If they charged normal prices for it your ticket would be about £15

Have you been to a cinema recently? £11 a ticket round here, £13 for 3D….

There have been a few attempts at upmarket cinemas, I think.

Do you have an everyman cinema near you? Think they’re what you’re looking for.

Free pizza on a monday when you see a film.

Drinks and hot food delivered to your seat in the cinema, ‘sofas’ instead of chairs.

Nice atmosphere.

Quite expensive but its a much nicer experience and attitude / atmosphere.

As has been said, I’m pretty sure people setting the food prices know what they’re doing. Yes the prices mean lost sales from some people but I’m guessing it’s more than made up for by those that are willing to pay for the over-priced food they sell. TBH I go to the cinema so rarely and am lazy so don’t really begrudge paying over the odds for a bucket of popcorn and fizzy drink. There’s always plenty of people in the queue that seem to buy enough food (if the nachos and hot dogs really are food) to feed a small army.

The last time I went to the cinema was to watch 127 Hours. There were five people in there; me, my cycling buddy and his wife and a couple behind us who my buddy recognised as his colleague, a general surgeon from the hospital! The screen was so dark that I went out to complain and the Management told me it was a special dark screen that they only used for certain films. Bad choice for 127 Hours then.

I really hate the greed of the cinemas who make buying a ticket for the show secondary to buying all the shite like sweets, popcorn etc, which inflate their profits. I’ll wait for the film and see it at home with a glass of Golden Pippin in my hand and the stove lit.

Oh and I once parked in one of twenty empty disabled spaces because every single other place was taken and I didn’t want to block emergency access, and the cinema ticketed my car. I ignored the stupid letters and they gave up in the end.

Grrrr.

all the shite like sweets, popcorn etc, which inflate their profits.

Did you read the thread? They make no profit from the film tickets, they depend on the food sales. It’s the film distribution companies that rip us off.

Seriously? So they could refuse entry to anyone who, I don’t know, looked a bit gay and there’d be no comeback?

I find that absolutely mind-blowing in 2016.

Theres nothing weird about that – you can’t force people to sell something. But that was my point about giving reasons. Someone might have reasons but giving some reasons becomes discriminatory. Its fine to be indiscriminate but some ways of discriminating are problematic. Recent cases of B&B owners refusing service to a gay couple and saying why and someone refusing to pipe a message on a cake and saying why are good examples. But the B&B example is an interesting one – strangers are coming into your house. You want to be fell safe and happy in your own home so anything that makes you feel unsafe or unhappy is good reason to not sell that service. The mistake the owners made was the discriminatory terms in which they refused service.

I sell a service and I have to turn down prospective clients all the time – I might be too busy, the job might be annoying or obstructive to other work, it might be boring, I might find the client difficult to work with, I might not trust them, I might want a holiday. They might be good, empirically calculated assessments I’ve made as to the value of the work, my availability or ability to do it or the the credit risk, it might just be a hunch, it might because I feel working with one client will be better for me that working with another. But no one can just wave their money in may face and say “I want to pay you to do something so you have to do it”

There are plenty of ways people do discriminate and choose the people they sell to. As a for instance there are plans to demolish a swathe of council housing in glasgow (in fact I think they’ve all been demolished now) and replace it with a shopping mall. The developers have been quite overt about what retailers they will and won’t lease units to and by extension are making it quite clear that the people who lived in those houses and their neighbours won’t be welcome in the mall.

At the risk of derailing my own thread, I really miss intermissions. Especially now in the days of 3-hour blockbusters (and a 40 year old bladder).

40 and complaining about your bladder? Get out!

Or go to the Plaza in Stockport. Still have intervals and even an organist who rises out of the pit. Brilliant.

Intermissions?

I’m happy to say that in the still civilised world these are alive and well.

Get thee to Ulverston Roxy, they even have an ‘usherette’ come round – (well a bloke in his 60’s with a dodgy hip)

Surely this is no different to being searched going into a gig, which most people find relatively acceptable.

Except it’s not. At a gig, they could plausibly be searching for things like knives, and sealable bottles are a potential projectile. OTOH there’s little potential for rawkusness at a cinema.

I could extend the analogy, to smuggling my own booze into a restaurant….

As Hora said, the primary reason to go to a restaurant is to eat and drink, the same is not true of a cinema.

Theres nothing weird about that – you can’t force people to sell something. But that was my point about giving reasons.

This is true, but by the time you’re at the gate they’ve already sold it to you.

You want to be fell safe and happy in your own home so anything that makes you feel unsafe or unhappy is good reason to not sell that service.

What if the B&B owners felt unhappy and unsafe because their prospective clientele were gay, and just didn’t explicitly say that?

40 and complaining about your bladder? Get out!

I was only semi-serious, it was supposed to be a joke really. That said, I’d rather have a scheduled break where people could go for a drink / wee etc without disrupting the film, rather than have folk up and down during the movie because they have to go.

Legally you can refuse to be searched as they are not the police… They would then be within the rights of their contract not to let you in to the cinema one would imagine.

