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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

A family cinema trip is a treat surely? not an every day occurrence?

204 replies

LittleBookofCalm · 01/09/2018 12:53

According to the news, end of the news, someone talking about being really badly off and saying they couldnt have a family trip to the cinema and how wrong it was that they couldnt afford this

I would argue that it is a Treat, spending that sort of money -

OP posts:
Lovemusic33 · 02/09/2018 18:22

I’m not poor but I don’t like spending a fortune on activities or a day out. Dd wants to go to a theme park but I refuse to pay £35 each to get in.

We go out most weekends but tend to go to places that are free to get in or cheap, we do a wide range of things, I don’t think they are deprived by not going to the cinema or theme parks. We go to the zoo once a year. We live near the coast so we make the most of the beach and water sports. We have a national trust pass which we use a lot and we go on lots of picnics. I just can’t justify spending £50 for a couple of hours at the cinema when we could use that money to buy something for the house or something that will bring us pleasure for longer than a couple hours.

Yes it’s sad that some people can’t afford the cinema but there are other things to amuse children that doesn’t cost as much.

Seafoodeatit · 02/09/2018 18:22

I think it's a treat too, even if it's something relatively affordable to you it's still something nice to do rather than a normal part of day to day life.

dalamane with the theme park though they could have a season pass, if you go a silly amount of times it probably makes good sense. (Plus with most of them you can get the 2 for 1 on tickets so whilst expensive unless you turn up on the day you can always save on the tickets. )

DerekTheBrave · 02/09/2018 18:31

I think the cinema is pretty cheap tbh once the dc are old enough to go alone (but young enough for a child ticket!)

My older 2 dc go probably every 3 weeks ish. Our vue is £5.99 for a child and they go on a Tuesday or Wednesday night (or day if half term) so one is free.

They take a bag of popcorn to share (£1 local shop) and a drink from home...so works out at £3.50 per child. I stay outside in the cafe with baby ds3 and they go in on their own.

DerekTheBrave · 02/09/2018 18:32

Sorry should have said...One is free on a Tue or Wed with a meerkat code.

I don’t have them myself but there are so many people that do and don’t use them I get one from a friend or ask on Facebook for a spare.

SoftSheen · 02/09/2018 18:42

We are fairly well off, but a trip to the cinema is a rare treat, because tickets are so expensive. IMO being poor= struggling to buy children basic birthday/Christmas presents, buy winter coats and shoes, pay for school trips etc. Holidays, cinema, theatre, theme parks etc are luxuries.

Mummadeeze · 02/09/2018 18:51

It is expensive and it is a treat, but it is also sad that they can’t ever afford to go. So I completely understand why they were complaining that they can’t. To be honest, I don’t really get your point.

Shockers · 02/09/2018 18:53

It was an huge treat when I was a child. We went maybe twice a year and the only food we had in there was a shared bar of nougat covered in rice paper!

But poverty is relative and these days many families go to the cinema on a regular basis. When I was a child, it was considered a treat for everyone.

Frazzledstar1 · 02/09/2018 18:55

I’m with you op, really annoys me when people are on the news complaining that they are too poor to go to cinema/Disneyland/Spain etc - there are people out there who struggle to feed and clothe their children! Yes not being able to afford he cinema sucks but I wouldn’t exactly consider it a news worthy event. You can live just fine without regular cinema trips.

Havabiscuit · 02/09/2018 18:58

I think if you are a working family you should have enough money for a monthly meal out or cinema trip. Or what’s the point if life is purely eat/ work/ sleep. I think many would say that’s a grim existence.

WombatChocolate · 02/09/2018 19:12

Cinema is almost £15 for an adult here and about £12 for a child - so a lot for a family. It would be £70 for a family of 4 if you bought some snacks - I wouldn't call that an every day occurrence for most people.

And actually you can often go to London theatre for less - you can get childrens tickets for the ENB nutcracker for less than £10 and that's for a full ballet company and orchestra.

Lots of going out options are expensive....therefore, if your income is low, its hardly surprising it will be a struggle to afford it and lots of people will go rarely and some not at all. Personally, I donb't see that as a disgrace - it's simply a fact that expensive leisure activities wont be available to all - but there are lots of other options available, wich will be more affordbale. It would be a disgrace if no leisure activities were available to low income families - but that isn't the case - there are lots of free things available and as others have mentioned, Junior Movies gives the chance to have a cinema experience for far less. It will always be the case that people with higher income have more choice in everything and a wider choice of leisure activity.

People with lower incomes no doubt also go on holiday less, eat out at fancy restaurants less and have fewer musical instrument lessons etc etc etc.

I absolutely agree that access to a variety of leisure activities should be available to all - all there are a range, but of course, people with more money have more choice. Peak time, new release cinema is just an example of something that might be out of reach always for some families and a rare treat for lots more, in the same way meals out might be.

