When was the last time you went to the cinema? What did you go and watch? And the key question: how much did it cost you?
Credit: Unsplash Felix Mooneeram
Almost everyone has been to the cinema once in their life. It's something we all long to do as a child; immerse ourselves in a film with no distractions, snacking on popcorn and sleep until you feel sick, wriggling in your seat because you really need to go to the toilet but don't want to miss anything. But as the years go on, we see the prices climb slowly and slowly each time a cinema visit takes place. With the cost of living increasing, going to the cinema is becoming a less regular trip for many.
Big chain cinemas suffered a big hit when COVID-19 took place, with Cineworld reportedly having a £2.17 billion loss in 2020. It was estimated by research firm Omidia that 'the annual UK box office will not match 2019's £1.25bn mark until 2023. There is now question on whether maybe this could take longer than expected with the the cost of living crisis making people more reluctant to go to the cinema.
Cineworld also adjusts its ticket prices depending on time of day, day of the week, screening type, location and even seems to vary from film to film. This makes estimating the cost of the trip extremely unpredictable, unless you plan in advance or check online for the exact timing.
Having on-peak and off-peak times is a popular theme for cinema pricing - designed to make the most profit at the busiest times of day. Vue is another cinema chain across the UK that does this, with some branches even having a £4.99 per ticket deal online and £5.99 when bought at the venue, other bigger branches increasing it to £7.99 online then £8.99 at the venue.
"It's not necessarily worth the price, depending what movie it is," said Kacper Chylewski, 22 from Cheltenham. When you're paying money to see a film once, it makes it very bitter-sweet if you don't enjoy the film: yes, you've had the experience of being in a cinema but you feel as though you waste your money. Many people go to the cinema only to see films as part of a franchise or with actors they like as almost confirmation that it's going to be at least a semi-decent film rather than taking a gamble of hearing through word of mouth that it's good.
However, Kaleigh Pritchard, 25 from the Forest of Dean, disagrees, stating that she only ever really watches films in the cinema. It can't be argued that it's a better viewing experience with surround sound, a giant screen, no distractions of phones or talking, just the film to focus on.
It's not only the tickets you pay for at the cinema thought: you also have to consider the price of snacks. One of the common-believed rules is that you're not allowed to take your own food in the cinema, though it's actually a myth as it actually isn't written down anywhere. Cinema staff will never stop you from bringing in your own snacks so there's no need to hide them under your shirt or rooted down at the bottom of your bags. This realisation will come as a relief to a lot of people with 6/10 people saying they take their own snacks in on a regular basis (data from Instagram poll research). It can't be argued that it's cheaper to get your snacks from outside the cinema but sometimes it's worth the extra few pounds for a treat if you don't visit often. .
"I go about twice a month but snacks are overpriced, though a few meal deal boxes are good," said Christelle Shuttleworth, 20 from Devon. Other Instagram users stated that they went as little as once or twice a year and still take their own snacks in, preferring to wait for the movies to come out on streaming sites that they pay monthly for. Piracy is still a huge issue, with many people using illegal sites to test out a movie for the first view of it, and even regularly using sites as a streaming service once they've found a 'trustworthy' one.
With such a high percentage of people believing that the cinema isn't worth the prices you pay, it's a fair assumption that visits will definitely be less regular over the next few months. What will you be doing?
By Chloe Hall
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