Last weekend movie theaters owned by Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Entertainment Inc. and Cinemark Holding Inc. introduced an increase in ticket prices around the country.

The companies increased traditional 2D ticket prices by around 4 percent, 3D tickets by 8 percent and 3D IMAX tickets by almost 10 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This means if a family of four wants to go see the recently released DreamWorks animated movie “How to Train Your Dragon,” they’re going to have to spend over $40 on an hour and a half of entertainment, and that’s before buying the long over-priced concessions the theater offers.

While waiting in the theater, disgruntled by the lightness of their wallet, the family would be exposed to an array of advertisements for local businesses and Coke products.

This very same family could, after waiting a few months, rent the movie at Redbox for $1 per day. They would enjoy a very similar hour and half of entertainment, without the commercials.

Sure, if you watch it at home, the movie will be in 2D and the screen will be significantly smaller. However, on the plus side, snacks are cheaper, you can wear your pajamas, and hit pause when you need a bathroom break.

With such a significant gap between the price of movie tickets and the price of movie rentals, people can’t be expected to regularly shell out the cash to see a movie in the theater. The bigger screen and better sound don’t justify the vastly higher cost of seeing a movie in a theater.

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