5 ms·

When you consider alternative outings for a family of four, $50 isn't so terribly bad. Where else do you get two to two-and-a-half hours of entertainment for fo

by ovao 9y ago

When you consider alternative outings for a family of four, $50 isn't so terribly bad. Where else do you get two to two-and-a-half hours of entertainment for four people including food? If you're having a hard time getting good seats and getting garbage food for your money, that's a sign that you need to scope out some better theaters. In my area, we have theaters with pretty posh, reserved seating, near-gourmet food (although there's still a lot of room for improvement there) and even alcohol service. If no theaters like this exist in your area — business opportunity! There are theaters and theater chains that aren't functioning competitively, and there are those that are actively exploring new ways to get asses into seats. From what I can tell, those ideas seem to be working.

pitaj 9y ago
The fifty dollars doesn't include food. A family can enjoy dozens of hours of entertainment from video games like Wii sports etc.
ergothus 9y ago
I'm not sure where you get food and movie for a family of four at $50. Just tickets, drinks, and one snack for my wife and I is almost $40. But to answer your rhetorical question, it isnt hard to get a few hours of entertainment and food for less than $50. It's hard to get PASSIVE entertainment that everyone agrees upon at the same time at that price. Junk food is super cheap, but substantive food isn't. (If you want variety - I'm not counting getting large bags of beans and rice since we are talking luxury not subsistence )
- ovao 9y ago
  The $50(+) number came from the post I commented on: > by and large, a $50+ excursion for a family of 4... As for the difficulty in entertaining a family on a budget, it's generally true that as soon as you step outside the door to your home, entertainment costs will skyrocket. Public parks, publicly-funded museums, community-led events and national parks/wilderness activities will get you there — and with a bit of savvy these can be your go-to opportunities — but minigolfing, theme parks and kid-focused venues (thinking along the lines of Chuck-E-Cheese) will usually come in at a higher cost. In comparison to a lot of commercial entertainment, movie theaters range from either being fairly competitive to very competitive, in my opinion. When theaters fail to meet that bar, that to me is a sign that they're being poorly-operated, but I don't see that as a industry-wide failure.
  - Retric 9y ago
    Local theme parks and pools will generally have lower costs per hour than movies. ~25$ per hour is still quite expensive. Six flags for example is $25 or less per person to get in + food etc, but you also spend a lot more than 2 hours there. Snowboarding / sky trips can also be fairly reasonable per hour if you own equipment and bring food.

by ovao 9y ago

pitaj 9y ago

The fifty dollars doesn't include food. A family can enjoy dozens of hours of entertainment from video games like Wii sports etc.

ergothus 9y ago

I'm not sure where you get food and movie for a family of four at $50. Just tickets, drinks, and one snack for my wife and I is almost $40. But to answer your rhetorical question, it isnt hard to get a few hours of entertainment and food for less than $50. It's hard to get PASSIVE entertainment that everyone agrees upon at the same time at that price. Junk food is super cheap, but substantive food isn't. (If you want variety - I'm not counting getting large bags of beans and rice since we are talking luxury not subsistence )

ovao 9y ago
The $50(+) number came from the post I commented on: > by and large, a $50+ excursion for a family of 4... As for the difficulty in entertaining a family on a budget, it's generally true that as soon as you step outside the door to your home, entertainment costs will skyrocket. Public parks, publicly-funded museums, community-led events and national parks/wilderness activities will get you there — and with a bit of savvy these can be your go-to opportunities — but minigolfing, theme parks and kid-focused venues (thinking along the lines of Chuck-E-Cheese) will usually come in at a higher cost. In comparison to a lot of commercial entertainment, movie theaters range from either being fairly competitive to very competitive, in my opinion. When theaters fail to meet that bar, that to me is a sign that they're being poorly-operated, but I don't see that as a industry-wide failure.
- Retric 9y ago
  Local theme parks and pools will generally have lower costs per hour than movies. ~25$ per hour is still quite expensive. Six flags for example is $25 or less per person to get in + food etc, but you also spend a lot more than 2 hours there. Snowboarding / sky trips can also be fairly reasonable per hour if you own equipment and bring food.