Three-D has gotten out of control.
In December 2009, James Cameron’s “Avatar” roared into theaters, astonishing audiences with ground-breaking 3-D special effects. A few months later, it seems Hollywood has gotten out of control with the craze. Sitting through the previews of “Alice in Wonderland,” I couldn’t help but notice all the trailers for the next generation of 3-D movies: “Legend of the Guardians,” “Clash of the Titans,” and “Step Up 3-D.”
Even director Jeff Tremaine plans on releasing “Jackass 3-D” later this year.
It’s no wonder Hollywood is chomping at the bit to get everything in 3-D. With new 3-D televisions ready to be shipped out and new special effects in the works, the demand for 3-D movies has skyrocketed. Millions of people worldwide have become fascinated with the optical illusion that brings film to life.
With the popularity of 3-D films such as “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland” capturing audiences and grossing more than $2 billion, many movie theaters have taken the opportunity to cash in on the 3-D cow at the expense of the moviegoer. Recently, movie ticket prices took a dramatic increase. According to CBS news, 3-D ticket prices increased by 26 percent and IMAX 3-D tickets increased to a grotesque $20. Standard ticket prices also increased by nearly 5 percent.
As an avid moviegoer, I am disgusted by the increase in ticket prices. In a struggling economy, many families cannot afford to pay for expensive movie tickets, let alone overpriced concession food and drinks. In a time when entertainment is desperately required as a form of escape, Hollywood has stooped to an all-time low by raising ticket costs to an all-time high.
From a capitalist’s perspective, this strategic increase is brilliant. However, what Hollywood fails to realize is that by raising ticket prices in an economy that has yet to recover, the industry risks losing its audience. The increase also discourages people from seeing a movie multiple times and prevents larger families from stepping into theaters, thus losing more potential profit.
It doesn’t take an economics major to realize that Hollywood could actually make more money by being less greedy. Reasonable ticket prices would allow people to see movies more often while outrageously prices will encourage more families to stay at home and rent a movie. Sometimes, Hollywood, being less greedy could earn you more money.
