Gold Class Retort

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A former employee of Village Cinemas in Australia has responded to my recent post about the coming Gold Class operation that will charge up to $35 a pop for a super-deluxe movie-watching experience.

"Having worked for Village Cinemas in Australia, I can tell you unequivocally that the GC concept already works -- and how. In Australia there are lots of these venues (check out villagecinemas.com.au for pix, locations, etc.) and these screens pack out.

"Often, Gold Class seasons outlive 'standard' auditorium prints. For instance, a recent acclaimed, high-adrenalin thriller played until after the DVD release. Same could be said for another semi-recent franchise re-boot.

"Most of the commentators have got it all wrong. The audience is not the glitterati (that's just the sell), but in fact aspirational people who have cash but don\'t know how to spend it. The sort of people who would never go to the theatre or to a nice restaurant with fancy stuff on the menu. And while there's upscale food on the menu, the highest seller is a Gold Class hamburger."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 27, 2008 at 3:37 PM

comment #1

actionman says ...

Spending $14 per ticket at the Arclight is about as much as I'm willing to spend for a theatrical experience.

Posted by actionman at March 27, 2008 4:01 PM

comment #2

travis b says ...

why would anyone pay 35 bucks to watch a movie in a theater AFTER it's out on DVD?

Posted by travis b at March 27, 2008 4:03 PM

comment #3

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

You know, it made a lot more sense when you find out that the $35 gets you all you can eat popcorn and drinks. That's still paying a premium, but now it's more like a $10ish one than a $20ish one.

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at March 27, 2008 4:03 PM

comment #4

UnChien says ...

The best cinemadeal I've ever had was the one in France when I studied there a couple of years back. The UGC-chains there (and the MK2) offered a card with which you could watch an unlimited amount of film for a measly 18 Euros ($28). Happy times!

Posted by UnChien at March 27, 2008 4:27 PM

comment #5

UnChien says ...

Fuck! A month! 18 euros a month.

Posted by UnChien at March 27, 2008 4:28 PM

comment #6

Hickenlooper says ...

Folks here will pay $12 bucks for a gallon of gas before they're willing to pay $35 bucks to see a movie. It will be a total failure in the US. Maybe it works in Australia. There's not a lot to do down in Sidney other than get drunk and watch water spin down the drain the opposite way it does here.

Posted by Hickenlooper at March 27, 2008 4:39 PM

comment #7

tophertilson says ...

You're joking, right? Sydney is an amazing city.

Posted by tophertilson at March 27, 2008 4:44 PM

comment #8

Arran says ...

Of course Sydney is boring. It's not New York.

Posted by Arran at March 27, 2008 4:57 PM

comment #9

Chinaski says ...

Sydney is also not all there is in Australia.

Posted by Chinaski at March 27, 2008 5:14 PM

comment #10

doverpro2002 says ...

No one has mentioned the best thing about these chains is that you can drink alcohol during the shows. You can give an order and the waiter will bring you a drink or beer every 15, 30 minutes, whatever.

I was on location on the Gold Coast last year from May through August and went to these theatres all the time. Great fun. Don't think I couldn't have made it through Transformers without the VB every 20 minutes!

Posted by doverpro2002 at March 27, 2008 5:18 PM

comment #11

doverpro2002 says ...

Posted by doverpro2002 at March 27, 2008 5:18 PM

comment #12

doverpro2002 says ...

So sorry for the double post!! Wasn't the beer. Honest!

Posted by doverpro2002 at March 27, 2008 5:20 PM

comment #13

Chicago48 says ...

We're having a recession. This is not the time to introduce $35 ticket movies.

Posted by Chicago48 at March 27, 2008 5:41 PM

comment #14

CowTipper says ...

They have this type of thing in Thailand. A ticket was about $15 a few years ago (about 3 or 4 times more expensive than a seat in a normal theater). It included a power leather reclining seat with massage and heating, slippers (too small for my western clown feet), a feather duvet, and waiter service.

Posted by CowTipper at March 27, 2008 6:18 PM

comment #15

Dan Revill says ...

Australia also has koalas and kangaroos I hear. Wasn't that where they filmed Lord of the Rings?

Posted by Dan Revill at March 27, 2008 6:27 PM

comment #16

doverpro2002 says ...

No, Mr. Sane, that was New Zealand. But the Koo and the Roo are delicious when served as a satay!

