4 tickets to the 3D show cost them $53.00. Add a small snack, and they're looking at a $60.00 night.
"When she told me the total, I was like, are you kidding? And she said, no our prices did go up," said Avila.
Starting Friday, Regal Entertainment Group raised the price of movie tickets at its theatres in Fresno and Visalia.
At Edwards Theatre in River Park:
General Admission will now set you back $11.00 compared to $10.75.
A 3D movie ticket is now $15.00 compared to $13.75.
Adult General Admission for an IMAX ticket is $17.50, that's up from $15.75.
Matinee and Senior tickets have also seen an increase.
John Yang of Fresno spent nearly $50.00 on movie tickets for his family of six. He says the sudden price jump forced them to think twice about their purchase.
"I wasn't expecting the price to go up at IMAX. Kids wanted to go to IMAX, but when we looked at the prices, it was a little too high for us," said Yang.
Fresno State marketing expert Dr. William Rice says the higher prices will likely keep some people from buying movie tickets.
Still, he says, the demand for movies, especially IMAX features, will continue to grow, which means production companies will ultimately see a bigger profit.
"And they're betting on the fact that this is such a new cutting edge novelty, that people are willing to shell out enough money to have this new fix, this emotional in your veins fix, that people are willing to pay a little bit more to get that kind of a buzz," said Dr. Rice.
Experts say we are going to start seeing several more 3D and IMAX movies coming out.
A call to the Regal Entertainment representative was not immediately returned.
