I also pay for the huge screen and sound system. AND usually privacy.

I have a 65" TV at home and a very good surround system. But the big screen theater is still better. Plus depending on the time of day I can't usually replicate the darkness. I can turn my phone off at home also but there can be many distractions like the gal talking all the time. In the theater she knows to be quite.

It is an experience not replicated at home.

I know right? I see some of these posts and I am baffled. Yeah, I wouldn’t spend $20 to watch the eighth remake of Emma, but if No Time To Die or Black Widow came out and I could watch it at home the same day it debuted without having to take my family to a crowded theater full of coughing hacking people? Sure I would spend $20-$30 for that

It is not baffling at all. IF watching from home was so great no one would ever go to the theater.

For a family it makes perfect sense, for an individual it does not.

That’s disingenuous and you know it. One of the main reasons people go to the movies is to see the film when it comes out so they can be part of the communal experience, sure. But also so they can be part of the discussion. I couldn’t imagine being really interested in seeing Avengers Endgame or Rise of Skywalker and still waiting 90 days to watch it on home video. That exclusive theatrical window is a huge deal.
I love going to the movies and that isn’t going to change. But things are a little different now. I have a hard time believing that if a major release comes to VOD the same day it’s in theaters and one’s whole family wanted to see the movie, people here would put them in the car and drive to the theater to spend $40-$50 on tickets, but wouldn’t be willing to spend $20 to watch it at home.

Even though we do movies at the theater less than a half dozen times a year, it's still a "thing" and I accept paying the higher cost for the opportunity to get out of the house with the family and all that.

But I can't fathom paying anything for a blind rental of a movie.

If the price also included a digital copy to be unlocked in 3 months for regular ownership, or better yet, a Blu/DVD mailed to me later, I would pay a few extra bucks for that.

20 to 40 would be fine. That’s about a couple tickets. And I prefer my own snacks. I make really good stovetop popcorn. If me and gf go with two kids, it’s like $80 or so after drinks and snacks. Plus the kids start yapping and you have to make them stfu and I’m personally embarrassed because I’m a movie guy.

The option is nice. I’d still go to the theater a lot.

Theaters around here already did a big downsize when they remodeled with bigger seats. Then reserved seats. Smaller crowds and less employees to manage.

I'd still pay a premium to watch in my home if alone. Comfort, food I already paid for, booze, pause breaks at will...etc.

All this being said, I am lucky enough to have a nice TV and sound system. If you don't have that available, I totally understand why you'd prefer a theater.

Of course, but not at $20+ (as and individual), IMO.

There's no movie that I'd pay $20 to see at home once, especially in average streaming quality. I hardly ever pay more than $2 for a VOD rental as it is- I might have paid $5 or so to see Invisible Man early, but for $20 I can wait at least til I can buy it on disc for that much.

Sure. But the question was "What is the MOST you would pay". I assume that means under any circumstance. I'm sure there are some people here who never go to a movie with another person, but most of us would on occasions at least pay for two tickets to a first run movie they were really interested in.

If Endgame had been scheduled to come out this year, there’s no way I wouldn’t have paid $30-40 to get that story resolved without spoilers.

Maybe I wouldn’t pay $30 for one of the Marvels that I didn’t get around to seeing in theaters (Dr Strange, the Ant Mans), but for Black Widow, sure.

The big Disney properties are not going to drop to $10 purchase very soon, if ever, either. I consider TROS last week an anomaly dictated by circumstances.

There's maybe 5-10 films a year that I watch in theaters. I'd pay $20-30 for me and the lady to be able to watch those same films at home. If the price were $10-20, I'd probably catch an additional 5-10 films a year that I would otherwise wait till they're out on video. If I had a group of friends or family over, I'd probably pay $40-50 to entertain everyone for a couple hours. This also factors in that I have a pretty solid home theatre that does a good job recreating the A/V experience at home.

Not. It is only for collecting dust on shelves and maybe watch it once.

Gang, I took my son, my daughter and her friend to see Cats because they wanted to laugh at it. And I bought snacks. I'm in for like $60+ on that movie.

In future try to comment without any anti-semitic words.

Holy shit. I missed that. What a POS.

Thanks to the moderator for editing out the slur.

I avoided most of these from the theater direct to your home releases since most of them are close to being released on Blu-ray and I can wait.

Maybe if Top Gun 2 came direct to home in the first week of its supposedly theatrical release I would pay $19.99.