The Current Cinema Debate

[hovis]

They were a great place to go to see a film before the days of high speed Internet and high definition. I used to go every week.
Offers nothing of value anymore. Big screen TVs are realistic money and everyone’s got one, Netflix and Amazon preloaded on most new TV’s.
I can get fresh made desserts and takeaways delivered at the touch of a button without talking to anyone. Everything at home is such a convenience that leaving becomes an inconvenience.

I'm with you on all of that. However, I have friends that would argue all day about your post. To them the cinema is an experience that can't be replicated at home.

 

[PJ87]

I'm with you on all of that. However, I have friends that would argue all day about your post. To them the cinema is an experience that can't be replicated at home.

Just pop round, couple of kids running up and down the aisles .. have someone talking on their phone and another eating popcorn loudly

Yeah impossible to replicate with the rule of 6 lol

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Some of you lot need to move to a civilised part of the country ?. I don't see any of this rude behaviour at cinemas you seem to have come across so often.

 

[Kellfire]

Some of you lot need to move to a civilised part of the country ?. I don't see any of this rude behaviour at cinemas you seem to have come across so often.

Ditto.

 

[hovis]

Some of you lot need to move to a civilised part of the country ?. I don't see any of this rude behaviour at cinemas you seem to have come across so often.

It'd probably really hard for you to notice. Being "immersed" and all that ?

 

[Deleted member 16999]

One thing you cant ignore that on this thread alone at least 50% don't like the cinema. You can jazz it up as much as you like but given a cinema alternative half the people reading this will take it. If that's not trouble for the industry then what is!

You could use that analogy for most leisure activities, ie, I’d suggest going on the responses to the football thread more than 50% don’t like football and jazz it up as much as you like, but given an alternative half the people reading this will take it! If that’s not trouble for football clubs I don’t know what is.

Or you could say as that 50% don’t go the pictures anyway, there no great loss to the industry.

 

[Papas1982]

Only after years of overpricing and losing customers have they gone to this measure which companies are finally learning.. charge less and you will sell more and make more money

Not always.

When the blockbusters come out, most screens at cinemas sell out. Having a few extra bums on seats For the less popular movies doesn’t help your bottom line if you then make a lot less when the big movies are out.

In Canterbury and surrounding areas. There is one of each and the market share is very evenly split.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Cinemas used to search your bags for snacks. They had to stop few years ago when it was pointed out it wasn't against the rules.

Neither I nor the Mrs have been searched in all the years we have been going, nor have we seen anyone else being searched.

£15? Ok then make that a family of 4

So that's £15 for adults .. say £7 per kid for sake of argument

£44 to see a movie plus snacks .. as some will always get them..

How often do you take the kids to football or go a west end show? Unless it's a season ticket it's a now and again thing

Movies are completely different.

Movies are not completely different; they are a form of entertainment, same as Premier League football or the theatre. £60 for a family of 4 to the cinema, make that about £200 with the trimmings for a Premier League game and nearer £400 with trimmings for a musical, as the West End doesn't tend to do half price for children. Movies with the kids are as much of a now and again thing as football or the theatre.

As a kid when my father did nights on a Friday my mum would take us to the £1 Saturday morning showings to get us out the house so he could sleep.

£50 to go see the latest movie.. .

Like I said the £4 cinema cleans up . £16 for a family of 4 and even does meerkat movies so £2 a ticket

A 200 seat cinema with £4 tickets takes £800 for a full house. At £16 a ticket it makes the same money on 50 seats, and anything over is extra profit. And the user experience at the higher price is liable to be more enjoyable, and thus more conducive to return business, than a full house at the cheap end of the market. It's perfectly possible to do your own legs in business by underpricing your product as well as overpricing your product.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

trouble is now most are big multiplex and most of the small independant cimema's have been driven out and its all about block busters.

We used to make great small indendant films, now its all about big budget block busters

Apparently 40% of all cinemas in the UK are independent...well I am sure that that's the figure that I heard this morning

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

One thing you cant ignore that on this thread alone at least 50% don't like the cinema. You can jazz it up as much as you like but given a cinema alternative half the people reading this will take it. If that's not trouble for the industry then what is!

I love the cinema - I detest folk sitting next to or near me stuffing their faces and looking at their phone screen.

I suggest at least one 'No Food' screen in any multiplex.

