Hamlisch, executive vp and CMO of AMC Theatres in a statement.
Pay More For A Better “Sightline?”
This is enraging! You will pay higher prices to have a decent view of the screen! Now, they claim that the worst seats will be sold at a discount but c’mon – who believes that will last?
This is price gouging pure and simple!
As the article goes on to note:
“Sightline ticketing for its movies also gets AMC closer to event pricing typical of live entertainment events like concerts and sports where consumers pay more or less for seats based on how close they want to be to the action or musical performances.”
And that pricing policy has forced music fans to boycott their favorite Artists!
“The Boss” Alienates His Longtime Fans!
There is currently an uproar over ticket prices for Bruce Springsteen – tickets that originally cost $200 each are now going for thousands of dollars – it’s called “dynamic pricing” and it caused this fan magazine to close down in protest!
The “Backstreets” fanzine has announced that it will close after 43 years, citing among other reasons unchecked ticket price hikes the editors say many fans can no longer afford.
As reported:
Christopher Phillips, publisher and editor-in-chief of Backstreets magazine, said staff had been “dispirited, downhearted, and, yes, disillusioned” since tickets for 2023 shows by Springsteen, a singer known for his loyalty to his blue-collar roots in New Jersey, went on sale last summer.
“It’s not a feeling we’re at all accustomed to while anticipating a new Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tour,” Phillips wrote.
My wife and I saw Bruce on Broadway with his one-man show, joined by his wife for a few songs…I will say the “dynamic pricing” being used now is so offensive….legal scalping pure and simple – and it spells the end of live entertainment for the masses.
If a show is popular, the “dynamic pricing” pushes the price hundreds of times above the list price on the ticket! It’s offensive to be “scalped” just because something is popular!
Harry Styles played at Califronia’s Coachella festival, but I was going to take my wife to see him at The Forum in Los Angeles – except because of “dynamic pricing”, two tickets near the stage were $4,000 each!
Oh, this is a ticket I had to see Led Zeppelin – with “dynamic pricing” at the time, it would have cost hundreds of dollars – perhaps even thousands – keeping me as a young kid from ever seeing them!
This “dynamic pricing” scheme is going to kill live entertainment and shame on AMC for making us pay more for a decent seat in a theater!
Speaking of controversies, how about the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon?”
What was meant to celebrate this anniversary ignited a firestorm!
Click here to see why:
https://johnrieber.com
Let me know what you think of this new “pricing” strategy!
If you like the story, share it with friends on social media! Thanks!
Categories: Books / Media, Film Fight Club, Hollywood, Movies, Pop Culture
johnrieber 
Bad idea. This could be the final nail in the coffin for movie theaters. They are going to drive younger viewers away, who tend to have less income.
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Ugh! I rarely go to the movies, but these attempts to make more money from a theater’s point of view seem ill-advised. In an era when more and more people are streaming their movies from the comforts of their homes, theaters should look for more creative ways to attract customers. This move would make me less likely to attend. I think those who arrive early should be rewarded with better seats rather than developing a price structure.
I also am disgusted by the excessive prices of tickets for concerts. Do you want to grow your audience or not? Even though others make these economic decisions in a performer’s inner circle, it makes it seem like the artist is the greedy one. It’s obviously a business, but all these attempts to price gauge are rather disgusting. I’d like a performer to say, “I want the average person to be able to attend my concert. No tickets over a certain amount of dollars.”
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Thanks for thwarting that! It’s a pure greedy “cash grab” with NO interest in delivering to the movie fan – concert tickets are obscene pure and simple…if you don’t have thousands you’ll get an expensive seat a mile from the stage
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Spot on, John! How will young people ever be able to afford seeing their faves? Without a young fan base to grow the popularity of performers (live or in the movies), it sounds like a failed idea.
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It’s a case of “haves and have nots” that will continue to kill the business…greed indeed
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Exactly!
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that is so insane and one of the worst business models ever.
