People would go watch original movies in theaters every weekend when tickets were $6 a pop. Now a night at the movies for a family can run into the hundreds of dollars. The cost of a disappointing showing is simply too high. The audience will only pay for Fast & Furious part 27 and Toy Story 16, and so that's what we are stuck with.
Yeah you’re not wrong there. My fam of 4 went to see Minecraft when it came out, $80+ on tickets, another $30 or so on snacks. I’m not even sure enjoy watching films at the movies vs on my couch at home anymore. My big OLED has really put a dampener on the movie going experience.
One of my local theatres does a discount Tuesday with $5 tickets. Over the years the price has crept up to $5.75, but it’s still an easier sell to friends and family. Of course if you buy online they add almost $2 to the price of a ticket… but that’s another rant.
Usually they call it a convenience fee or something like that, basically recognizing that certainty and not having to talk with people are worth a lot to many people.