 

[hovis]

I love the cinema - I detest folk sitting next to or near me stuffing their faces and looking at their phone screen.

I suggest at least one 'No Food' screen in any multiplex.

That would suit me. Its the smell of melted cheese that bugs me. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to sell melted cheese on crisps with peppers in an enclosed space???

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

That would suit me. Its the smell of melted cheese that bugs me. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to sell melted cheese on crisps with peppers in an enclosed space???

..hot dogs and nachos...stink and noise...

 

[PJ87]

Neither I nor the Mrs have been searched in all the years we have been going, nor have we seen anyone else being searched.



Movies are not completely different; they are a form of entertainment, same as Premier League football or the theatre. £60 for a family of 4 to the cinema, make that about £200 with the trimmings for a Premier League game and nearer £400 with trimmings for a musical, as the West End doesn't tend to do half price for children. Movies with the kids are as much of a now and again thing as football or the theatre.



A 200 seat cinema with £4 tickets takes £800 for a full house. At £16 a ticket it makes the same money on 50 seats, and anything over is extra profit. And the user experience at the higher price is liable to be more enjoyable, and thus more conducive to return business, than a full house at the cheap end of the market. It's perfectly possible to do your own legs in business by underpricing your product as well as overpricing your product.

The £4 one would get more families in than the £16 on who might attract the people who don't go to the cinema as much but when they do they don't begrudge paying £16

Family of 4 paying the £16 looking at £50 a trip just to see say frozen.. where as family 4 £4 each £16 .. they will go more.. cheap entertainment for the family

They will get repeat business more often .

The 50 will have a smaller market and will get people are in for the "experience" rather than seeing the movie.

How often do families go movies compared to football / theatre per year? Not same market.

 

[hovis]

How often do families go movies compared to football / theatre per year? Not same market.

I find it laughable that he tried to compare the two and put them under the umbrella of "entertainment".

 

[PJ87]

I find it laughable that he tried to compare the two and put them under the umbrella of "entertainment".

Even when I had a season ticket I went cinema more than football games per year

 

[Papas1982]

The £4 one would get more families in than the £16 on who might attract the people who don't go to the cinema as much but when they do they don't begrudge paying £16

Family of 4 paying the £16 looking at £50 a trip just to see say frozen.. where as family 4 £4 each £16 .. they will go more.. cheap entertainment for the family

They will get repeat business more often .

The 50 will have a smaller market and will get people are in for the "experience" rather than seeing the movie.

How often do families go movies compared to football / theatre per year? Not same market.

Frozen sold out nationwide at cheap and expensive cinemas alike.

Odeon is generally more expensive but does a loyalty ticket now, so it imo gets the best of both worlds. That being said, they were struggling before covid despite having a good market share.
Covid could be the final nail, gonna be a lot of people looking. For work November 1st.

 

[arnieboy]

I remember going to our local Odeon in the early 70's with a couple of mates and our choice of refreshment was a hot dog and a Castella! To you young people it's a cigar.

 

[PJ87]

I find it laughable that he tried to compare the two and put them under the umbrella of "entertainment".

More I think about it the more I find it hilarious it can be compared

The wife and I spoke about it over dinner

A threatre trip you would do with older kids.. maybe say once a year .. or every 6 months

Football game kids for a quid was always a good night.. or take them to the cup games where tickets are cheaper ...

Not going to take kids to west ham v Chelsea for top money ?

Cinema would be almost a monthly experience... So £20 if was £5 a ticket for a family of 4 a bargain

Wife and I used to go to stand up gigs at Hammersmith £30 a ticket now that was a bargain even then it was only a few times a year before covid wasn't a monthly thing at all

Massive difference

 

[spongebob59]

I remember going to our local Odeon in the early 70's with a couple of mates and our choice of refreshment was a hot dog and a Castella! To you young people it's a cigar.

70's Cinema was great, 2 films and you could dash over to the pub during the intermission for a swift pint

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm with you on all of that. However, I have friends that would argue all day about your post. To them the cinema is an experience that can't be replicated at home.

Let’s not pretend that the size of screen being talked about as giving a cinema-equivalent experience are ‘realistic money and everyone has got one‘. For very many they aren’t - and they don’t. Cinema is an important escape and one that is just affordable on a rare occasion for many at the bottom of the income scale.