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You’re completely right, it’s price gouging. It really is small-minded of AMC. People still haven’t returned to the movie theater in large droves since the pandemic. To me, this will just give people another reason to stay home. It sounds like something they came up with prior to the pandemic and finally waited to implement. I could be wrong’s but I think it’s going to be the death knell for AMC. I’ll add another streaming service before I give them my service. Plus, the story doesn’t even get into how they’re going to police this. What a mess it’s going to be.
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Thanks for your comment! Actor Elijah Wood just slammed them as well, saying this: “The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income,”
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Yea, I can’t see this sticking but I could be wrong!
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As long as there remains a chance that I can enter a movie theater and get shot and killed by some serial maniac, I will never spend money on a movie ticket or a ticket to a concert or sports event ever again. Price is not the object with me. Survival is the object with me. Besides I do not feel comfortable parting with a small fortune for tickets to some venue where I might sit next to someone who can give me a fatal disease and there are lots of them out there. I prefer to stay home and either wait for the movie to hit one of the streaming services, go onto a disc that I can buy — and they all do eventually.
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I don’t think there’s anything new in this, John. Maybe it’s different over there but cinemas here have always operated on differential pricing since I can remember when I first went in the late 50s. It’s the same with theatres and music concerts: most charge more for the better seats. Market forces, I guess. It’s when they charge silly money that it gets out of hand.
I saw Led Zep play live in March 1971 – all tickets were 60p (around £8 at today’s rates). Your $6.50 price a couple of years later would be about $45 today so I’m guessing I got the better deal!
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Indeed! This premium pricing is new here and is part of a “how much are you willing to pay” strategy across all entertainment. For example, most sports teams not only charge you for season tickets but you have to “lease” your seats for one flat fee as well!
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I guess there may well be an element of maximising income to make up for losses during the pandemic. As always, it’s the consumer who pays!
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AMC is one of the “robin hood” stories like GameStop and Bed Bath & Beyond – those stocks have been doing wild crazy swings as that small exchange mobilizes anarchists who drive up stock prices for certainly companies wildly then dump it causing massive losses for investors….look at a 5 year run of AMC stock price to see – it happened during the pandemic when the stock suddenly soared to $60+ a share, then soon after crashed back down to the $6 it’s at now…
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I’ll take your word on that: I know diddly squat about our stock market and even less about yours 🤣
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I can afford whatever the charge is, and am always open to new innovations that make the communal movie-going experience better – but these plans are a cash grab pure and simple.
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That’s gross. I understand paying more for a live event, but it’s already too expensive. I would love to see anything live more often, but who can? Remember the old days when you lived for concerts and saw them and the movies every week as a prime source of entertainment? They will keep us isolated in our living rooms and take away the communion one feels when one goes to the movies.
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I agree completely! Driving fans away with obscenely high prices – and now even the moviegoing experience will be left to those who can afford it…I went to movies as a kid as that communal experience you mention but this would have kept me out so I hate how it’s going to continue to drive a nail in the coffin of that experience
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Some cinemas charge more for ‘luxury’ seats that have more room, and are more comfortable. So far, they are not charging for a ‘better view’, but no doubt that will be imported from America. Like baseball caps. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’m really sick of it Pete…I can afford to pay it, but they are driving people away…Bruce Springsteen fans being asked to pay $2,000 to see him? Shameful.
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My step-daughter is trying to buy tickets to see Beyonce in England. They are around £200 for very basic seats, a long way from the stage. I wouldn’t even pay that, let alone $2000. How much money is ‘enough’ for these people?
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Yes Pete…you can get a ticket a mile away – like these stadium shows that are so popular…but anything close is hiked up so high…I mean, $200 just to get in? Shameful shameful shameful
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We don’t have premium prices in cinemas yet, but we do in theatres. I’m sure inflated prices will be coming soon though – every other company seems to have increased their prices.
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Interesting, it is a bit like what happens in London with the theatre productions. That can have pricing that goes either up or down though.
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There’s suckers born every minute.
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I’ve paid premium prices before – I understand it to a degree – but for ticket prices to skyrocket just because it’s a popular show? And now to pay extra to be able to see the screen? Gouging!
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Oh and let me add: I get the sucker part, but what of regular fans who are priced out of EVERYTHING? I can afford the fees but I feel it’s egregious!
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