For many at the University of North Florida, the cinema experience is clashing with the convenience and cost of the living room as rising ticket prices are forcing students and faculty to reconsider their moviegoing habits.
With the average cost of a movie ticket reaching $15.86 in Florida, according to CableTV.com, the UNF community members find themselves navigating a delicate balance between the desire for the “full experience” of a movie theater and the ease of at-home viewing.
Streaming over cinema?
Amid new releases, UNF students and faculty are weighing the immersive theater experience against the rising costs of tickets and the convenience of home streaming services.
UNF student Arian Pekusic said he prefers going to the movies over streaming movies at home, but that theater prices influence how often he goes out.
“I think watching them in-theater gives a better experience, but you have to go into that knowing the cost. It’s more expensive than doing it at home, sometimes you just want to chill, don’t want to spend the money to sit in there,” Pekusic said. “I would go to theaters more often if it was cheaper.”
Another UNF student, Grace Heath, said that she uses HBO Max to watch movies at home and that while she rarely goes to see movies in theater due to ticket prices, she prefers watching movies in-theater.
“I prefer watching [movies] in the theater cause I feel like I can get the whole experience the director has intended me to get,” Heath said.
Heath said that after factoring in subscription cost, streaming movies at home is still less expensive than going to a movie theater. She said that watching movies at home can also be more comfortable and reduce interruptions.
“It’s a lot more comfortable and affordable I would say, but you still don’t get that same experience versus if you were in a movie theater,” Heath said.
According to a recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, 75% of participants choose streaming new movies over going to the movie theater.
While UNF professors Kerri Conklin and Seth Buchanan said they are subscribed to Netflix and often use other streaming services like Amazon Prime, Paramount+ and Peacock, Conklin said that watching movies in-theater and at home both have their own benefits.
“I think going to the movie theater is a lot more social, you bring a lot more friends, but if you’re wanting more intimate like you want to hang out with family or you’re with your partner then maybe home would be a better experience,” Conklin said.
Conklin and Buchanan both said that big movie releases can bring a sense of community to the area. They both said that they prefer going to the movie theater over watching movies at home, and that streaming services are better for TV shows.
“We don’t go often, but when we do it’s a treat,” said Conklin.
A cinema experience worth the price
Pekusic, who normally watches movies at home on Netflix, Hulu and Peacock and only goes out to watch movies when he hears very positive reviews of a movie, said that he recently went out to see “Obsession.”
Pekusic said he had mixed feelings about the horror movie with a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“I just didn’t think it was worth the hype, as in people were over-selling how great it was and then I just wasn’t as impressed as I should have been, but it’s a very good movie for the kind of budget that it had,” Pekusic said.
Heath, who recently saw “Scream 7” in theaters, said that the movie felt “a little corny” and that she does not feel like modern movies portray Gen Z correctly.
Buchanan said that he recently went to see “Toy Story 5” in-theater with a group of friends that included Conklin.
Buchanan said that while he and his friends try to go to the movie theater when it’s cheaper, he is comfortable with current ticket prices.
“I think [movie tickets] are pretty fairly priced, the food and drinks are for sure very expensive but I think the movies are a good price,” Buchanan said. “You’re going there, in a nice comfortable seat on a big screen that you don’t usually get, so I think the movie ticket prices are alright.”
Conklin said that she always goes to the movie theater on Tuesday for cheaper tickets and that she has had to adjust to movie ticket prices in the area.
“I came from a smaller rural area and the movie tickets are $4 before 4 p.m. and $8 after 4 p.m., so coming here and seeing them be like $16, I’m like ‘I’m not paying for that, that’s a scam,” Conklin said.
Conklin also said that movie theaters can provide more activities besides movie watching.
“I also like the movie theater here [in Jacksonville] because it has an arcade, so you can play it while you’re waiting for your movie or you can go after so it’s…more activities than just watching a movie,” Conklin said.
While the convenience and affordability of streaming have shifted viewing habits at the University of North Florida, the decision to head to the theater remains a trade-off between a unique, social outing and the practical ease of the living room couch.
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