Happy Spring!! The weather is slowly warming up and that means new concerts and the summer movies season has begun. The Mario Galaxy movie has brought in over $800M+ worldwide.

This weekend the Michael biopic exploded or should I say moonwalked to a $200M+ global box office opening!

Not only are the movies generating a lot of buzz, but so is the upcoming Olympics. This is the first time the U.S. will host the games since 1984. Therefore, demand for tickets are sky high! This will all go down in Los Angeles in 2028 (LA28). However, tickets are dropping a full two years prior to the start of the games.

LA28 Olympic ticket prices average under $200 per ticket, with approximately 75% of all tickets priced under $400. While over 1 million tickets start at $28, premier seats for high-demand events exceed $1,000. Ticket purchases include a mandatory service fee of roughly 24%.

Reports stated that premium events could fetch as much as $5,000 per ticket. That’s insane!

Key Pricing Details for LA28 (as of April 2026):

• Average Cost: Stated by LA28 to be under $200.
• Budget Options: Over 1 million tickets are available for $28.
• General Availability: Roughly 50% of tickets are under $200, and over 75% are under $400.
• Premium Pricing: About 5% of tickets, primarily for high-demand events, cost more than $1,000.
• Fees: A ~24% service charge is added to ticket purchases.
• Inventory: The first drop sold 4 million tickets, with subsequent, more expensive inventory expected in late 2026.

Although, the Olympic committee states that there are one million $28 tickets, those sold out fast. That’s when the backlash started.

According to Fox news Los Angeles, LA28 Olympic ticket sales have sparked backlash, with many marquee event tickets listed as premium seats exceeding $5,000 during the initial “Drop 1” in April 2026. While organizers emphasize that 30%–50% of total tickets are under $200 and many are $28, high-demand events like the Opening Ceremony are seeing significantly elevated prices.

Key details regarding high-priced tickets and ticket sales:

• Pricing Structure: While “premium” or marquee event seats can exceed $5,000, LA28 states that only 5% of tickets are priced over $1,000, and 75% are under $400.
• Ticket Drop 1 Issues: The initial global sale, which began on April 9, 2026, saw high demand, with many users reporting only expensive, premium, or hospitality-level tickets remained for top events.

The 1st ticket drop just happened two weeks again and already the low cost tickets are basically all sold out!

2028 Olympic Opening Ceremony tickets range from approximately $329 to over $5,500 for a single seat in the initial sales, with many lower-priced options selling out instantly. While 75% of total, general tickets are under $400, premium, high-demand tickets for the ceremony are reaching $5,000+ per seat, often carrying a 24% service.

That means other drops have not even happened yet so many folks will not get to see the historic Olympic games. And for those Angelenos that did not win the ticket lottery to the first drop, many of them will be priced out of the games happening in their own backyard.

Keep in mind that the average mortgage payment for all homeowners is $2,005.

According the the National Association of Realtors, as of early 2026, the average monthly mortgage payment in the U.S. has exceeded $2,000 for the first time, with some estimates putting the average closer to $2,300–$2,700 for new buyers when including taxes and insurance. Payments for existing homeowners are generally lower, while new buyers face higher, record-setting costs due to increased interest rates and home prices.

That means if you want those marquee seats for LA28 events such as the opening ceremony, then you have to pony up two whole months of mortgage payments!

Most folks cannot justify spending thousands of dollars for a 2-3 hour sporting event.

A recent article in Forbes reported that had you invested in this one stock just one year ago, you would be a millionaire today.

Based on April 2026 reports, a $35,000 investment in SanDisk (SNDK) one year prior would be worth over million today. The stock surged by $2,700%. If I had a crystal ball, I would have bought this stock instead of vacationing in Florida!

Just earlier this year in February, it was reported that 50% of Americans have $0 saved for retirement. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink Says ‘Almost No One Is Close’ To Saving The Nearly $2.1M Americans say they need.

If so many people are unprepared for retirement, there is no way they can afford $1,000+ tickets for one event.

These ticket prices even made me blush and I have been preparing for retirement for years!

I cut expenses to the bone, paid off expensive debt including my $450 car payment, and starting saving and investing money like it was an Olympic sport (pun intended)!

That’s how your girl eventually ending up getting the greenlight to be a story featured on Business Insider.

See my post How this FIRE blogger got featured on Business Insider

My investment portfolio has only gone up from there.

I went from starting at $0 to eventually over $551,000!

My inital goal when I started keeping this digital scorecard was $100,000. After I blew past that, I went to my next goal of $500,000.

Going from zero to half a million took over a decade!

The next rung on the retirement success ladder is $1M.

All I know is if you are lucky enough to get your hands on $5,000, then you may want to invest in real estate or stocks. These assets and investments will go up in value over time.

See my post about real state investing with a Roth IRA

When I get my hands on any excess discretionary funds, I tend to go with putting it in my Roth IRA. It may not be as fun and sexy as going to the Olympics, but over $500,000 in investments later, I do regret my decision.

My advise is simple: skip the ticket buying queue and go buy some stocks!

About the Author

Miriam started Greenbacks Magnet in 2016 to keep a scorecard of her goal of $1M in investable assets. Armed with a Master in Management (MiM) and a calculator, she teaches readers how to achieve financial independence while also helping them learn how to smell the roses along the way. The palpable response she got from sharing her personal finance goal in a public speaking course at Georgetown University encouraged her to share her story and teach finance on her website. She invests in AI companies as artificial intelligence is the new iPhone of the moment as she likes to invest in companies that are disruptive.