There is such a wide spread when it come to entertainment pricing. I live in a small city in the south. There is no "comparable entertainment" when it comes to Disney World. Our city has one movie theatre, there is a minor league baseball team one city over, and major college sports about an hour drive away. When it comes to spending on leisure, everyone has to make tough choices.
Reserved seating at a minor league baseball game is $15 a person for a 3-4 hour experience and parking can usually be had for free if you dont mind walking a bit. Tickets to a big SEC football game can run from $40-250- 1000 a person depending on the seats and the matchup. Parking can run $5-15-25 depending on the proximity.
Im not gonna go in depth on Disney pricing as most here are probably familiar with it... but you can always choose to "spend more" at Disney. Think of it like the quality of the seats at a sporting event. With a little planning, preparation, and choosing what you can "live without" and what you would like to splurge on. Things like character meals and dessert parties ARE EXPENSIVE! There is no getting around it, you can't "get your money's worth" in cupcakes, chocolate strawberries, or Mickey Waffles. But you can decide if the experience is something that your family will enjoy and your budget can handle. Think of the most expensive offerings like the seats at the 50 yard line or right behind home plate. Most people cannot afford sitting in the luxury box but they can still get through the turnstyles
If you are going to Disney these days, chances are you are going for multiple days. When you treat your vacation like a string of entertainment events or liesure activities, you have a better sense of the "value." Take Animal Kingdom: I can see two high quality musicals, ride rides, experience a 3D movie, have a virtual reality experience, see acrobats and live music, and visit a zoo just with park admission. The hard part is deciding whether you want to experience "extras" Your budget might not gel with the Wild Africa Trek or Tusker Hose or Tiffins. Maybe you choose only one counter service meal or bring your own food into the park. Even a pricey one day ticket $140 a person is a pretty solid value to visit a zoo, a live musical, an amusement park/ fair, movie/ VR experience, and a circus and to pay for parking at all or some of those events.
Is Disney Jacking up prices too much? Sure... AP price has doubled in just 4 years... They have a unique product thats pretty darn good. Its a luxury, and its a splurge but the premium price helps to create a premium product. If you have a subpar experience with breakdowns bad CM's, or other mishaps let Disney know, they want you to enjoy your trip so you keep coming back, they might just give you fastpasses or may even give you a free park ticket. You can also vote with your wallet. Try out six flags and see how a budget theme park experience measures up. You may find that you enjoy that more, there is nothing wrong with that, different strokes for different folks.