The ticket price is too expensive. The ticket price is much higher than the face price.
Why does watching a movie cause so many complaints from consumers?
□ Reporter Sun Tianjiao
On February 11, Mr. Pang, a Beijing citizen, encountered a "strange thing" - he and his wife went to a cinema in Xicheng, Beijing to watch a movie. The price of online tickets was 99 yuan each; The price is only 50 yuan each.
"I always thought there would be discounts for buying tickets online, but I didn't expect it to be twice as expensive as the face price." Mr. Pang told the reporter of the "Rule of Law Daily" rather annoyed. .
The ticket price is higher than the face price, which is just one of the problems that consumers criticize for watching movies.
The reporter’s recent survey found that as the film market ushered in a movie-watching boom, consumers continued to complain: movie ticket prices have risen all the way, “look it down”, there are large price differences between different seats in the same show, and 3D movies require extra money to buy 3D glasses , Restrict outside food, etc.
A number of interviewed experts pointed out that the cinema is a consumption place open to the public, and the price of movie tickets and the goods and services provided should follow the laws of the market. The existence of the above problems obviously puts capital interests above consumers’ rights. Even more illegal.
The film market urgently needs to establish rules and regulations, strengthen supervision, and regulate development.
The actual price paid is much higher than the face price
You can't charge service fees as you like
Mr. Pang's family was not the only one who encountered "strange things".
Recently, when Ms. Liu, a citizen of Taiyuan, Shanxi, was watching a movie in a theater near her home, she found that the movie ticket price she took out on the spot was different from the one she paid online: "I paid 70 yuan when I bought the ticket. Why is it displayed on this ticket? The ticket price is 35 yuan? What does the 25 yuan theater service fee and 10 yuan service fee mean?"
In the face of Ms. Liu's questioning, the theater staff replied: This is the movie theater's own regulations, and it does not affect viewing.
The reporter's investigation found that it is more common that the actual expenditure for watching movies is higher than the face price. In addition to the face price, some movie tickets also have service fees, theater service fees and other fees.
In this regard, many netizens believe that the face price of movie tickets is not transparent, and the service fees of movie theaters and other settings lack standards, which violates the interests of consumers.
The reporter found that the difference between the face price and the actual price is presented in different ways by visiting a number of movie theaters and searching keywords on online social platforms: some movie tickets will indicate the movie price, ticketing service fee and theater service fee, Some only have movie prices and online ticketing service fees.
Even if various fees are indicated, the sum of some of the various fees is not enough to pay the actual price.
In addition, although the movie price and theater service fee are marked, the specific amount of other expenses is not shown except the movie price.
"I went to the movies a few days ago, and when I got home, I found that the face price of the movie ticket I bought for 99 yuan was only 50 yuan. Although there are ticket service fees and theater service fees on the ticket, they are all marked with 0 yuan." Guangdong Mr. Ye, a citizen of Shenzhen, said that he then asked the cinema, and the other party replied that there was relevant information in the QR code on the ticket, but it was blank after scanning the code.
Ma Lihong, director of the film and entertainment legal business center of Beijing Deheheng Law Firm, believes that service fees are not all unacceptable.
Around 2015, the construction of domestic theaters was on the rise. In order to encourage theaters to build high-end movie halls and improve users' consumption experience, relevant departments began to allow theaters to add other fees to ticket prices.
In July 2015, the China Film Distribution and Projection Association issued the "Movie Ticket Marketing and Sales Regulations", which clearly stipulates that VIP halls and 4D halls can charge movie hall service fees, but "need to be determined by the distributor and the exhibitor through a contract."
"When "Avengers 4" was released in April 2019, some theaters charged service fees arbitrarily, causing disturbances, and the competent authorities strengthened supervision. On January 15, 2020, at the critical moment when the Spring Festival is about to start pre-sale, the film management The film party meeting organized by the department determined the setting of VIP halls for the 2020 Spring Festival stalls and the conditions for collecting service fees. According to the requirements of the regulations, only VIP halls and 4D halls can charge service fees, and theaters with 5 halls and below are not allowed to set up VIP halls , not to charge VIP hall service fees; and the service fee also has a 10% upper limit requirement." Ma Lihong said.
Zhen Jingshan, deputy director of Beijing Xingquan Law Firm, analyzed that the collection of movie hall service fees involves several relationships: first, between the movie theater and the film studio. According to the contract, the two parties share and settle the movie box office revenue.
According to the cooperation agreement, there are many possibilities for the settlement price, such as fixed price or floating price. When the settlement price is a floating price, the movie theater will set up an unreasonable service fee for the theater and monopolize the amount other than the face price, which is suspected of violating the legitimate rights and interests of the film studio.
