Movie tickets to cost more

By Susan Hooper
Advertiser Staff Writer

With the steady implacability of Spider-Man scaling a skyscraper, ticket prices at O'ahu's largest movie chain are inching up.

Consolidated Amusement Co. will raise prices at 13 of its 15 locations on O'ahu, Maui and the Big Island starting Friday, regional director Glenn Yim said yesterday.

The increases coincide with the opening of the blockbuster "Spider-Man." To view mild-mannered Peter Parker's transformation into the superhero with the crime-fighting web, fans will have to shell out 50 cents more, or $8, for a general admission ticket at Consolidated's Ward and Waikiki theaters.

General admission prices at other Consolidated locations — except 'Aikahi and Imax — are rising from $7.50 to $7.75, Yim said.

Discounts for senior citizens, children, the military and matinee-goers also are going up at the 13 Consolidated locations, between 25 cents and 50 cents each, Yim said.

With general admission tickets in Los Angeles and New York more than $10, Yim said, Hawai'i is still "one of the most affordable movie-going markets in the country."

Phil Harris, president of Signature Theatres, said his firm is reviewing prices now. General admission to a Hawai'i Signature theater is $7.50, Harris said.

Wallace Theaters may offer the best deal for general admission moviegoers on the island: $7 a ticket.

Two tickets, two sodas and a tub of popcorn now run about $25 — enough to buy nearly a dozen "Spider-Man" comic books.