The Golden Ticket

Alright so I haven't blogged here in a while. What movies have I seen since then? Well, I've seen Ghost Town and Body of Lies, both of which were excellent. So why haven't I wrote since then? Mostly because I've been moving to New York and now I have a grown-up job. Also, because I saw both of these movies after they had been out for a little while and therefore felt it would be slightly useless to post something that wouldn't really have any bearing. SO, why am I posting now? To explain to you, dear reader, that to see a movie in New York City, is fucking expensive.

Astonishingly, there are about 25 theatres within the 10001 zip code alone (estimated from Fandango.com). For those of you outta towners, that's an area of .7 square miles (according to city-data.com) located around Penn Station. Once you stretch the distance, you get more theatres. Lots more. Now, the average cost of a movie ticket in this area is $12.00 for an adult and $8.50 for children and seniors (again, according to Fandango). Where I was previously from, it was $9.50 for adults and $6.00 for children and seniors. So do the math (fine, I will) that's an increase of $2.50 per ticket per age per show in NYC. Yes, it's hogwash. But people can't be too poor to see movies right? It depends. If you look at the average income for this area, it suggests that people can. According to city-data.com, the average income of someone living in the 10001 zip code makes $84,496. That was in 2004 which means the average is most likely around 90k. The average income where I saw movies was $84,797. So wtf, mate? It sadly doesn't even out. What does make sense though is that this is New York, the number one populated city in the United States. Here in the city, one theatre can seat a limited amount of people. Think of what else this space could be used for. Other businesses, homes, etc. They have to charge a lot of money to pay for that rent. Money that we New Yorkers are willing to pay for the utility that it adds to our lives. Money that also apparently adds up to $12 per ticket.

Be tea dub: One 12 oz. bottle of beer costs $6, a standard no frills haircut costs $18, but a footlong meatball sub from Subway costs $5. Word.