Are we seeing a decline in cinemas yet?

Soldato
Soldato
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Posts
9,714
Location
Leicester
We go regularly (4 free tickets per week)

Never buy food/drink though, pop to the aldi 5 mins before hand to get some snacks or crisps and a couple of drinks and walk in with them

Always time it perfectly so we leave home the time the film starts so we miss all the trailers and crap
 

JKD

JKD

Associate
Joined
27 Jun 2004
Posts
1,416
I get free tickets, otherwise I wouldn't pay their regular prices. I'm also not a fan of going opening night, I'll always leave it a few days and go at an odd time. Makes for a stress free/noisy eater free experience.

I personally love all the adds and trailers, for some strange reason. Oh well, lucky me as we get lots of them.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
11 Mar 2004
Posts
76,634
We get cheap tickets through a work scheme, or showcase does cheap tickets on sunday and Monday, so its not to bad.

Also never had issues with taking our own stuff in, but normally make an evening and get food before or after, and quite often 241 cocktails as well.
Also the cinemas we goto are quite good, the cineworld however we don't go to as the patrons are well scum. Noisey and annoying.
 
Associate
Joined
15 Oct 2016
Posts
1,401
Before we had kids we use to go every other week. Now we go to the cinema from time to time, the price vary here in Norwich, we have one place that charges a £5.00 and they also do a kids club on a Sunday with all tickets costing £1.50. I recently went to the Odeon to see Rogue One in the IMAX that stung me £17.50! Think i will keeping to the cheap and cheerful cinema in the future. When it comes to snacks and drinks i only get them when we go as a family and we get a large popcorn and drink to share its a part of the experience. Back before we had children me and the wife use to go every other week using good old Orange Wednesdays 2 for 1. Use to take a small bottle of drink in with us, use to be a cheap night out, it isn’t any longer.
 
Last edited:

Deleted member 651465

D

Deleted member 651465

I don't mind watching a few trailers, but the 20+ minutes of adverts and trailers can go to hell :p

The fiancee and I went on boxing day to watch "Why Him?" and did the whole popcorn, hot dog and nachos thing... it came to an eye watering £32. Would I do that normally? No, but I can see why some people get bent out of shape at the costs, particularly if they're taking the whole family and haven't gone in prepared.
 
Soldato
Joined
11 Oct 2004
Posts
14,549
Location
London
If I go to the cinema, I want the full experience - either IMAX or somewhere with sofas and table service. Either way, you don't get much change from £40 for two people.

I don't think that going to the cinema is suddenly become a rip-off but watching films at home has certainly become cheaper and better. 15 years ago, a DVD would cost £20 and you'd be lucky to watch it on a 26" TV that weighed a tonne. Now you can instantly buy a movie online for less than £10 and 40"+ TVs are the norm.
 
Associate
Joined
16 May 2007
Posts
859
Prefer to watch films at home, although I'll sometimes make exceptions if I'm really keen on seeing a film, for instance I'll be seeing Rogue 1, which will be at an IMAX cinema. Joe public has annoyed me in the past at cinemas and also at other types of show.

Getting a drink seems to be more important than seeing the show to a lot of people which baffles me.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Mar 2007
Posts
9,736
Location
Surrey
I go a lot less these days. Saw Rogue One yesterday. The price of food/drink in there is hilarious. £4 for a packet of sweets . Why people actually buy these rip off overpriced stuff I don't know
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2008
Posts
6,260
Location
Deep North
Last time I went to a cinema was 2010 to see The Social Network. We took our own water and Opal Fruits etc to suck on. No pop corn or chocolate or anything like that.

Near the end of the movie I was getting very restless sitting in a cramped seat. It was very hot and stuffy too. This was the first time I had been to a cinema in 10 years and my first time at a multiplex chain. Everything before that had been at local independent cinemas with 1 or 2 screens, these places are virtually unheard of nowadays, usually converted to Spoon pubs.
 
Soldato
Joined
30 May 2007
Posts
4,841
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
I can't make up my mind whether taking your own sweets is ***** or not. They are expensive but buying at the cinema is, actually, supporting the cinema. They are doing it for a profit, not a public service!

When the Borat film came out I went to the local Odeon. The film started 55 minutes after the advertised time and they actually went "you now have 5 minutes to go and buy more snacks!" and the lights came on right before the film!!! I swore I would never go to Odeon again and I haven't yet.

***** seems a bit much :/
 
Associate
Joined
31 May 2007
Posts
1,086
If you could guarantee that I am not going to be sharing the cinema with idiots on their mobiles, kids whose parents allow them to talk throughout the entire movie and the stink of what ever the hell that goop they server is (nachos and cheese I think), then I would go more often.

Maybe chance it twice a year timing it late so that its as quiet as possible.

People who say this stuff massively exaggerate. I go to the cinema 3-4 times a month and notice this stuff rarely. Certainly no reason not to go, unless you go to Saturday morning showings of kids films maybe?
 
Soldato
Joined
27 Jan 2012
Posts
7,968
Location
The king of the north!
I don't go to cinemas as all my previous experiences have been awful mainly due to young kids being loud or chair kickers, even in the older rated movies you still seem to get surrounded by chavs who care more about a phone conversation than the movie they have probably snuck into.
 
Soldato
Joined
29 Mar 2007
Posts
4,481
Location
Swindon UK
Last movie we saw at the cinema (and only one in 2016 as it turns out) was Star Wars Force Awakens. Part of it is the cost, even without patronising the concessions. Uncomfortable seat and sticky floor, okay if it's quiet but don't enjoy being shoehorned between someone with BO on one side and a group of chatterers on the other.

With a pretty decent home cinema set up and a La-Z-Boy we can enjoy a movie on Bluray or of course now 4K and have a superb experience. Last trip to the cinema I also thought the sound was fairly mediocre, with a decent amp you can get awesome surround effect in the living room - plans afoot to upgrade to an ATMOS capable one next year.

And the most important thing of all - you don't need to sit through 40 minutes of ads and trailers before the feature. Years ago the cinema ads did offer some amusement as they were often plugs for local firms. Now they try to be "with it" and all targeted at late teen/early twenties with ads for phones, body spray etc.

2016 was also relatively mundane year for cinema releases - comic book stuff, sequels and reboots. It's as if Hollywood has run out of original ideas. Hopefully 2017 will be better.
 
Back
Top Bottom