Do cinema ticket prices ruin your film-going experience?

Last time I went to the cinema was something like 15 years. I took my daughter and we saw 2 films. I can still remember thinking I’ve got better sound on my TV at home, I haven’t been back since.

And no I don’t miss the people talking/eating or generally not actually watching the film.

A bluray and a pizza all washed down with a nice cup of tea wins every time for me. With the added bonus of being able to switch on subtitles or pause/ rewind it should the need arise.

The price was annoying but as i was using the “Orange Wednesday” option and splitting it between 2 people it wasn’t too bad. now that Orange Wednesday has been discontinued i will not be going as often

Our local Welwyn Garden City cinema is much more affordable than the larger chains, although we do have to pay for parking. I look out for special offers and sometimes get free tickets to preview screenings from ShowFilmFirst. I don’t buy popcorn, sweets or drinks at the cinema’s extortionate prices either!

I used to go to the cinema quite a lot but not anymore. This is indeed because of the ticket price, but also like William says because of people talking and generally not watching the film. Last time I went someone had their smartphone on throughout and the light was very bright and distracted from the screen! They obviously could afford to waste money. Now unless I think a film is extra special and worth paying £10+ for, I’ll simply wait until it comes on the telly.

When it does come on the telly, the add-on is that I can check the Radio times and see what they think of it and decide if I want to give it a go or not. I used to watch Barry Norman, whose opinion I trusted and who was my guide to cinema releases, in Film [year] assiduously for years until he moved to Sky. (I still enjoy reading his critiques in the Radio Times) For a start he appeared to always be more interested in the subject than in himself, which I don’t believe is the case with the people who followed in his footsteps on BBC. But that’s another subject.

But look at ticket prices for the theatre, a classical music concert, a pop concert, football, ………They are all extremely expensive and for many people out of reach or simply a treat.

I haven’t been to the cinema for years, mainly because the sort of films they churn outr – sex, violence, computer animation, outlandish special effects – don’t generally appeal to my sense of entertainment. I’d much rather watch a proper film, like “Some like it hot”, “The money pit”, Those magnificent men in their flying machines” and the early james Bond. What a stick-in-the-mud 🙂 But I’ve got these on DVD.

Both my son’s have produced “cinema rooms” with big screens and a computer projector. 3D and surround sound on tap for an investment of just a few hundred pounds. And cheap snacks and drinks!

There are lots of pleasures in life that are unaffordable but at least with films curbing impatience saves a lot of money and you get to see it within a reasonable time of release.

Considering that most cinema staff are on zero contracts and minimum wage the cost of a ticket is outrageous.

I don’t go very often, partly due to costings and partly due to the fact I am old enough now to have seen the original films they are now all copying. I must time my visits better than most of you because usually there are very few people there. Usually I think watching a film on a big screen is so much better than a tv screen. Going of topic slightly my main objection is the widening of the rich and poor of society, the millions that some actors are paid for not a huge amount of work is obscene in my view.

Utterly ridiculous price nowadays. Over £10 for a standard ticket nearer £15 for 3d or IMAX… I don’t go unless I’ve got a bogof or cheap ticket somehow. Now orange Wednesday has stopped it’ll happen even less often.

And people wonder why bootleg dvds and illegal downloading are rife.

P.S. Unless you’re a tennager, if you pay to see ‘fast & furious 17’ {or whatever}, you need your head boiled.

Our local (provincial) cinema costs, for the cheapest seats, for a family £22-£26 and an OAP £5.60 – £6.60 depending whether a late afternoon or evening visit. Doesn’t seem too bad. Just avoid the popcorn, sweets and fizzy drinks (and you can’t take your own in).

Definately so. Although we can get films from Sky movies, we still like the cinema. Unfortuanately I won’t pay extortionate prices for odeon or cineworld so won’t view movies there. Luckily found Connaught Cinema in Worthing, West Sussex. Works a treat and are regular customers.

I sympathise with students who are finding it hard to afford to go to the cinema, because it’s an essential part of being a student and the cinemas would be empty without them; the film industry should not let this audience escape into the realms of the internet and TV. As others have said, though – it’s a question of priorities, and the smart phone contract seems to be more necessary than a good night out with some friends every week or so.

Cinema price increases haven’t seemed quite so steep as various other forms of entertainment – as Malcolm says, the cost of going to a live show of any sort has shot up into the stratosphere. We don’t go to the cinema that often but we saw “The Grand Budapest Hotel” about a year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was an excellent night out for the money at the Odeon in Norwich – a modern and very well-managed multi-screen cinema with a range of other attractions, an alert and intelligent audience as well. The last film we saw was “The Imitation Game” a few months ago and we thought it was well worth the expense [can’t remember how much now]’ although the cinema [Odeon, High St Kensington, London] was a bit of a dingy dump and the audience didn’t seem to be as absorbed as we were, a common aspect of most experiences these days we find, but overall we enjoyed the evening out. Good films used to come along in threes followed by a long gap [school holidays – excuse for screening tosh]. Rather attracted to “A Little Chaos” but can’t say there’s much else that appeals right now or in prospect.

Our local cinema is £2.50 a ticket for standard, £3.50 a ticket for premium seats, and £1 more for both at weekends, and there are local shops nearby to get snacks for cheap, so that one is quite acceptable. However, we went to the Vue (Better times for us sometimes) and we ended up spending a whopping £45!! Jesus bloody christ, gotta save up for the Vue!

Can’t remember the last time we went to a cinema, partly because there didn’t used to be one near us and we invested in our own “cinema” experience.

All the latest releases are on Sky eventually and we can watch them in comfort on our own big screen with surround sound and pause or rewind if we need to.

I don’t miss the uncomfortable seats, the head in front of me obscuring part of the screen, the feet behind kicking me, elbows to the side, the rustle of people eating food, and can only imagine the disturbance of mobiles.

Don’t think we will be going to the cinema again any time soon !!!