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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be outraged at cost of going to cinema?

74 replies

orangeandlemons · 22/08/2012 21:56

£15.00 for me and dd!! That must mean £30.00 for a family of four! And this was 2D not 3D.

Is this really an acceptable price?

OP posts:

TroublesomeEx · 23/08/2012 07:16

It is expensive but what's the alternative?

We signed up to Netflix but will be cancelling it after the free trial. Other than a few dodgy, crappy horror films (which I particularly like) there is absolutely nothing of any interest to anyone in our household.

Well that's not true, DD watched Ella Enchanted but that's it!

wheredidiputit · 23/08/2012 07:54

YANBU.

It cost me and DH nearly £20 last time we went to see a film.

I refused to buy any food in there.

We worked it out if we had dinner as well and needed a baby sitter (DC were at MIL for the night) we would have probably have needed to spend nearly £100 for a film and dinner.

YouBrokeMySmoulder · 23/08/2012 08:03

We did shell out to see Brave as that was a special case. Otherwise the dc just get to go to the kids £1 screenings on Saturday and Sunday's. The films aren't that old and they enjoy it anyway.

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 23/08/2012 08:18

We don't go very often but we attempted to to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid this week.

Our local fleapit Odeon does a family ticket - 2 adults + 2 children or 1 adult + 3 children, which is fine when I take them when DH is at work. The cinema always offers us this ticket, even when I ask individually. So this time, after queueing for ten minutes I just asked for a family ticket. Woman behind the counter (who's sold me enough tickets that I recognise her) asks how old DS1 is...

Because he's a 'Teen' not a 'Child' or an 'Adult' I can't have a Family ticket.

What?!

Can he be counted as an adult then? No.

Stupid cinema. We shall go to Vue whose Family tickets are for a group of 4 people, minimum of which is two children and whose seats are far superior with regards to leg room and cleanliness :P

OhTheConfusion · 23/08/2012 08:44

I took Dbro to the cinema yesterday and we were £5.60 (orange wed 241 and both our student cards are still valid!) for the tickets.

However made the mistake of buying snacks... 1 popcorn and drink combo and one small bag of sweets... £13.75!

Original poster

orangeandlemons · 23/08/2012 08:49

at cost of snacks

OP posts:

helenthemadex · 23/08/2012 11:05

I was back in the UK last month and thought I would take dd to the cinema we went on a tuesday afternoon to see Ice age 4 in 3d I bough a carton of medium size popcorn and it cost me £21.

Living in rural France I used to envy friends in the UK having so much to do locally, (soft play, cinema, swimming, zoos, theme parks etc) but having been back and seen just how much all these things costs I can see why so many get stressed during the school holidays

fluffygal · 23/08/2012 11:12

Cost us 60 quid to see lion king 3d, 2 adults 4 under 5s. First and last time we will go! I was most annoyed as we HAVE the lion king at home!!!

HellonHeels · 23/08/2012 11:16

If you're in London, the Barbican cinema (soon to be cinemas - three of them!) do family film club on Saturday mornings. I think the tickets cost £2. Ice Age 4 is coming up there shortly.

For adults, they do a Monday madness with £5 tickets. I saw the new batman film in its release week for a fiver.

Prince Charles cinema shows new release and rep cinema, prices range from reasonable (£8) to cheap £2.

HellonHeels · 23/08/2012 11:17

ALso, no one NEEDS snacks to watch a film! The stink of popcorn and even worse, hot food is horrible.

IShallWearMidnight · 23/08/2012 11:20

the DDs are going to see Brave this afternoon at our local cinema which will be £7 per child. Plus with teens they are really really strict with bag searching, so they may be forced to buy whatever sweets they want there. .

StuntGirl · 23/08/2012 11:22

I have a friend who works in a cinema and only ever go when he gets us free tickets. Not a chance I'd pay for them. I can't remember the last time I saw a film so good that I thought "Yeah, that was worth that tenner" :(

GoldenHandshake · 23/08/2012 11:27

The closest cinema to me was a Vue, the prices are ridculous, over £9 for an adult during peak times, over £7 for kids!

Luckily a small independent cinema has just opened up and charge £4 for any film, any time, inclusing 3D, so the cinema has just become much more affordable.

trikken · 23/08/2012 11:28

same as fivegomadindorset, might be same cine.

If u look round you will find cheaper independent ones. I refuse to go to the expensive cineworld. Plus its further.

Summerblaze · 23/08/2012 11:29

We went to the cinema when we were down in London for the weekend last year. 4 adults and 1 child - £85.

TheWalkingDead · 23/08/2012 11:31

If you sign up to Cineworld online and book tickets in advance I think it's something like 10% off - not much, but something I suppose.

Also, Clubcard vouchers have been mentioned which are good. And the Cineworld Unlimited card is good value if you visit the cinema a lot. I see now that if you have an unlimited card you can get 10% off food at any time of the day, and also a discount from certain restaurants as well.

I love going to the cinema, but it can cost a lot of money - DH and I love the cinema and used to visit at least once a week, but now we're very selective and try to visit during Orange Wednesdays. It's a shame, and I can see why people use pirated films, although it's not something I would do myself.

Trills · 23/08/2012 11:32

YABU to be outraged, yes.

Cinemas charge what they can get, the same way as any business.

If they were not getting enough business they would drop the prices.

ethelb · 23/08/2012 11:34

they have gone up a lot. I thought I was imagining it but adults tickets used to be around £5 a couple of years ago. Then I saw an article that showed they have gone up something like 30% in the past 4 years.

it used to be tickets = cheap food = expensive.

Original poster

orangeandlemons · 23/08/2012 11:51

Yes, that's what I think, that they have really gone up over the last few years. I clearly remember taking myself and 2 dc about 6 yearsago and it was about £12.00.So say £4.00 each.

When I went with dd it was £7.50 each. I can't do the maths, but that means inflation of nearly 100% and that is what annoys me. I know they have to make a living and are running a business BUT it has become too expensive and out of proprtion to what people earn, but it didn't used to be like that.

We don't have any indie cinemas near us, so don't have that option, just the big chains, of which Vue is the most expensive!

OP posts:

Bumblequeen · 23/08/2012 12:10

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at poster's request.

Keepthechangeyoufilthyanimal · 23/08/2012 12:29

This is exactly why I refuse to go to the cinema on any day other than wednesday!
It doesn't seem long ago that I was at school (ok, so 9 years ago) and the cinema was a good day out with your friends and it was no more than £4 then!

I only go about 3-4 times a year now anyway. Even with Orange wednesdays the cost of food & drinks means it's £20 for just me and DH!

Original poster

orangeandlemons · 23/08/2012 12:37

Yeah, £5.00 for a thimble full of Ben and Jerry's!

OP posts:

Margerykemp · 23/08/2012 12:41

It cost £18.90 for DP to take DS to see avengers. Not even in a city centre.

ihearsounds · 23/08/2012 12:42

3D is ridiculously overpriced. If we really want that, I go on Monday and pay £3.
Most of the time I go Vue, certain days before 5 and family of 4 its just over £20, so not too bad.
Really enjoyed Brave. Lorax was boring.

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