The second is between movie theaters and consumers. Movie theaters charge consumers movie hall service fees and should provide corresponding services.
Moreover, movie theaters should protect consumers' right to know, right to choose independently, and right to fair trade from being violated.
Therefore, movie theaters should inform consumers in advance and clearly mark the services corresponding to their movie hall service fees, and set different prices for consumers to choose according to different service contents.
Finally, my country implements a special fund system for the development of the film industry, and movie theaters should hand over a certain percentage of box office revenue to relevant government departments.
If a movie theater sets an unreasonable movie hall service fee and excludes the service fee from the box office, it is an act suspected of "stealing the box office".
"Strict restrictions should be imposed on cinema service fees, and cinemas must not charge as much as they want. From a policy level, the conditions, methods, and standards for charging cinema service fees should be clarified; from an implementation level, cinemas should set strict limits on cinema service fees It will be publicized, and the price will be clearly marked to ensure consumers' legitimate rights and interests such as the right to know and the right to choose independently." Zhen Jingshan said.
Many consumers complain about the high fares
Temporary fare increase in online ticket purchase
"It's too expensive. It costs several hundred yuan for a family to go to a movie and buy some food and drink." The reporter interviewed many consumers from Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi and other places, and many of them lamented.
On the Internet, the discussion about "ticket prices are too high to look down on movies" is also hot.
This year's Spring Festival movie market is booming.
With the end of the Spring Festival holiday, many consumers have recently begun to watch movies on a staggered peak. At the same time, other blockbuster movies are being released, and the popularity of theaters remains high.
As high as the enthusiasm for watching movies, there is also the ticket price.
The reporter's inquiry found that during the Spring Festival, in many theaters in some cities, the ticket price of many movies exceeded 100 yuan. Until now, movie tickets of 70 or 80 yuan a piece are also everywhere.
Not long ago, a blogger posted that in Dalian Wanda International Film City, Liaoning, he met an old man who took his grandson to watch a movie and bought tickets on the spot. The ticket price of "The Wandering Earth 2" was 300 yuan a piece.
Relevant pictures show that the price tag of "Man Jianghong" is also 300 yuan in individual sessions.
A staff member of the theater said that 300 yuan is just a "display price" and not the actual purchase price. "Offline purchases are between 100 and 150 yuan."
Zhen Jingshan believes that in terms of the current income of most ordinary people, movie tickets costing hundreds of yuan are indeed relatively expensive.
High ticket prices not only directly keep some ordinary people who need to watch movies out of theaters, but in the long run, it will also have an adverse impact on the development of the entire industry, curb mass consumption, and even lead to a decline in the number of moviegoers.
In addition to high ticket prices, consumers still have a lot of complaints.
Liang Jing, a Shanghai citizen, found that when buying tickets online, some theaters, like concerts and dramas, have price differences between different seats, and the middle seats are more than 10 yuan more expensive than the ones on the side.
The reporter's investigation found that many theaters now design tiered prices for the same show. On the ticketing platform, it usually shows that the ticket price of a certain movie is "from ×× yuan", and the price difference ranges from 10 yuan to dozens of yuan.
This situation also exists when buying tickets offline, and some staff will not take the initiative to inform.
Luo Qing (pseudonym) from Yuzhou, Henan Province, when buying tickets during the Spring Festival this year, found that the price of a movie in the cinema was 49.6 yuan on the ticket home page, but after clicking on the seat selection interface, only one corner in the lower left corner was 49.6 yuan , all other seats are 74.6 yuan.
"Is such a price difference setting really reasonable?"
In Zhen Jingshan's view, it is normal for movie theaters to increase ticket prices for better locations, which is in line with market laws.
However, theaters should guarantee consumers’ right to know and right to choose independently when selling movie tickets, that is, theaters should publicize the price difference in a reasonable way, and ensure that consumers have the right to freely choose seats at any price without forcing them to consumption, otherwise it is suspected of violating the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
"The zoning system of ticket prices is more common in theaters and concerts, because the venues of theaters or concerts are usually large, and the effects of watching performances in different areas are different. But whether it is reasonable to adopt the zoning system in small movie theaters also needs to be determined. Put a question mark." Ma Lihong said.
Recently, some netizens reported that they bought two movie tickets in a group purchase on a short video platform, but they were asked to increase the price by 10 yuan per person when they went to the store to watch the movie.
A netizen said that this was not explained on the details page of the group purchase, "The copy says that all Lunar New Year movies can be used, but when we arrived at the scene, several movies became limited-price movies."
