More ‘premium’ theaters are coming. Should you pay up?

Get ready to pay more for movies. At an industry conference on Thursday, Regal Cinemas CEO Amy Miles told investors that it was “crucial” for the industry to invest in premium experiences at movies going forward.

Premium? What exactly does that mean? In a nutshell, the theater industry is going to find a way to extract more money from its existing customers.

It’s a bit like what the airlines have been doing. You know that stuff you used to get for free, like the ability to, say, carry a bag onboard without shelling out $25? Or the privilege of having a cup of water sans charge?

Much of the theater industry’s “premium” initiative revolves around special, upgraded single theaters in multiplexes. Regal has one called RPX that supposedly gives viewers a better experience. The Cinemark chain has something similar called X-D. AMC has ETX.

Catching a flick at the RPX screen at the E-Walk on 42nd Street will set you back $20, $5 more than a seat at a “regular” theater in the same complex.

Is it worth it? Let’s look at some of the so-called premium amenities that might be coming to more theaters soon, and whether you should shell out the extra cash.

Bigger screens

There doesn’t seem to be any standard for what constitutes a premium screen size, but the projected image on the RPX screen at the E-Walk measures 60 feet wide. That’s roughly comparable to IMAX. But even IMAX has come under fire during the past few years for offering IMAX-branded theaters in which the screens weren’t all that much bigger than those found in standard theaters.

So you’re probably getting a bigger screen, but by how much? And is that necessarily better?

Better sound

The RPX theaters claim to have “ultimate sound.” At the E-Walk, that means a 100,000-watt system.

It may very well sound better than standard theaters, but the question here is, is that worth $5 more of your money? Isn’t the best sound supposed to be what we get anyway? Shouldn’t this be included in the price?

As a customer, don’t you assume that the theater is periodically upgraded? How can Regal and the other chains be in a (partially) tech-driven industry and not just consider upgrades as the cost of doing business?

It’s not like you show up at the cinema, buy a ticket to see “Edge of Tomorrow” and they hand you a Mutoscope from 1894. “If you’d like to see that movie projected digitally on a screen instead of presented in flip-book format, that will be an extra $15.”

Technology upgrades should just be part of the package.

Comfier chairs

Many of the premium theaters offer recliners. Careful, fellas. If you start to make the experience of going to the theater too much like being in my living room, I’m just gonna stay home in my living room.

VIP seating

A Regal complex in Atlanta has VIP theaters that serve food and booze and allow customers to select a seat when buying a ticket. For that privilege, you can pay 46 percent more than a regular ticket — $17.50. Seems a bit steep, but might be worth it.

If the theater industry really wants to rope in customers and force them to pay for things that they should be getting for free, how about holding “No talking, no texting” screenings? I’d easily pay $5 more to watch a movie in an auditorium policed by staff who would enforce the rules. Think about it, Regal.