Sheepshead Bay UA Movie Theater Tickets To Hit $14

Source: cinematreasures.org

Sheepshead Bay’s United Artists movie theater will be hiking its prices this Friday, with adult admission reaching $14 – or nearly twice the national average – Sheepshead Bites has learned.

A source has confirmed the price hike, noting that adult admission will rise from $13.50 to $14.00. Seniors, children, and matinee admission prices will climb from $10.00 to $10.50.

The UA Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14 & IMAX, owned by Regal Entertainment and located at 3907 Shore Parkway, is one of the only remaining movie theaters in Southern Brooklyn, maintaining a stranglehold that draws thousands from around the borough every weekend.

The new rates mean that the theater is that much closer to being double the national average for a movie ticket, which in 2012 was $7.96 according to the New York Times. The average admission nationwide increased just three cents last year, a lesser increase than in previous years; from 2008 to to 2010, the Times reports, prices jumped 4 percent annually.

There’s no word yet on whether or not the UA will increase the price for 3-D movie tickets. According to the Times, 3-D admissions are fueling rate hikes across the country as interest in the gimmick plummets, causing theater owners to charge more for regular tickets.

The Times reported in February:

Regal Entertainment, the nation’s largest movie theater chain, said last week that it raised prices for standard screenings by 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter [of 2012]; 3-D ticket sales in the period contributed 14 percent of Regal’s sales, down from 17 percent in the same quarter a year ago. 

The sales slump suggests that the local UA may keep its 3-D offerings pegged at $20.00 for adults and $16.50 for children and seniors.