THE HIGH COST OF TICKETS

When Cineplex-Odeon reopened the Carnegie Cinema in NYC, they provided Gotham moviegoers with both a refurbished state-of-the-art theater and a higher admission price--$7.

So, Outtakes wondered how soon it would be before L.A. film patrons would be digging deeper into their pockets.

“Technically, we haven’t changed our prices in years and don’t plan to,” we were told by Greg Rutkowski, AMC veep. “Our top price here is $5.75 but most of our theaters are still at $5.50.” (The AMC Century City Cinemas, opening Oct. 9, will have a $6 top.)

A Cineplex spokeswoman said there “absolutely won’t be a $7 ticket in L.A. in the near future.”

We had a $7 high price--at Egyptian in Westwood on the opening day of “Dragnet.” But Theater manager Dan Krause said that he was told to drop the price back to $6 the next day.

It’s unclear who made the decision to raise the price and then lower it. UA district manager Chuck Goodsell said, “I wasn’t involved in that decision and it’s really not my area. Besides, I was out of town at the time.”

UA Theaters veep Bob Valone said that admission prices usually go through his office but he too was unaware of that Egyptian hike. “Maybe I was on vacation,” he said.

At any rate, Valone said his chain last had a price hike in 1985 to the current $6 and plans no increase.