Note on Ticket Prices and Showtimes

Advertisements for shows in newspapers from 1913 and 1914 indicate that movie tickets were relatively cheap and that pricing changed by showtime, reflecting greater demand in the evening hours. The existence of lower prices throughout the day and matinee times not only reveals when people most frequently went to the movies but may also suggest what demographics patrons belonged to. In an excerpt from The Gamecock newspaper published in 1914, the Broadway Theatre bought space for an advertisement targeted to college students that displayed their business hours and rates. The theater was open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, and the ticket prices for licensed films increased from 5 cents from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to ten cents from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. In 2021, the prices of these tickets would have inflated to $1.37 for matinee showings and $2.74 for evening showings (“CPI”) . The two prices may indicate different types of patrons as well as demand. During the day, women who did not work for wages and children could perhaps enjoy an afternoon at the theater for a lower price. After 6 p.m., we see the price increase when it seems more likely that off-work adults and students created heavier traffic at the theater. This trend can be seen at other theaters such as The Pastime. In the Sunday, May 4, 1913 issue of The State newspaper, the Pastime advertised their screening for A Southern Cinderella. The theater opened at 11a.m, and the ticket prices fluctuated during the day exactly like those at The Broadway Theatre, increasing from five cents during the day to ten cents at night. From these two examples, the assumption can be made that the theaters modeled their business practices around what type of patrons were frequenting the venue at certain hours and implemented higher prices at busier hours to increase revenue.

Works Cited (but not linked)

“CPI Inflation Calculator.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm.