July 26th, 2013 
James Shotwell 
Film has become a major component of what we do here at UTG, and many weeks we pay out of pocket just like you for the films we cover here on the site. What follows affects us just like you, and unfortunately we’re not sure there is anything that can be done.
According to a new report, the average cost to see a movie in the United States rose $0.42 in the last year, from $7.96 to $8.36. This is more than double the average growth, which usually sits around twenty cents, and marks the first time in nearly a decade the cost has been outside the seven dollar price range.
So what gives? There are a number of reasons for prices to rise, but the most likely culprit is studios demanding a bigger percentage of ticket sales. When this happens, distributors push the added cost to consumers, and that looks to be the case here. Add to this the increasing number of 3D and IMAX features, both of which often come with added costs (again to the consumer), and you’ve only begun to scratch the excuses you’ll find.
While I can appreciate the need for businesses to sustain and/or progress, this double sized jump in cost to the consumer over the last year has me a bit worried about what the years ahead hold. If this pattern continues, the national average will be well over nine dollars by the time 2015 rolls around (the year of Star Wars, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and Batman & Superman – just to name a few), and that is not including IMAX/3D/etc.
What do you pay for movie tickets where you live right now? Here in Boston the average at a chain (AMC, Regal) is $10-12.50 for adult evening shows, while independent theaters tend to average in the $6-8 range. That could all change soon, of course, but we certainly hope that is not the case.
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