Bring down movie ticket prices this Xmas - solon

A party-list lawmaker in the House of Representatives on Sunday was alarmed over skyrocketing prices of movie tickets, which are expected to increase further during the Christmas season. Rep. Florencio “Bem" Noel of An Waray in a statement said that movie ticket prices have been soaring over the years just as oil companies have been jacking up their prices every week. “Going to movies is no longer easy on the budget for an ordinary family seeking cheap bonding and entertainment. Prices are no longer affordable," Noel said. He added: “This is one of the factors that is driving away our movie patrons from theaters and [are] forced to patronize pirated DVDs." Noel, who has co-produced an “indie" film years ago, said movie patronage has sunk because ticket prices are no longer affordable to the masses. “This is hurting even our local film industry. There should be a middle ground between box-office profit and providing affordable public entertainment," he said. Noel noted that ticket prices have soared from P99 to a high of P150. He said movie theater operators even charge as high as P200 to P250 if the movies are international blockbuster. The congressman also said that ticket prices usually rise during the holiday’s film festival season and never return to its normal level during regular box-office run. Noel said there must a way to bring down the cost of going to the movies to lure back the audience to the box-office, especially the Christmas season. He added high ticket prices is also posing as a dilemma for government regulators like the Movie, Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), which screens movies suited for public viewing. “But the problem here is after the MTRCB has done its job, people can’t go and watch the movies cleared for public showing because of exorbitant ticket prices," Noel said. As a result, he said Filipinos opt to patronize pirated DVD movies, which could be bought for as low as P50 per disc. - GMANews.TV