VeryBerrySeptember · 02/09/2018 19:14

Havabiscuit I could take exception to you characterising my type of childhood as a grim existence!

ChangerChangerson · 02/09/2018 19:18

I am relatively well off yet I think the cost of the cinema is extortionate so avoid it as much as possible. I definitely think it's a treat.

WombatChocolate · 02/09/2018 19:20

I agree that all families should have access to some leisure activities. It's the outgoings on other things which are more essential which limit the range of activities for many - so £70 on a family cinema trip might not be affordable, nor might a family meal out be, but what about a family trip to Junior Saturday cinema for perhaps £15 in total, or a trip to the swimming pool, or a picnic in a lovely country park where all you pay for is parking or the bus fare, or a museum? There are options. What about a family ticket to national Trust or English Heritage which would cost just a bit more than that £70 but give a year of access to days out.

Lots of people on medium to high incomes will identify things they cant really afford to do they would like to do - the fact others can afford it and may do those activities regularly (perhaps ski holidays, eating out at expensive restaurants etc) doesn't mean something terrible is happening.

What is terrible is when people cant afford the basic necessities and have to go to loan sharks or food banks, or cant access any lesisure at all because event he cost of getting somewhere or making a sandwich to take is beyond their purse.

RoseMartha · 02/09/2018 19:22

We have been twice in the last 12 months one was kids Saturday morning which is a cheapy just over £1per person and one full price visit to kids film.

Last time i paid to see something for me was about 9 years ago! I just wait for films to come out on dvd or tv.

Cuddlykitten123 · 02/09/2018 19:26

We've been twice this summer First time to a mojor chain, 1 adult and 2 under 5s plus a drink each popcorn to share was over £30! (But the early weekend showing would have been cheaper). Second to a small local and we got parking, entry drinks and a treat from a waffle/ice cream place after for the same amount.... but it's definitely a treat day out (or over 30 degrees lol )!

Advicewouldbelovelyta · 02/09/2018 19:40

I have a Cineworld membership so it's £17ish per month and I can watch as many movies as many times as I like. I can take anyone else for free twice a week with meerkat movies :)

WoollyMollyMonkey · 02/09/2018 20:04

Definitely a treat for me. £12 a ticket each at Odeon and then there is around £6 for parking. We usually take our own sweets but buy a coffee at the Costa in the foyer to take in.

I think they shoot themselves in the foot though, I’m sure people would go more often and buy sweets etc if they were reasonable prices, I know I would!

Teeniemiff · 02/09/2018 20:47

Cinema by us £10.29 per ticket for adults. Our children aren’t of the age we’ll have a family trip to cinema, but my BIL theres 5 of them.
It’s sad that the cinema has become so expensive that people can’t afford it even as a treat

Mikklehaha · 02/09/2018 21:50

Jeez OP, you sound lovely! Too right a person should feel aggrieved that they can’t even afford to take their kids to the cinema here and there. Do you expect all the poor people to just about exist and be grateful? We are one of the richest countries in the world and the average family in the working classes can’t even afford a basic day out with the kids? Too right people should complain, it’s a bloody disgrace.

LuckyDiamond · 02/09/2018 21:57

I have an independent cinema and a Vue near me that do £4.99 tickets. Vue also do 3 food items for £9.99 or £10.99 for large. DD and I went last night for £20.97 altogether.

Cineworld can fuck off though, far too expensive...it’s not that we can’t afford it but when there are better deals elsewhere I’d rather give them a swerve.

Bashun · 02/09/2018 22:00

Are people still going to the movies since they come on TV a month later?

BarbaraofSevillle · 02/09/2018 22:08

We are one of the richest countries in the world and the average family in the working classes can’t even afford a basic day out with the kids

'Full price' cinema days out can cost £50 for a family for a couple of hours. That's not basic. Basic would be the cheaper screenings and take your own sweets, or a local petting zoo type place that costs a couple of quid each to get in.

I think that's part of the problem. 'Normal'/basic has come to include quite a lot of luxuries that people have come accustomed to so they feel agrieved if they don't have regular days out that end up costing quite a lot of money.

VeryBerrySeptember · 02/09/2018 22:15

Bashun : I go very rarely.

ferrier · 02/09/2018 23:18

Of course it's a treat. It was an unaffordable treat for my family for the most part when I was young. Now it's affordable but it's still a treat. Just like eating out or going to the park. Some treats are free, some are not. If you can't afford them you choose the free ones.

BunsyGirl · 02/09/2018 23:24

As a child I went one or twice a year. It was most definitely a treat. My children go much more than that...but that is because I have worked my backside off to give them much more than I had as a child.