Is the price of the theater seat zone reasonable?


   Jiang Tianjiao

  Friends who love to watch movies have found that some movie theaters have different prices for the same movie and the same theater.

It turned out that this was because movie theaters followed the example of theaters and introduced a partitioned ticketing system. Audiences who wanted to watch movies in the "golden area" in the middle had to pay higher fees, and the price difference was as high as 10 to 25 yuan.

The author found on a ticketing platform that many viewers did not pay for the zoning pricing measures. For a good movie, the golden seats were empty, which made the cinema very embarrassing.

  Is the zone pricing reasonable?

It is reasonable.

As the main body of the market, cinemas enjoy independent pricing power in accordance with the law.

Subdividing the viewing effects of different seats for precise pricing is in line with market laws.

As long as the price is fully publicized by the merchant before the ticket is purchased, and the price is within a reasonable range, there will be no violations.

  However, it must be admitted that cinemas are different from theaters. The stage for theatrical performances is larger and has a certain "depth". The viewing effects of seats in different regions are obviously different; while the theater only needs one screen, and the viewing effects of different regions are not very different.

Previously, theaters have also tried to distinguish the ticket prices of different periods and time periods. As long as the price difference is controlled within a reasonable range, the market allows theaters to conduct some exploration, and audiences can understand and accept it.

  The reason why the movie theater zone pricing arouses discomfort to the audience is mainly determined by the mass nature of the movie.

As a mass consumption, movies are characterized by low threshold, universality, and parity, and they are also the biggest difference from the consumption of elegant art.

Over the years, audiences have developed the habit of "first come, first come, random ticket purchases", and now they are assigning seats to different categories, subverting people's long-established habits, and may also undermine the interest of watching movies.

The theater can separate the golden area, and the audience can also vote against it with their feet.

In pricing, if the theater only considers economic factors and ignores the psychological feelings of consumers, it will inevitably be counterproductive.

  From the perspective of the entire market, although regional pricing is reasonable, it is not necessarily a wise move.

As the number of cinemas in my country continues to increase, the number of cinema screens in China continues to grow, but the average number of movie viewers has slowed down.

Especially with the rapid development of streaming media and diversified entertainment, the film industry is facing fiercer competition.

It should be noted that the current movie market is not in short supply, but good movies are scarce and fares are high.

Under such circumstances, the implementation of partitioned pricing will not only affect people's psychological identity, but also may face the risk of audience loss.

  In a certain sense, zoning pricing reflects the current survival dilemma and operating pressure faced by movie theaters.

Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the global film industry is still in a difficult adjustment period.

It is understandable that theaters seek to survive on their own, but there may be more ways to realize income generation beyond "sitting on the ground and raising prices."

For example, to provide audiences with a higher-quality screening space, by opening up more dedicated VIP halls, VIP halls, etc., to earn excess revenue with differentiated services.

For another example, the cinema can also expand more knowledge and information services related to the film, win the audience with richer cultural experience, and retain the audience. This is the long-term survival of the cinema.

Jiang Tianjiao