Chinanews.com reported on August 22 that "The Missing She", "In the Octagonal Cage", "Three Thousand Miles of Chang'an", "Feng Shen No. 1" and "Desperate for All", with the release of a series of popular and blockbuster movies, this year's The word-of-mouth and box office of the summer archives doubled.

According to data from the Beacon Professional Edition, as of August 17, the total box office of the summer season in 2023 exceeded 17.7 billion, breaking the highest box office record for the summer season in Chinese film history. But while the movie box office is "increasingly high", there are endless complaints about movie ticket prices. "Why are movie tickets so expensive?" "Why are the 19.9 yuan movie tickets gone?"

Screenshot of movie ticket prices provided by consumers.

"The family spent more than 400 yuan to watch a movie"

"Last weekend, I bought two movie tickets for "Feng Shen No. 1" at a movie theater near my home, and it cost more than 100 yuan." Xiaoyu, who lives in Beijing, often goes to the theater to watch movies in her spare time. She remembers that domestic movie tickets were not so expensive in the past, "but now almost every ticket costs more than 50 yuan."

Rising movie ticket prices have troubled many people: "To buy a movie ticket for 70 or 80 yuan, a family of 6 spent more than 400 yuan just to watch a movie." "In the past two years, I could buy three movies for 100 yuan." The fare is more than 40 now."

What has been the specific increase in movie ticket prices over the years? Lighthouse Professional Edition data show that as of August 20, the average ticket price in 2023 will reach 42.7 yuan. Compared with the data of previous years, movie ticket prices are generally on the rise, and since entering the 40 yuan range in 2021, ticket prices have risen for three consecutive years.

In addition, compared with second-, third-, and fourth-tier cities, fares in first-tier cities are significantly more expensive. After hitting the 50 yuan mark in 2022, the average ticket price in first-tier cities will reach 51.9 yuan in 2023, and it will rise to more than 40 yuan in second-, third-, and fourth-tier cities in the past two years.

The screenshot is from Lighthouse Pro APP.

Although the average ticket price has reached 40 to 50 yuan, in the actual purchase process, there is a large gap in ticket prices between different theaters and different time periods.

Taking Beijing as an example, Zhongxin Finance searched for the ticket prices of the recent popular movie "All or Nothing" in theaters in different urban areas. The highest price can reach 81 yuan, and the lowest price is only 30 yuan; few.

The screenshot is from an online ticketing platform.

In addition, the viewing area of some theaters will be divided into multiple areas to set different ticket prices, which will also increase the ticket price. A consumer mentioned that if you want to sit in the central area to watch a movie, it will cost 70.9 yuan. In the screenshots she posted, even in ordinary areas, the ticket price is 50.9 yuan.

"Regional seats" also caused some people's dissatisfaction, "In the past, there were only ordinary halls and VIP halls, but now even one hall has to be charged separately. Is this in line with concerts?"

Why did the 19.9 yuan movie ticket disappear?

The current movie ticket prices make everyone miss the days when movie coupons were flying all over the sky, and you could watch a movie for a cup of milk tea.

Why did the ticket price rise from 10 or 20 yuan in the past to 40 or 50 yuan today? Wei Pengju, dean of the Institute of Cultural Economics of the Central University of Finance and Economics, said in an interview with reporters that the reduction in subsidies for online platforms is one of the reasons.

It is understood that the movie ticket price includes the minimum distribution price, theater premium, service fee and other parts. After the release price is determined by the film studio, each theater will adjust the final ticket price dynamically based on market factors such as operating costs, number of viewers, box office trends, ticket prices of surrounding competitive theaters, etc. on the basis of no lower than the release price.

But in the past, due to the large-scale entry of Internet capital into the film market, major ticketing platforms opened the era of ticket supplementation. The emergence of 9.9 yuan movie tickets and free viewing tickets has caused people to flock to the cinema.

In 2015, the ticket subsidy competition once entered a fierce stage. At that time, Lin Ning, then CEO of Weiying Times, once said that all parties have invested a total of 4 billion yuan in ticket subsidies throughout the year.

But after going through the fierce competition stage, the major ticketing platforms have discovered that blindly "bleeding" cannot last for too long. During the Spring Festival of 2018, major film producers jointly proposed to limit the intensity of "ticket subsidies", and the ticket price of theaters across the country should not be lower than 19.9 yuan. In the same year, it was reported that relevant departments canceled online ticket supplements from third parties and theaters’ own channels. Since then, ticket prices have gradually returned to normal.

Data map: The audience walked into the screening hall. Photo by China News Agency reporter Jia Tianyong

In Wei Pengju's view, in recent years, the rise in movie ticket prices has also been affected by cost factors. "As far as the film studio is concerned, the production cost is high; as far as the theater is concerned, it needs to make up for previous losses and bear direct costs such as labor and rent."

"The collection of service fees also increases the expenditure on ticket purchases." Wei Pengju added. In the ticket stub posted by a netizen, it shows that the service fee is 4.5 yuan, and the theater service fee is 5.4 yuan. These two items alone are as high as 9.9 yuan.

Previously, industry insiders revealed that many theaters below the county level do not abide by the rules, and charge technical services and other fees in addition to service fees.

In addition, the minimum release price of some films is relatively high, and the length of the film has increased, resulting in a decrease in the number of screenings, which also forces theaters to increase the ticket price of a single show to hedge the impact.

What is the balance between profitability and consumer acceptance?

Due to factors such as rising costs, film studios and theaters need to increase distribution prices and movie ticket prices to maintain operations, but the increased prices still make many viewers feel "overwhelmed".

According to a survey conducted by the media before, 43.3% of the audience can accept a movie ticket price of 31-40 yuan, and only 7.6% accept an average ticket price of more than 50 yuan.

During the Spring Festival last year, when the high movie ticket prices discouraged many consumers who were willing to watch movies, the China Consumers Association once pointed out that behind the hot public opinion on social media about "the most expensive Spring Festival file in history, and the ticket price is outrageously expensive", It is the cultural consumption demand that is gradually heating up that is suppressed and blocked to a certain extent.

The China Consumers Association also stated that to seek the balance between the profit path dependence of theaters and the reasonable tolerance of consumers, and to seek the benign interaction between the long-term and healthy development of the industry and the upgrading of cultural consumption requires continuous research and exploration by relevant industries and departments. .

Can the relevant departments supervise the fare?

The reporter noticed that in February 2012, the former State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued the "Guiding Opinions on Further Regulating the Management of Ticketing in the Film Market" (draft for comments) (hereinafter referred to as "Opinions"), which mentioned that theaters for ordinary films The listed price shall not be higher than the local guide price. The prices of 3D, giant screen, and VIP halls can be raised appropriately, but it is recommended that the maximum price should not be higher than 50% of the guide price.

However, the follow-up "opinion" was not officially announced, and the theater did not follow it in the actual pricing process.

In Wei Pengju's view, instead of strengthening fare supervision, it is better to give consumption subsidies appropriately, and at the same time, promote the development of supply-side competition.

Li Jianqiang, a professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University and vice president of the China Film Critics Association, believes that movie ticket prices reflect the performance value and price value of movie products. .

"Therefore, mobilizing all relevant elements, resources and scenes, so that audiences can get empathy in the process of movie appreciation, and the exact feeling that the trip is worthwhile, has become the most important and most critical way to bridge the gap between price and market, consumption and experience. element."