Steven Spielberg's Nightmare Scenario For Hollywood Is Already Coming True


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Steven Spielberg's Nightmare Scenario For Hollywood Is Already Coming True

Steven Spielberg's Nightmare Scenario For Hollywood Is Already Coming True

By Kirsten Acuna | Business Insider – 1 hour 21 minutes ago

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Paramount Pictures

Would you pay $50 to see "World War Z" before anyone else?

Earlier this week, Steven Spielberg said the movie industry was about to implode.

Specifically, while speaking at USC Spielberg noted that since so many movie studios are opting to bet on one large $250 million budget film rather than a few smaller films, this will eventually result in a giant meltdown for Hollywood.

George Lucas followed up predicting that going to the movies will be a Broadway event costing anywhere from $50 to $150 dollars one day.  

It looks like they're right.

Paramount announced it will sell $50 tickets for people to view showings of Brad Pitt's zombie thriller "World War Z" June 19 — two days before the film's release.

Remember, this is the movie that was receiving a lot of bad press after a Vanity Fair cover article revealed the film's budget inflated to around $200 million and a costly 40-minute reshoot of the endhad to take place. 

Paramount is pairing up with Regal Entertainment Group to bring the costly package to consumers.

Not everyone will be able to get in on the deal.

These "mega tickets," as Paramount is coining them, will be available in five markets — Houston, TX, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and San Diego.

What does $50 get you?

Here's what's inside the "mega-ticket" package:

•                One ticket

•               One HD digital copy of the movie when it comes out

•                One pair of "World War Z Custom" 3D glasses 

•               A limited-edition movie poster and a small popcorn

Paramount says all of this amounts to $75 worth of paraphernalia.

Kirsten Acuna /Business Insider

Here's a free poster we received when purchasing an $18.50 ticket for an early IMAX 3D "Star Trek Into Darkness" screening.

When we went to an early showing of "Star Trek Into Darkness" we paid $18.50 for a single ticket (in New Jersey) and received 3D glasses and a sweet glow-in-the-dark poster for free.

We had to give the 3D glasses back; however, other films in the past have given out free 3D glasses along with tickets. "The Avengers" and "Harry Potter" come to mind.

Typically, an HD copy of a film goes for about $40 on release.

That's about $60.

A small popcorn costs a lot these days (close to $6 in some theaters), but there's no way it costs $15. The least Paramount could have done was throw in a soda, too.

Paramount knows it needs "World War Z" to do immensely well at theaters to not only earn back its outstanding budget, but to also make a profit. 

Selling pricey tickets would help a little.

At the end of the day, if you shell out $50 for one of these WWZ tickets, you're basically getting bragging rights to see a film that isn't even the most-anticipated of the year before anyone else and an HD movie.