I'm glad I don't live wherever they are selling these $25 movie tickets. Tickets at movie theaters near me are $4.50 o $7.50. It's only more than that if I want IMAX and that's still under $15...not $25. They gouge you on concessions of course but that has always been the case. Near me, a night out for two at the movies with popcorn and drinks will set you back $30-$40. You can save more if you go on Tuesday nights or for a matinee.

I think movie theaters can still make money but they are going to have to actually release good movies and keep them off of streaming services for the first several months. I don't know if it will last forever though.

Though COVID may have been a trigger to some extent, I think long term the threat to movie theaters is technology driven just as it was for arcades. I grew up with a few channels (eventually getting cable) and our family had to rent a VCR along with movies we rented for a while because VCRs were so expensive. Seeing a movie in the theater was a pretty special thing. Kids today are growing up with virtually unlimited media from a wide variety of sources. For many of them, going to a theater is just an expensive inconvenience. On the other hand, if there is something they really want to see and they aren't going to be able to easily see it anywhere else for several months...