"Regal just sold $50 opening-night tickets to December's 'Dune: Part Three' in 70mm IMAX in minutes, eight months ahead of release."
IMO, this is the first unequivocal indication of where theatrical intends to land. the MPA and the major chains intend to take it into an exclusive high-end experience. This is far, far away from where theater began. What are your thoughts?
The note is in today's Dailies report:
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Shadow Dragu-Mihai $50 a ticket? I can’t think what would be in that ‘high-end experience’ to justify the cost?
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nope... no way. I'll see it on HBO when it arrives
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Shadow Dragu-Mihai That’s a really interesting shift and I agree it feels like theatrical is moving toward a more premium, event-driven model.
Dune: Part Three selling out at that price point shows that audiences are still willing to pay but only when the experience feels worth it.
The question for me is what happens to mid-budget, character-driven films. If theatrical becomes more exclusive, do those stories lose their space on the big screen and move entirely to streaming?
It feels less like theaters are disappearing, and more like they’re redefining what qualifies as a “theatrical experience.”
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Geoff Hall Yeah, it does sound steep at first but I think they’re not really pricing just the film anymore, they’re pricing the experience.
Formats like IMAX 70mm, limited screenings, and that “event” feeling are probably what they’re leaning on to justify it.
The real question is whether audiences will see that as worth it long-term, or if it only works for a few big, spectacle-driven films.
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Abhijeet Aade I get that, Abhijeet, but the event would have to be something very special. I don’t think that this kind of thing would be sustainable.
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OP didn't mention it sold out in minutes.
I can see it as a special experience. Not a rabid Dune fan, so not interested in at that or any price. I think the direction it signals is correct. It'll be major films with a splashy and expensive opening nights,
It takes an Act of Congress to get my ass in a theater seat these days anyway. That's why the investment in home theater. The shared experience has lost its luster for me in lieu of comfort. That and kicking that same ass in the recent past for paying money to see what turns out to be a crappy, disappointing film.
I actually think it’s a smart direction for certain releases Shadow Dragu-Mihai. If theaters are going to lean into the premium experience, then pairing it with something tangible could make it feel even more worthwhile. Even something simple like exclusive merch for pre‑orders or a complimentary popcorn would go a long way. It can open ways to turn the night into an event, rather than just a screening, which might help justify the price for audiences.
I’d also love to see theaters eventually lean into replica environments of the films they’re promoting. Experiencing the world of the movie before you even sit down would be incredible and would make the premium experience feel truly immersive.
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Dwayne Williams 2 Well consider a $50 ticket per person plus the upcharged popcorn (so, ~$120 night out not considering dinner), to fight traffic, parking, sit in a movie theater that probably hasn't been cleaned properly with people who don't care if their noise bothers you, all to watch something that you will see within your already-paid subscription price or even free with ads on streaming in a month. The prices are reaching to live-performance costs, where there are real people on stage. The up-charged cinema as prestige experience experiment was attempted by several niche chains in the early 2000s, and failed.
So while I see the MPA studios and theater chains positioning to do this, I don't see it as working for anything but something like Dune, and then only for the superfans who want to be there opening night. So far as theaters in merchandising, or creating replica environments, they are essentially forbidden from either of those due to the very complex IP licensing issues. The only ones to do that are theme park places where Disney, for example, has a side store on the theater it owns. The one exception is themed cups and popcorn containers which are underwritten by the marketing budgets of the movies. It's good to remember this is a studio decision, not a theater decision. Theater owners aren't even in the film industry in my books. They are short term landlords and make their money renting space out in hourly blocks, or daily/weekly blocks if required by their clean screen or block-booking contract.