Out of the box office thinking

We saw the new Harry Potter movie at 11:40 today. A great film! But that's not the point here. I was amazed that we only paid $6 per ticket. It's been a while since we've gone to a movie before noon. Apparently, that's the last window of opportunity to get single-digit ticket prices.

When I was a teenager, matinee prices applied to any showing before 6pm. No longer, I guess. Lori and I were both commenting on our days back in Arizona when we vowed to never pay more than $10 for a movie ticket. I recall when ticket prices hit $5 while I was in high school and thinking it was a sure sign of the Apocalypse.

When you get down to it, there's really nothing fundamentally different about the medium to warrant such an exorbitant increase in prices. Clearly, the box office molestation stems from the salaries demanded by the actors, the unions all clamoring for their crumbs (gaffers of the world unite!) and the ascension of CGI. But at its core, moviemaking is still about telling a story. It begins and ends with an idea and a script.

So here's my idea. Allow only half-price tickets for remakes.

Why not? All the hard work's been done. We all know what's going to happen in them. Why should we pay top dollar to see rehashed ideas? With the rash of remakes that has plagued the world over the last few years, why not let financial incentive provoke new ideas and storylines? To spur creativity? Let top-dollar ticket prices be reserved solely for new ideas. (Put the whole "there are only seven original plots" argument aside for a moment...)

I know the Hollywood illuminati professes to be above the shallow cravings of capitalism, but I think revenues cut in half would work magic. Just like Adam Smith's invisible hand and Harry Potter's worthy wand.