Movie Tickets Cost More in Illinois Than Almost Every Other State

Want to go see a movie in Illinois? You might want to get a loan first.

According to Wallethub's Best and Worst Cities for Recreation, we're spending a whole lot of money to go see a movie.

This is weird because we haven't seen a lot of movies the past year or so across the entire state.

And while it seems the moviegoing experience is the same as it was pre-pandemic for the most part, the cost is about the same too.

Outside of California, with San Francisco, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Fresno as the most expensive cities to see a movie, Chicago is the lone standout.

Why is it that much more expensive in Chicago than anywhere else? Your guess is as good as mine.

Something tells me those movie ticket prices are spread out to the suburbs and eventually make their way into small towns, even Rockford.

A ticket to Fast 9 at AMC Showplace 16 in Rockford is $11.09. Weird price, right? Kind of expensive too.

Out of town, but still close enough to drive from Rockford, Fast 9 is playing AMC Classic Sauk Valley 8 in Sterling. The price per ticket is $6.49. Also a weird price but a bit more realistic.

However, in Chicago, a ticket for the same show on the same day at the same time will run you $14.21. Again, weird price, and also outrageously expensive.

A three-dollar ticket increase just for being in Chicago, where the movie is the same? The difference between the theaters could be the biggest reason for the price bump.

AMC River East 21 is one of the best movie houses in the midwest while AMC's smallish Sauk Valley show is very small, and kind of difficult to find.

You'd think with streaming becoming even more prevalent in the past 15-16 months, movie theaters would adjust accordingly. If they have, we haven't noticed in Illinois, most notably in Chicago.

What about you? Do you still go to the movies? Is ticket prices one of the biggest reasons why you stay or go to the show?