To think more people go to the cinema than people realise?

[FrustratedTeddyLamp]

I've been going to the cinema a lot and recently any time ive spoken to someone about it, they have seen it and other films. I dont get out much and so see online people talk about it being expensive and often the cinema doesn't look busy.

Looking online last year was the biggest box office year in decades i the country, but i never see people talk about it.

I love going to the cinema. I don’t go as often as I like because I’ve got kids. I much prefer it to going out for a meal so the cost doesn’t bother me that much.

As others have said the film that’s showing will determine how busy it was. I went to see ‘what men want’ and there were 5 of us in there. Went to see Avengers:Endgame and it was a full house.

Excluding kids movies, in the last decade I think have gone to The Help (absolutely loved the book) and Pitch Perfect, the first movie (some girlfriends dragged me long).

I genuinely can't remember the last time I went to a cinema - I think it is about 10 years ago? Horrible places, too full of people eating noisily and always cold. Plus the food is extortionate. It is also a 45 min trip to a city for us and not worth it at all.

We have a home cinema set up and all of the subscription services (Sky, Apple TV, Netflicks etc) so much nicer to watch at home. Love film, hate cinema!

My brother on the other hand LOVES cinema and has a cinema pass so he goes several times a week (he works odd shifts) - he much prefers the cinema experience to watching at home. Horses for courses!

Op isn’t wrong that cinema had been slowly dying off for decades since the invention of television in fact! the advent of Netflix at al and home cinema systems mean that people will often stay home instead. And if you have a family of 3 kids it can be massively expensive at places like Vue. We have a little old indie cinema near us and we go there often as we can go as a family of 5 for £20.
But yes I think things like marvel may have hiked interest again.

Our local Vue cinema is really cheap. Tickets are £4.99 so it's quite a cheap trip put if you take your own sweets.

The arts centre cinema has cheaper tickets - sometime quite up to date popular films - there are more kids viewings older films with cheaper tickets - deals DH gets so many free tickets every 6 months with someone he's with.

Plus when we do want to go there are more family films on so there's usually something to watch.

The cinemas near me and my mum's are cheap and I have meerkat on top, we go most weeks but I buy snacks in my weekly shop and never buy cinema food.

It one of our favourite things so we go alot.

Yeah my kids go in school holidays (and that's when most of the kids movies are released anyway), unless there is something they are absolutely dying to see.

I just don't get the point in spending a small fortune for two hours, when you could easily stream it!. The cost for the cinema for us as a family of four you could pay for a nice lunch.

Bar taking the DD’s to see The Grinch at Christmas I haven’t been to the cinema in 10 years! None of my friends/family go regularly either.
I guess people must go though!

I don’t usually go very much but have been more often recently and there’s atleast 4 films I want to see in the next couple of months
The Nachos and tango blasts help!

I work in a chain cinema OP and in the 3 years I've been doing so I have been surprised many times by huge turnouts for films.
As frustrating as the job can be: excited little kids, cosplayers and lovely customers mean that on a good day its a joy.

I should also say I never buy the food there - it’s extortionate! Always grab something from a supermarket before going.

I love movies so I have a cinemworld pass as it works out much cheaper per month to pay for that then each time. They have recentl upgraded the one I go to, has lots of different types of screens 4dx, VIP, almost as big as imax screens.

They have also changed all there seats to nice leather ones.

I see as many movies as I can so its very economical, I even watch some movies twice like John Wick 3 just becaue they are that good!

But I agree it can be very expensive otherwise and I always bring my own drinks and snacks - usually its a hot tea and popcorn of bag of m&ms which is cheaper in tescos then at the cinema.

The people who I know that go regularly are ardent movie fans and have the annual passes, so they can go as often as they like. I personally hate the cinema and would much rather wait until it comes to netflix / streaming and sit in my pjs.

I used to go to the cinema quite frequently then Orange Wednesdays stopped and it became too expensive! We can buy a DVD for less than the price of one seat....
Now I only go if it's an Event Cinema screening - for everything else I wait for the DVD.

I suspect there are three groups of people.
Those with not much money who never or rarely go to the cinema, or who don't go as there is no decent cinema nearby.
Those like me who go reasonably regularly. We can afford it and for us the folding electric chairs have been a game changer. Before those we were going very occasionally.
Those who are ardent movie fans/have passes and go a lot.

It used to be those without much money watched on average more TV than the rest of the population. I wonder now if they are the same demographic who spend on average most time online? After all the internet is very cheap entertainment.

Last time I went it cost nearly £25 for the 2 of us and there were 6 people in the auditorium

Went on wednesday DH has a cineworld card and we have meerkat movies.
Cost us £18 a month for dh to go whenever he wants and 4 times for me free.
we also had a meerkat meal after for bogof and 10% of coffee and cake at the cinema before we went in
DD lives in cardiff and it costs less than £5 for an adult ticket and £3.6 for a student.

I haven't been to the cinema for about 10 years - I hate it! Much too loud, people eating smelly food and generally making a noise, phones, etc. It's not my idea of a pleasant night out.

Took my kids to the cinema last bank holiday, £18.50 for 3 medium popcorn buckets. Fuck RIGHT off.

Our local cinema used to be really quiet as it would cost on average £50 for a family of 4 to see a film without snacks.

They halfed the ticket prices and it’s now pretty busy a lot of the time. The cost puts a lot of people off. I took my kids yesterday but wouldn’t have taken them had it not been much cheaper than a year ago.

I love going to the cinema. If I didn't have small children I'd get one of those pay monthly unlimited pass thingies and go all the time. But I do have small children so the next time I go will probably be when Frozen 2 comes out.

No noisy people with phones or smelly food when I go.

I can’t relate to this at all OP.

I go twice a week, the kids come with me once a week, there are 15 screens and they all sell out. There are literally not enough parking spaces for the people visiting our cinema. It’s no secret, everyone checks in on FB when they are there, you see all your friends there, we’ve all been going once a week since we were children. There’s another cinema a mile away and that has the fancy seats that recline, you can’t get in there unless you prebook.

Last time I went to the cinema was for Ocean's 11 and that must be - what? - 20 years ago now?
I hate all the bloody eating that goes on - can people seriously not sit still for a couple of hours without stuffing nachos and endless sweets into their gobs? And why does the person behind you always have to kick the back of your seat?
So no - I find it deeply uncivilised but I'll defend to the death the right of anyone to go if they enjoy it!

Our local cinema is always full but it’s old fashioned, has an interval halfway through the film, an ice cream seller comes around and on a weekend an organ player, plays whilst you buy your ice cream.