Many turn to movies for entertainment value, escapism in tough times
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One Fleetwood Mac concert ticket at $149.50 or 30 movie matinees at $5 each. Drinks, popcorn and parking not included.
That, in a nutshell, is today's lesson about entertainment economics or why the movies are thriving. True, it's impossible to duplicate a once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch Stevie Nicks in her diaphanous scarves and divine voice, but movies again are proving recession-proof.
"This is the biggest start to any box-office year I've ever seen. ... Recession meets escapism equals huge box office," Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst with hollywood.com, said yesterday.
If this pace continues (and that's a big "if"), 2009 could bring the first $10 billion-plus year at the box office. Revenue stands at $1.79 billion versus $1.526 billion at this time last year, and 245.5 million tickets sold, compared with 212.5 million a year ago.
The only fumble? Super Bowl weekend, when Americans found other ways to spend time and money.
Still, comedies are no laughing matter, older audiences have rediscovered Liam Neeson and Clint Eastwood and movie tickets hit the sweet spot of what people are willing to spend without feeling guilty.
"Just like during the Great Depression, people still went to the movies. Compared to concerts or sporting events, movies are still a cheaper form of entertainment," David Huffman, director of marketing and concessions for Cleveland and Pittsburgh Cinemas, said yesterday.
"When people are looking to leave their house, it's a cheap way to go out on the town," added Mr. Huffman, whose company manages the SouthSide Works Cinema.
Its "Bargain Mondays" -- $5 for any movie, all day (except legal holidays), plus a free 32-ounce popcorn -- have turned the weekday into a winner.
Matinee tickets, age and school-related discounts, and specials such as the Screenies subscriber program run by Pittsburgh Filmmakers have attracted cost-conscious consumers.
Whether it's "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" or the Oscar-wining "Slumdog Millionaire," the movies offer a reel retreat.
"People like the escape of the two-hour break from reality, getting invested in some other person's life or some other story," said Richard Stern, a third-generation theater operator who runs the Manor and Squirrel Hill theaters, specializing in art house or specialty fare.
"With the lineup of so many great films this holiday season, from Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas, it has just been one of the best years I can remember in a long time for our theaters," Mr. Stern said.
In a single December week, a dozen movies opened here, and films such as "Slumdog," "Milk," "Doubt" and "The Reader" have played for months.
"Relatively speaking, it's pretty inexpensive," Mr. Stern said, and the National Association of Theatre Owners confirms the average price for a movie ticket in 2008 was $7.18.
Mr. Stern's grandfather, Norbert Stern, opened the South Park Drive-In, one of the first in the country. His father, Ernest, ran it and his mother, Regina, was a cashier in the summer, and they later operated the successful Associated and Cinemette Theatre chains.
While other owners were spooked by the introduction of television in the 1950s, Ernest Stern saw it as an opportunity to expand. "My dad's theory was, 'You know what? You can only sit in your living room so long; you have to get out of the house.' And there's nothing like seeing a movie on the big screen."
Despite advances in home theaters, little compares with the communal experience of watching a comedy or weepy or horror film in a jammed theater.
On Friday, tweens pining for the Jonas Brothers got their film fix at the AMC-Loews at the Waterfront and clusters of female friends took in "He's Just Not That Into You" the next afternoon as ticket-holders drifted to the other 20 screens.
A Saturday evening showing of "Slumdog" at Showcase Cinemas North filled roughly 80 percent of the seats, while the lobby of the Squirrel Hill Theater was buzzing Sunday afternoon with customers.
This weekend could bring a hiccup with only one big opening: "Watchmen." Based on the graphic novel, it's rated R and has a running time of two hours and 43 minutes.
During the Depression, moviegoers got more bang for their buck -- or nickels and dimes -- with double features, serials, cartoons and giveaways. Today, however, when people can barely sit through a single movie without sneaking a look at their BlackBerry, one film seems about all anyone can handle.
First Published March 3, 2009 12:00 am
