Everyone Can Wear Jeans to the Opera, Except the Ticket Takers

Dolce & Gabbana could have a whole new market with jean wearers at the opera.

"Instead of just showing the latest Hollywood blockbusters, multiplexes equipped with digital projection increasingly are providing patrons with a night at the ballet or the fights. And jeans-wearing opera lovers can enjoy a show at the same place they'd see a romantic comedy or an action movie. Struggling theaters are on the prowl for additional revenue. The number of tickets sold, according to Rentrak's media measurement service, has dropped nearly 15% to 1.34 billion from 1.57 billion in 2002. Potential moviegoers, with high-definition, big-screen TVs at home and Netflix accounts are proving tough to pry off their couches. Total box office sales for the year are on pace to be only slightly behind last year's $10.6 billion, thanks to rising ticket prices: averaging $7.96 per ticket in 2010, vs. $7.50 in 2009, according to Box Office Mojo. To coax people into their seats, theaters are getting creative, by showcasing everything from New York City Ballet performances of The Nutcracker to Ultimate Fighting Championship matches in 3-D. Alternative programming can create opportunities for people who want the experience of going out but can't attend events, due to location or cost, says A. Dale 'Bud' Mayo, chairman and CEO of Digiplex Destinations, which has three New York-area theaters. Digiplex Destinations' business is built around providing alternative programming, Mayo

Even the devil has the good sense to be
fashionable. Tenor Jonas Kaufmann will star
in the title role of the MET's Faust.

said. Theater owners usually don't hold out much hope for moviegoers to pack theaters Monday through Thursday, but this 'off-peak' period presents opportunities to run programming that targets specific audiences, Mayo said. On Nov. 21, his theaters will showcase a Lady Gaga special documenting her Monster Ball Tour for $13.50 a ticket. The average price to see the eccentric performer in person is about $100, according to concert industry trade publication Pollstar. Tickets for the theater version are selling fast even though the show is on a Monday. 'We love that,' Mayo said. 'That's heaven for a movie theater operator. When you can draw people in at times they wouldn't usually come, everyone wins.' Showings of the Metropolitan Opera sell out months in advance, he said. To create a more authentic experience, Digiplex Destinations' ticket takers dress in costume, and the theaters sell concessions found at New York City performances." [Source]

Faust by the Metropolitan Opera "Live in HD" will be on December 10. Tickets are about $24 (www.fathomevents.com).