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Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Regal just made a clever move to get people back in theaters
With temperatures steadily heating up outside as spring makes its inevitable march towards summer, we inch closer to the summer blockbuster season movie theaters are known for. That season is not what it used to be, however. Billions of movie tickets were regularly sold every year until the Covid pandemic hit. Ever since, movie theaters stopped hitting those kinds of numbers, and even several years after the pandemic, the cinema has yet to hit those types of heights again. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter The situation has forced movie theaters to be creative about getting people motivated to go to the theater again. Related: Regal, AMC make a genius move to get people to the theater One thing that was a huge help was discovered by AMC when it decided to start making collectible popcorn buckets, marked by the R2-D2 popcorn bucket it sold when "The Rise of Skywalker" hit theaters in 2019. By 2024, AMC had made $65 million in revenue from collectible merchandise alone. Other movie theaters, such as Regal Cinemas, also noticed and began to manufacture their own. Regal's Head of Business Development Matt Willard said that when the company did a popcorn container for "Barbie" shaped like the box the doll comes in, it "really opened their eyes" to the potential of these items. Of course, popcorn buckets are a great aspect of a strategy, but they can't be the only one. Regal just announced another deal to get families back in theaters this year, and it's a pretty appealing one. Image source: Shutterstock Regal has announced a new limited promotion called Regal Summer Movie Express. "Summer is here, school is out, and this is your chance to spend some extra time with your kids. If you're looking for affordable family activities, don't miss Regal's Summer Movie Express!" the official website says. Starting on June 10 and continuing through August 6, Regal Cinemas will offer a $1 movie ticket for its first showing on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Related: AMC announces generous offer to win back customers Some of the films featured in the event include "The Garfield Movie," "Trolls," "If," "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," and "Paddington in Peru." The theater will feature a total of 18 movies during the event, and the full list can be found on Regal's website. There's also a limited deal for snacks for Regal's event. "All Summer Movie Express guests can purchase a specially priced $5 Snack Pack, which includes a junior-sized drink, snack-sized popcorn, and fruit snacks. Save an additional $3 when paired with an order of Dippin' Dots!" the event page reads on Regal's official website. Regal is not the only movie chain trying to lure guests back in the theater with tantalizingly low prices on tickets. AMC is running its own event, called Summer Movie Camp, on Monday and Wednesdays, with the first two showings of each film also sold at a discounted ticket price of $3. The movies on offer include "Shrek," "Migration," "The Secret Life of Pets," "The Bad Guys," "Kung Fu Panda 4," "The Wild Robot," "Minions: The Rise of Gru," and "Despicable Me 4." Related: Netflix CEO shares a controversial take on movie theaters AMC is also offering a 50% deal on regular adult evening tickets all day long on Wednesdays, starting July 9. The deal is limited to AMC Stubs loyalty members. AMC has said that if the discounted Wednesdays deal is a success, it hopes to make the change permanent and "almost universally available at all AMC Theatres in the United States going forward." The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Deadline approaching for Wyandotte County homeowners to appeal valuations
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The deadline is quickly approaching for Kansas homeowners to appeal their home evaluations. The deadline is generally around the end of this month, varying upon when valuations were sent out with a 30 day window to appeal. In Wyandotte County it's Saturday, March 29. Aspiria responds to rumors of Royals stadium relocation Kansas appraises houses every year compared to every two years in Missouri, so increases are generally less dramatic. But a slowing housing market seems to be leading to fewer appeals so far this year. For the fifth time since notices went out at the beginning of this month of updated home valuations, Wyandotte County's appraiser was meeting with homeowners. Inside Piper High School, Matt Willard explained the annual process, that by Kansas statute only requires exterior inspections of homes every six years. So that means a lot of what your home's value is assessed at, will be based on the price your neighbors or comparable homes sold. After year over year double digit increases last year, the median sale price of a Wyandotte County home rose by 6.7% from $210,000 to $224,000. 'The rate of appreciation slowed, so they are still generally selling for more houses are than they were the year before. 5-6% is what they were seeing in the MLS (multiple listing service) and we are tracking with that,' Willard said. Police warn of purse snatchings, thefts in Kansas City area Of course home prices aren't the only things going up. 'We have two kids in daycare, gas, traveling to work, so it's getting to be too much,' Alanna Martin said. It's part of why after years of contemplating doing so, Martin has already filed an appeal this year. 'They had the comps listed and I felt like they were too old. That's not really relevant to the current market. My house has all these issues so I'm just going to present it to them and see if they can help me out a bit.' A big part of the Wyandotte County Appraisers presentation is helping homeowners prepare for appeals, including finding proper comps, photos of damages and repair estimates. The deadline for residential homeowners in Wyandotte County to file an appeal is Saturday, March 29. Informal appeals hearings have to be complete by May 15. 'I would encourage anyone who gets that notice and feels like their value is over what they could sell it for as of January 1, fill out the back of it or go online and file that appeal because this is an important part of the process,' Willard said. Another info session is scheduled at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, at Armourdale Community Center. More than 50,000 homeowners appealed Jackson County assessments the last time they were conducted years ago. Working for you, FOX4 reached out to the Jackson County Assessor's Office to find out where the county stood on assessments this year and whether it also would have info sessions to educate or assist homeowners. Public Information Officer Marshanna Smith responded that Jackson County will mail valuation notices to property owners by the state's statutory deadline of June 15. KCK police asking for help locating missing 3-month-old baby Eligible senior residents—those 62 years and older who own and reside in their homes—are encouraged to apply for the county's Senior Property Tax Credit Program. This program helps protect seniors from rising property taxes by freezing their tax amount at the year of approval. To date, nearly 39,000 applications have been approved, according to Smith. According to Smith, to ensure more eligible seniors have the opportunity to apply, County Executive Frank White, Jr. has requested that the Legislature extend the application deadline to Monday, June 30, 2025. If approved, this extension would provide additional time for residents to take advantage of this important tax relief program and have their property tax bill frozen in the future at the 2024 amount. Approved applicants will see the tax credit reflected on their 2025 property tax bills. Once approved, seniors are not required to reapply for future years as long as they remain eligible. More information on how to apply is available here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
