Dynamic Pricing At the Movies

David Bernstein over at Volokh Conspiracy wonders:

why do movie theaters charge the same price for movies on weeknights, when they tend to be relatively empty, as on Saturday night, when they tend to be full?

His co-conspiratory Tyler Cowen replies with a list of reasons of which this is the one I would cite:

4. Fairness: For whatever reasons, many customers resent it when prices change on a daily basis. Those priced out of the market may feel like they are "second class moviegoers," which harms word of mouth and long term audience loyalty.

David Bernstein then reports that Michael Williams says some Los Angeles theatres do charge more on Saturdays.

I almost always try to avoid full price at movies by either seeing matinees or using discount tickets sold through my workplace. Airlines of course are the prime example of dynamic demand pricing. In that situation because supply is somewhat limited they can get away with it. Movie houses would be hard pressed to get away with such pricing schemes. However, a theatre like Arclight could get away with it as it boasts the best projection and sound systems plus reserved seating.