Actually, my first experience at one of these theatres was in Wellington. Even the copious amounts of beer couldn't make me sit through the 2nd Tomb Raider with the long title I can't even remember.

Posted by doverpro2002 at March 27, 2008 6:39 PM

comment #17

p.Vice says ...

doverpro, are you aware there are millions of establishments all over the world where a person can drink all the beer they want without having to pay for a $35 ticket?

Posted by p.Vice at March 27, 2008 7:09 PM

comment #18

D.Z. says ...

Speaking of blowing money, the Pentagon allowed a 22-year old to buy Soviet-era weapons for our troops.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Audio_reveals_US_defense_contractor_proposing_0327.html
But, hey, Mgmax and Josh think that government oversight is dumb, because the market can take care of itself.

Posted by D.Z. at March 27, 2008 8:54 PM

comment #19

brunswickstoval says ...

I live in Australia and have had the displeasure of attending Gold Class. Can I say - it is a huge waste of money and is generally not regularly attended by people who would be reading this site. It's a popular thing for large work groups, first dates - generally anytime you want to drink a lot and not have to speak to the person you're with. It's only used for mega blockbusters when the only possible way you can get through them is to drink so much you miss most of the film by needing to go to the toilet.

Posted by brunswickstoval at March 27, 2008 8:54 PM

comment #20

mizerock says ...

Movies + beer = lots of people talking, not my idea of a premium experience. I'd be at the movies more often if they cut out the commericals & promised to use full-powered bulbs. I'm not holding my breath.

In the meantime I'll stick to my DVD setup at home, the screen isn't huge but it's bright (CRT 4eva!) and the surround sound rocks.

Posted by mizerock at March 28, 2008 7:20 AM

comment #21

J. Huff says ...

Come to the Midwest...you may think we're all fat and lazy, and maybe we are, but we've got killer art theatres for dirt cheap prices. I pay between $3 (matinee) and $5 (evening) at the two local art places, one of which is a gigantic old theatre. No kids, no talkers, just a really good time. The seats aren't luxurious, but the prints are normally in very good shape and shown at full brightness. Seeing Blade Runner a few weeks ago on a huge screen was a revelation, and my total cost with a soda was $5.50.

Posted by J. Huff at March 28, 2008 7:21 AM

comment #22

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

D.Z., I would say a better lesson to draw from that is that people like you want to see the same principles of good governance applied to every aspect of our lives... starting with health care and the housing market, of course.

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at March 28, 2008 7:31 AM

comment #23

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

One more for DZ:

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=b65bd77e-511f-4e00-88a7-a53a2a5ea4ca&k=68939

Listen for a head exploding like in Scanners.

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at March 28, 2008 9:19 AM

comment #24

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

J. Huff, what city are you in?

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at March 28, 2008 9:19 AM

comment #25

J. Huff says ...

Mgmax, I'm in Lexington, KY. I used to live in Indianapolis and the ticket prices were higher but still had good art theaters. Of course, the average multiplex in both is bad, but I really don't get around to those that often.

Posted by J. Huff at March 28, 2008 11:48 AM

comment #26

Dravot says ...

$35 for a movie ticket? In *this* economy?

Also, I don't want my moviegoing experience constantly interrupted as these "waiters" scurry back and forth delivering food and drink, and presumably talking and taking orders from the other patrons.

Posted by Dravot at March 28, 2008 1:10 PM

comment #27

D.Z. says ...

Mgmax: "D.Z., I would say a better lesson to draw from that is that people like you want to see the same principles of good governance applied to every aspect of our lives... starting with health care and the housing market, of course."

That's weird, because the free-market Republicans are the ones who seem to get off more on spying on my phone calls...

"One more for DZ:"

It's an opinion piece which uses a few isolated examples to prove a flawed argument without actually backing it up with any real data. Typical Republican journalism, but not really impressive. I'll raise your faceless corporate white-wash piece with an article on a critic who took them on and won. http://biz.yahoo.com/law/080326/62314fad27f3e79daa417b630a454f84.html

Posted by D.Z. at March 28, 2008 4:09 PM

comment #28

Jay T. says ...

Sydney is actually a pretty amazing city with a lot to do... clearly you've never been there.

Posted by Jay T. at April 1, 2008 12:05 PM

comment #29

PlatinumPete says ...

Do they coat your popcorn with gold flakes? I know of a lot of other things I would do with $35 than to spend it on one movie. That is kind of crazy if you ask me.

Posted by PlatinumPete at April 9, 2010 9:47 AM