With the price of movie tickets climbing to nearly $20 per pair
for adults, going to the theater sometimes just doesn’t hold the
thrill it used to.
With the price of movie tickets climbing to nearly $20 per pair for adults, going to the theater sometimes just doesn’t hold the thrill it used to.
But at-home viewers don’t need to fret. Companies from specialty stores to cable providers are rushing to give consumers a broader range of outlets than ever before. Here’s a look at what’s out there:
Demand programming
Click on the television, press a button and start a movie all without leaving the house: that’s the premise of video-on-demand services from companies like Comcast Cable and Dish Network, and that’s exactly how it works, according to Craig Watson, vice president of communications for Charter Communications’ western division.
“If you’re at home and the urge hits you, do I get up, put on my pants and go down to the video store, or wait for the next Netflix shipment, or do I just buy it?” asked Watson. “You never know when you’ve got an open evening all of a sudden, and – bam! – now you have a movie to watch.”
Like rental movies, Charter’s on-demand films come at a cost – $3.99 for new releases and $2.99 for slightly older films – but the cable company also offers monthly selections of free movies.
All digital cable subscribers have to do to access the service is go to channel 999 on their receivers and select the films they’re interested in by title or genre.
Premium channel subscribers also get bonuses with the program. HBO, Cinemax, Stars and Showtime all offer their own on-demand services through channel 999 that allow subscription viewers to call up movies and original series going back two years, Watson said.
“When I see a movie, it doesn’t matter what time it is,” said Watson. “I can start it, I can stop it. It’s yours for 24 hours, so, in that time, you can watch it as many times as you want. When the time is up, it just goes away. You can never get a late fee.”
Mail-order DVD rental
With no late fees and plans priced from $9.99 to $47.99, services like Netflix and Blockbuster Online can be a procrastinator’s dream.
Though Netflix offers more than 50,000 titles by mail, it’s not the fastest service. Movies are selected online and are automatically mailed when an old film is returned, arriving by first-class mail with a postage-paid return envelope in tow.
The Los Gatos-based service has become wildly popular since its debut in 1999. Today, it has more than 3 million members, who watch more than 90,000 video trailers on netflix.com per day and rent more than 1 million DVDs per day.
Competitor Blockbuster online offers 40,000 titles for similar monthly rates with the same service format as Netflix. However, subscribers also get two in-store rentals each month at no additional cost.
Chain video stores
Stores like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster have adapted to meet customers’ needs.
Reduced or eliminated late fees draw customers in, and additional services like DVD and game sales are helping to make them one-stop shopping centers for family entertainment.
“Most of the time, customers want to rent here because it’s a family-oriented place,” said Solly Hernandez, manager of Hollywood Video in Morgan Hill. “They can pick up their DVDs, their snacks and popcorn and go. We have a big selection and a lot of copies, so if it’s guaranteed in stock, and we don’t have it the day you come, you get a free rental.”
Hollywood Video charges $3.99 plus tax for five-day rentals on new releases and $2.49 for older movies in its general video sections. Blockbuster video charges $4.82 per rental for all DVDs, regardless of age.
Mom-and-Pop video stores
Though they may not have the humongous stock of video mega-stores, small rental businesses are surviving, said Robert Palla, an employee at Video Town in Hollister.
Combination stores like the Tres Pinos Country Store stay in business thanks to other products, while strict video stores have turned to other avenues for profit.
“What’s keeping us alive is the adult market,” said Palla.
The store’s rentals are split 50-50 between rentals of regular films and of 3,000 adult titles, but it’s not the only thing keeping customers coming back, said Palla.
Personalized service and low prices – $2.50 for a rental and $0.50 late charges – keep folks coming back in, Palla said.