With the prices the way they are I am not surprised cinemas are dying, it almost feels like the big blockbuster movies are keeping them open for the rest of the movies being released.

Would be interesting to see if there is any legs to a model of pay per view films streamed in 4k to your home, I’m sure i heard of a similar venture not long back.

I’ve worked for a big cinema chain twice and never been instructed by management to search for food. In 30 years of going to the cinema, I’ve never been searched, nor seen anyone be searched. It’s a shit enough job being an usher at a cinema that the last thing you want to do is antagonise your customers (sorry, ‘guests’). And plenty of people do buy food at the concessions stands; they’re usually not grumpy middle-aged know-it-alls either 😉

Legally you can refuse to be searched as they are not the police… They would then be within the rights of their contract not to let you in to the cinema one would imagine.

That’s pretty much what I’d assumed; however, I was questioning their rights to refuse entry for no other reason than because you won’t submit to a search after they’d already sold you a ticket. If you don’t submit to a search and they had reasonable grounds to suspect that you might be carrying contraband then I think that’s probably fair enough, but the mere fact that you’re carrying a bag or wearing a coat shouldn’t be sufficient IMHO. It’s no business of a cinema attendant what’s in my pockets.

If you went to a restaurant and they patted you down on the way in to check for smuggled alcohol I’m pretty sure everyone would find that an outrageous practice. So why tolerate it at a cinema?

I’ve also worked for one of the big cinema chains. We were told all food is fine to take in, as long as it’s not hot. Likewise, all drink is fine as long as it’s not alcohol. We’ve never been instructed to search bag or even look at bags. It’s just if some one brazenly wanders in with McD’s in one hand and a bottle of JD in the other, that we did something. You’d be surprised how often that happened..

The cinema made nothing from tickets and entry fees, sometimes it wouldn’t even cover OPEX. When a screen is less than half full it would be running at a loss (film dependent). They pretty much only make money on food.

When I worked there and I was on minimum wage, I was always surprised at people spending 2x the ticket price on food per person. There was a 99p shop less than 30 seconds away. I would probably sell food to 2/3 of people buying tickets. Often you could up-sell them to a large with minimal effort. It was ‘only 50p and you get double’.

I should reiterate; this was a hypothetical question. It’s not happened to me at one of the big chains recently if ever, and most do allow you to take snacks in with you these days so long as it’s bought elsewhere. I only asked because a friend said her local multiplex did it and I was surprised. (She mentioned Vue and Odeon, both of which have polices banning hot food and alcohol bought elsewhere, so they’re not following their own policies).

What if the B&B owners felt unhappy and unsafe because their prospective clientele were gay, and just didn’t explicitly say that?

Then that would be ‘fine’ within the terms of the law. Its not going to result in a terribly good trip advisor profile. They have to be happy in the work they do and in their home – and they have to find a way of doing that. In time they might find the way to do that is to not run a B&B.

(-:

I was always surprised at people spending 2x the ticket price on food per person.

I don’t spend that much, but I might spend a tenner or so. Partly because I know the cinema needs it, party because I’m lazy, and partly because the air of desperation about a place that should be so exciting and happy but is often quite empty and staffed by people who are clearly good-humoured and cheerful in the face of what must be shite working conditions.

my mates nan and grandad used to take sandwiches and stella – but they got kicked out in the middle of a film.

They were mortified. 😳

air of desperation about a place that should be so exciting and happy but is often quite empty and staffed by people who are clearly good-humoured and cheerful in the face of what must be shite working conditions.

This. It’s the best place I’ve worked. Management was terrible, hard work cleaning, sales goals unrealistic, grumpy customer and awful hours, but my colleagues were fantastic. I really enjoyed working there and had a right laugh. Not sure what it is about cinema, but it seems to attract the geeks, which suits me.

We tend to go to our small local independent cinema at Elland. They usually screen the films I want to see but with short runs and only one screen.

Price has now gone up to £4.50 for the film, sweets/drinks prices are pretty much the same as the shops (bag of minstrels a quid, can of coke 50p) and an interval where they come in with the tray of icecreams (also reasonably priced).

Part of the Northern Morris group of independents specifically designed for tight northerners like me.

http://www.nm-cinemas.co.uk/

cokie – Member

When I worked there and I was on minimum wage, I was always surprised at people spending 2x the ticket price on food per person.

I think it’s part of the experience, for me. Which possibly makes me some sort of incredible mug, but I don’t care if I’m only enjoying it because I’m easily led- we play air hockey before the cinema, I get an icecream and a coke and maybe a bag of minstrels, it’s the law.

In the very first days of smartphones, my mate got a particularly flash nokia thing with an (at the time) outstanding camera.

he was eager to show off it’s high def quality, and we just so happened to be in the cinema.

“Look at how sharp it records the screen!” I think was his last words before he was escorted out by police into a staff only area to explain why he was recording the screen in the cinema 😆

This. It’s the best place I’ve worked. Management was terrible, hard work cleaning, sales goals unrealistic, grumpy customer and awful hours, but my colleagues were fantastic. I really enjoyed working there and had a right laugh. Not sure what it is about cinema, but it seems to attract the geeks, which suits me.