There are not a few people who have had the same experience.
In the interface of relevant discount ticket activities, many consumers left a message saying that they encountered a temporary price increase, "Why didn't the above make it clear, and I have to pay an extra 10 yuan when I arrive at the store" "I have to make up the price difference, and it was clearly stated before buying that it can be used "After making up the price difference, it is not much different from the normal movie ticket price."
Ma Lihong pointed out that theaters and platforms are suspected of violating the price law and constitute unfair price behaviors: colluding with each other, manipulating market prices, harming the legitimate rights and interests of other operators or consumers; using false or misleading price means, Deceiving consumers or other business operators to conduct transactions with them; providing the same goods or services, and discriminating against other business operators with the same trading conditions; adopting methods such as raising or lowering the grade to purchase and sell goods or provide services, raising or lower prices etc.
Establish rules and regulations to govern chaos according to law
Guaranteeing quality and realizing freedom of viewing
"I'm watching a 3D movie. Isn't it your obligation to provide 3D glasses? Why should I pay for them?" In a movie theater in Chaoyang District, Beijing, Ms. Wang quarreled with the clerk.
After arguing with reason and making a complaint, the clerk took out free 3D glasses from the counter, and other consumers who watched the same event also got free 3D glasses.
Some theaters do not provide free 3D glasses when showing 3D movies, which has become a major "slot" reflected by many consumers.
The reporter's investigation found that many theaters clearly reminded "please bring your own 3D glasses" on the ticket purchase interface of 3D movies.
If you don’t bring them, you can only buy or rent them. The price of a pair of 3D glasses ranges from 5 yuan to 10 yuan.
Ma Lihong said that when a consumer purchases a theater 3D movie ticket, the two parties form a service contract relationship, and it is the contractual obligation of the theater to allow consumers to enjoy the agreed 3D movie.
If the cinema does not provide 3D glasses, consumers can only see blurred images and cannot experience the three-dimensional and realistic effects that 3D movies should have. 3D glasses are the main obligation that theaters should fulfill.
"The Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests stipulates that business operators shall not use standard terms, notices, statements, store notices, etc. to exclude or limit consumers' rights, reduce or exempt operators' responsibilities, or increase consumer responsibilities, which are unfair to consumers. Unreasonable regulations should not use standard clauses and use technical means to force transactions. For some theaters to inform consumers that they need to bring their own or buy 3D glasses through relevant reminders, it is an unfair clause and is invalid.” Ma Lihong said .
Regarding the problem that many movie theaters do not allow take-out food, Ma Lihong said that the ban on take-out food in theaters is reasonable to a certain extent, because theaters are public places after all, and some foods have peculiar smells or make loud noises when eaten, which affects other consumers’ perceptions. movie experience.
However, if cinemas do not make any distinctions and forbid consumers to take out food and beverages, but they themselves provide similar products with high prices, it is a case of using their monopoly position to set up overlord clauses and infringe consumers' right to choose independently.
"The problems of high-priced movie tickets, price opacity, and temporary price increases are closely related to the lack of laws and regulations, departmental regulations, and industry norms related to the development of the current movie market." Zhen Jingshan said that to regulate the movie market, rules and regulations must be established.
It is necessary to introduce relevant laws, regulations, rules and regulations on the basis of taking into account various factors such as the upgrading of the film industry, industry development, protection of the basic rights and interests of the audience, and the protection of the audience's viewing needs, so as to ensure that there are rules and regulations to govern the chaos as much as possible. There are rules to follow.
He suggested that from the perspective of effectively protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, the supervision of the film market should be strengthened, and at the same time, the sound development of the film market should be taken into consideration.
Adapt measures to local conditions, and guide film studios and movie theaters to further refine regional differences, theater differences, facility differences, and service differences on the existing basis, and formulate more accurate and reasonable pricing models.
It not only guarantees the viewing experience of high-quality audiences, but also ensures that the vast majority of audiences can realize the freedom of viewing movies.
Stratify the ticketing system and ticketing system, guide movie theaters to determine reasonable box office calculation and settlement methods, implement an open, transparent, and reasonable ticketing system and ticketing system, and ensure the authenticity, legality, and validity of movie box office and ticket price data.
"Currently, China's film and television industry is in an era of rapid changes and vigorous development. Every practitioner in the industry should focus on the long-term development prospects of the industry, respect the market and audience, standardize operations, and achieve steady and long-term progress. Give back to the society by providing high-quality film works and promote the healthy development of cultural undertakings." Ma Lihong said.
Comics/Li Xiaojun