Cinema ticket prices

I'm in london so prices are high most places and I have a cineworld pass.
In bristol the old odeon in the city centre is nice and cheap (5.75 this evening) compared to the fancypants showcase, £10.50.

Totally agree with your thoughts here. This is why I only go to the cinema only a few times a year. I mainly go for the Marvel / 007/ Star Trek films with maybe a few others thrown in. Last time I went, was to watch Mamma Mia 2 at my  local Cineworld in St Helens and had to pay around £11. I generally stay clear of the 3D films because of the extra cost. Don’t even get me started on the price of the food and drink which I avoid like the plague. I was tempted to get the Unlimited card, but personally I don’t think it would be worth it.

I think, with the prices as they are, more and more people are opting to use shall we say certain streaming boxes and computer software to watch films for free and in the comfort of their own home. Obviously, there are definite legal and moral issues with doing this, but with the Govt bringing in legislation to try and crack down on this what is in effect piracy, there will always be people who will circumvent such laws and barriers to get the free stuff. 

My 2 local Vue cinemas have dropped their ticket prices to £5.99 for any film on any day which I’ve been taking advantage of lately. They’re more of a hassle for me to get to and aren’t as nice as the nearest Odeon but I try and save as much as I can.

A friend with kids has one for the Odeon, but I don't think this Cineworld is going to have enough of the more artsy stuff to make it worthwhile for me - it's in a retail park so the meeting friends/social aspect is limited to fast food and popcorn. Unlike theatre, I don't go to the cinema on my own unless it's for a Q&A.

Cineworld is always dearer when there is no competition nearby - as is the case with my nearest - hence I never go there. I used to go for free previews if I could get a ticket but since I've had a Curzon Cult membership (expensive but includes any number of standard films per year at any location), I haven't needed to visit other chains much; nor would I want to, given what I already pay Curzon.

However, as they don't show everything I want to see, I also have a PH membership but try to stick to the cheaper "Silver Screen" performances if I do go; I also use Odeon and Vue very occasionally but again, only if I can get a deal or very cheap ticket. The more I use my Curzon membership, the cheaper the unit price per film becomes, though I won't see any old thing just to drive down my average.

The only cinema within walking distance is an Everyman and it's unaffordably expensive, which is frustrating given that I've been a keen cinema-goer for years and never had a site so close to home before.

My local Empire does £3.95 tickets on a Tuesday and £8 as standard every other day, which for London is pretty good. I always shudder at the Vue prices, and all the prices for London Film Festival showings!

I pay the £2 uplift for the West End Cineworld, which also gives access to £5 tickets at the Picturehouse Central. The West India Quay branch near Canary Wharf tends to show the artsy stuff too - I seem to have the best of all worlds with it as I live in Greenwich and work central - The O2, Canary Wharf, Leicester Square (with added 4DX seats for a mere £4.23) and the Picturehouse... plus my work scheme gets 30% off the annual pass.

I also have BFI and Prince Charles membership, where the latter does £1 screenings of random old films every week for members.

What I’m saying is that I like going to the cinema. A lot. The rest of the public who go a couple of times a year, spends a small fortune on 3D uplifts, popcorn (yuck) where half of it ends up on the floor and £15 a ticket - you fund my bargains. Not dissimilar to the premium price tickets at the theatre I suppose.

I get the impression from all this that we're really getting gouged by the chains up here in the North-West!

I was considering the Odeon unlimited card but as far as I can see it doesn't include "event cinema" ie theatre broadcasts. I have a free Showcase Insider card which brings the price of these down to about £12, better than my local Vue which charges around £15 - 20.

My home town has a town centre chain cinema, costs £8 to £11 and I've not yet figured out why the variation though I assume it'll be to do with time of day and maybe even day of the week. They'll also validate your parking ticket if you go after 6pm and park at the shopping centre. There's a different chain cinema two miles out of town (but surrounded by housing and near a major business park) which does Tuesday tickets for a fiver or normal tickets for basically the same cost as the other cinema (maybe slightly less?), but parking is free any time of day (though good luck finding a space on a Tuesday evening).

I have a "see as much as you want for a single monthly payment" card for the town centre chain which costs about £20 so pays for itself as long as I see a minimum of two films a month. I do have to pay for event cinema, like Everybody's Talking About Jamie, but where a non-card holder would have been paying £20-£25, I paid just under £10, which is nonetheless a bargain considering I also saw at least two films that month.

I don't think we get the full range of films at the cinema to whom I have pledged my allegiance, but as long as all the major musicals and horror movies (and I do still see some of the major comic book movies, though by no means all of them anymore) keep going there, it suits me just fine. Though I have yet to be a member for a full year, so may yet find that they're disappointing when it comes to smaller movies or awards season.

But then you either have to keep it or dispose of it, sooo.....