I’m currently facing bit of a predicament at the minute. There are A LOT of films coming out over the next couple of months that I desperately want to see, but I’m not sure whether I have the funds to cover them all. In September alone, there are four films I want to see. This will amount to a minimum cost of £39.16 (yes, I can work a calculator), before any other expenses are taken into account i.e. travel and snackage. Now, I don’t believe that I am the only one who believes this to be an outrage. Since when did going to the cinema to see one film, let alone four, force a person to consider selling an organ on the black market?
It was during the planning of a recent cinema trip for four people to see Dunkirk that the extortionate cost of cinema tickets became apparent to me. I did a survey of the four biggest cinema chains I could think of: Showcase, Cineworld, Odeon and Vue, and I was very surprised by the results. Showcase Cinema Deluxe was actually the cheapest, and Vue was the priciest at near enough £11 per ticket for adults. I was suitably gobsmacked to say the least.
I cannot understand how tickets got so expensive though. Yes, I understand that due to the way economics and inflation works that, over time, the price of tickets is due to increase by a percentage. However, almost doubling in price in the last five years seems a bit dramatic, don’t you think? That’s the way my bank balance feels at least…
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not just the ticket that threatens to bankrupt people. Snacks and drinks also cost a small fortune. I don’t know the exact figures, but let’s just say that it’s a good job popcorn comes in a nice box because after you’ve bought some, it is that box that you’ll be living in. I can’t actually remember the last time I bought food at the cinema because it is that expensive. Me and my best friend just smuggle contraband in Mexican drug-cartel style. Trust me, you’ve never seen such a smooth operation as the one we carry out every time we go to see a film.
However, despite all this, cinemas have the cheek to say that piracy and streaming services such as Netflix are ruining them. Well, I’m not being funny lads, but surely they want to take a long, hard look at themselves first before they start blaming anyone else for their own misfortune. Or can they not see beyond the huge stacks of cash piling up to find that it is they who are ruining themselves? I mean, I’m just going to put this out there right now, and say that perhaps if cinemas did not charge so much for people to see one film, they might get a bit more business. I’m no business expert, but I do think that might work in their favour. Or, if they’re really that hard up, at least put out a few more offers that more people can make use of. I know it’ll be hard for the CEOs of these chains to cope with only four holidays a year, but hey, budget cuts are affecting everyone.
I would end by asking what you all think about this, but it’s one of those tings where I think everyone is on the same page. Of course, if the landed gentry would like to chirp about how such prices are justified, please let me know. I’d love to hear about how the other half live.
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Prices are getting outrageous. However, I’m sure that the powers that be would tell you how much it cost to a) get the movie to their theater and b) run the theater itself. Therefore, tickets are probably not going to go down. It wouldn’t be so bad, but it seems they keep going up every few weeks. That’s where the main disconnect is, in my opinion. You alluded to it when you mentioned how tickets have nearly doubled over the last 5 years. It has been quite that steep here in the US (at least where I am), but it’s been climbing pretty steadily at a rate greater than my paycheck, to be sure. Great post.
I think that’s the main problem – the speed at which prices are going up. My wages aren’t increasing at that pace either, so it looks like we’re both suffering here ?
Cheers Dell!