Last week was significant.
I have been going to the cinema most of my life.
To see the new Wolverine flick Logan I did something I've never had to do before.
I paid over Ten Pounds!
It was in fact £10.20 to get into the local Cineworld.
This was a normal 2D showing for one. I dread to think what 3D IMAX costs or how much a family would have to pay!
Its ironic as on the way my friend and I were just discussing the rise of so-called firesticks, which allow new films to be seen illegally in the home on the day of release in the cinema and sometimes before!
Piracy like this is clearly getting to the film industry. At the end of Logan there was a written plea for people to continue going to the cinema as films provide jobs. 15,000 people worked on Logan for example.
As a die-hard cinema-goer I will carry on going to the flicks because I love the big screen but the admission price breaking through the Ten Pound ceiling is cause for thought.
How much is cinema admission in your neck of the woods?
A rough estimate of pounds to dollars is about 10 pound= 12 dollars.I tend to pay more but I usually opt to see 3D or Imax movies and they cost more.About 16 dollars is what Im used to.I even opt for matinee showings which are supposedly cheaper.I don't go to prime time showings because the experience is usually ruined by rude teenagers who have no regard for anyone else.As far as I'm concerned,cinemas will be an unbeatable experience until working class folk can have 50 foot screens installed in their house.I recently got a rewards card for Regal Cinemas which promotes discounts on tickets and snacks but I haven't used it yet.I plan on checking out the new Kong movie tomorrow, so fingers crossed, maybe I'll get a break!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about teenagers in cinemas Brian. The irony is that many films are aimed at them. In my local cinema it's allocated seating now as of last year. Not sure why they've done it. It is an unbeatable experience though, I agree. An event. I enjoy going with my friend immensely and we've,e seen hundreds of films on the big screen over the years. We have even kept every ticket! Enjoy Kong. The trailers look great. I'm waiting till that ones out on DVD as i can't afford to go more than twice a month. The next one will be Ghost in the Shell in two weeks, one for my friend really.
DeleteBasic 2D weekend fare here in Finland (Helsinki) is 13.50 euro (£11.80), add an extra euro for 3D. Finnkino's flagship cinema Scape costs 15.50 euro per seat (£14.40). The lowest fare for 2D weekday matinees is 10 euros (£8.70). Discounts from 10% to 30% apply for special groups,with limitations.
ReplyDeleteWow, it's even dearer in Finland Arto. Weekday matinees are impossible for me so I would always have to pay the higher price. Still I'd love to go to a Helsinki cinema! What 's next for you?
Delete"Life" I guess.
DeleteWhen's that on Arto? Ha ha. Think my life's a B movie with intermission. I'm still waiting for the main feature!
DeleteNext week Friday (24th), both here and in the UK. Meet you at Scape? ;-)
DeleteOh...I see! Life is a real film! ha ha. I thought you meant that life was next for you! Doh. I will have to look up 'Life' now. Yes, Xscape is the kinema where I'd be! What's your's called?
DeleteOur premiere cinema, it's just plain Scape.
DeleteHee hee Woodsy, did not mean it as a double entendre. Perhaps I should get a life but preferrably - as I've understood - not anything close to "Life"...
Caught Life just today at a press screening. Not the stuff that classics are made of, a bit thin on the plot but a very will-do eye candy whilst waiting for the next Alien installment or better. Calling it a hybrid of Alien and The Thing is very to the point, even with some echoes of The Blob and The Little Shop of Horrors' Audrey. In any case, a must-see for you Woodsy!
DeleteSounds interesting Arto. I like anything gloopy especially in space! My next film will be Ghost in the Shell since my cinema buddy is a huge fan. I,ll catch up with LIFE on DVD I reckon.
DeleteSadly every movie lately is making the exact same claim, to have provided 15,000 jobs on the movie. Not 12,000, not 10,000, not 18,000 but 15,000 on every movie. Quite an exact amount that every single movie seems to employ. Seems fishy to me. Yes piracy does hurt to a degree but given that most pirate cam copies of movies out there are of shitty quality, they probably drive as many people to the theater as they keep away. Piracy tends to kick in hard when the movie is released on DVD. Much easier to get a hold of and rip as opposed to getting a camera into the movie, decent sound etc.
ReplyDeleteI tend to pay about $7 US here for the basic film ticket.
Theaters make most of their profit from concession sales and very little off the ticket price which tends to be set by the movie studio industry.
I'd never seen the 15000 jobs claim before Lance. They are clearly worried. So many people I know just never go the cinema, which is a shame and high prices will just ensure they never go. They'll wTch stuff at home however they can I suppose.
Delete$7 is a bargain for cinema experience. I''d start going very week again at that price. I used to when Wednesdays were half price for years but that ended two years ago. I go about once a month nowadays.
Woodsy, the Galaxy theater at the Cannery Casino closest to us charges $8.75 for adult matinee tickets. I worked at a theater for six+ years back in the '70s and people were complaining then that movie theaters would be out of business 'soon' because of rising ticket prices. hmmm
ReplyDeleteThat's a good price. Pity it's a matinee. I could never get to see it. How about you Ed or are you sick of cinemas after working there?
DeleteThe last movie I saw at the theater was Peter Jackson's Hobbit Pt 2. It turned me off so much I haven't been back, but then I was never like this HUGE movie fan and was already not going to flicks much.
DeleteI agree that the Hobbit series is a bit bloated Ed. The book isn't that bog, not like the 3 volumes of Lord of the Rings!
Deletebog? I meant big!
Delete