Its great when cinemas remember they’re in the entertainment business. My GF made a non-broadcast documentary for/with/about adults with learning difficulties and needed somewhere to screen it. We contacted the branch of the Odeon locally to the project and asked if we could hire a screen and have a screening event. No. Every way we asked – if they answered at all the answer was no. They actually seemed to be mildly offended that we’d even asked.

So we asked the Odeon in the next town….

……..They gave us a screen (we had to pay for it but it wasn’t much). They gave us free access out hours to test our master of the film on the big screen, check for glitches, check the sound etc. On the day they laid on free tea and coffee, they built a balloon arch, rolled out the red carpet and I printed up some movie posters and they let us swap all the posters in the venue to our film, we even did one huge 16-sheet image in the foyer. They called in local press photographers to snap the VIPs and at the end of the screening the manager joined in with and awards ceremony, gave speeches and handed out oscars to all the participants.

Bunch of cool dudes – not least because I’d never really appreciated just how few people the big multiplexes function with, but they’d all gone all out to help and had taken the idea and just ran with it.

last time i went to the cinema was to watch Star Wars – The Force Awakens
i took gonzy1 with me and it was a treat for him so we ended up buying a big tub of popcorn and pop.
total price i think was about £25!!
we watched the movie in 3D but we took our own glasses…the girl at the counter tried to charge us for the glasses and pulled a face when i said we had our own…she then said that after the movie we should put the glasses in the glasses tub on the way out…i mean WTF??
i nearly flipped my lid at her…told her that the glasses were our own as i had already pointed out to her and that we would be taking them home with us…i also told her that if i had paid for any 3D glasses that seeing as i had paid for them i would be entitled to take them home and not give them back so they could re-sell them to someone else…she then pulled another face at me

wife wants us to all go as a family to watch the Jungle Book…i’m now in the process of getting the house re-mortgaged to pay for it

Bring your own quiet food, fire up Wittr to alert other local kermodians (then put the phone away). Watch the film, then mutter something about the “death of narrative cinema” and stalk out.

Its great when cinemas remember they’re in the entertainment business. My GF made a non-broadcast documentary for/with/about adults with learning difficulties and needed somewhere to screen it. We contacted the branch of the Odeon locally to the project and asked if we could hire a screen and have a screening event. No. Every way we asked – if they answered at all the answer was no. They actually seemed to be mildly offended that we’d even asked.

So we asked the Odeon in the next town….

……..They gave us a screen (we had to pay for it but it wasn’t much). They gave us free access out hours to test our master of the film on the big screen, check for glitches, check the sound etc. On the day they laid on free tea and coffee, they built a balloon arch, rolled out the red carpet and I printed up some movie posters and they let us swap all the posters in the venue to our film, we even did one huge 16-sheet image in the foyer. They called in local press photographers to snap the VIPs and at the end of the screening the manager joined in with and awards ceremony, gave speeches and handed out oscars to all the participants.

Bunch of cool dudes – not least because I’d never really appreciated just how few people the big multiplexes function with, but they’d all gone all out to help and had taken the idea and just ran with it.

Nice story – it’s great when businesses go the extra mile for good causes. I hope they got some positive publicity for their efforts.

We went to see Eye In The Sky at the cinema in Marple on Wednesday evening. They have an interval and an ice cream selling person.
What an utterly depressing little hole it is.

I once smuggled in a large pizza inside my then girlfriend’s long coat, knowing the male security guards couldn’t search her. unfortunately, all the cheese slid down to one end of the box, which made it a bit messy once we were safely sat down. 😳

The film was shit.

Used to get searched at the cinema many years ago but back then you got searched everywhere. Wouldn’t let a civvie search me though.

Booked a family ticket (for four) for £22.50 at the local IMAX for tonight to see Civil War – that’s not a bad price for a huge screen and comfy seats. I too hate the overpriced stuff they sell and as i don’t do fizzy drinks paying for water really annoys me. I feel obliged to buy a pack Revels each visit as the only reason they stock them is because i had a go at the manager for not selling them. Revels are to cinema like G+Ts are to flying. It’s almost the law.

i also told her that if i had paid for any 3D glasses that seeing as i had paid for them i would be entitled to take them home and not give them back so they could re-sell them to someone else…

Right with you on the rest of your post but I’m perplexed at this. Are you unfamiliar with the concept of hiring equipment?

Right with you on the rest of your post but I’m perplexed at this. Are you unfamiliar with the concept of hiring equipment?

they were star wars themed ones the she wanted to sell to us, starting at £7.99 and going up to £13!!
the ones we took were from another cinema where we were told by the cashier that we were paying for them and not hiring them so they were ours to keep

Ah, gotcha.

When I’ve been to see a 3D movie either the glasses are free or there’s a £1 “because we can” surcharge for rental, they want them back afterwards. I suppose the cash covers cleaning and eventual replacement, but it’s a bit rich when you’re paying the price of a DVD each to watch the film to start with.

I bought my own from Amazon a while back, proper metal frames and glass lenses. They’re so much better than the cheap scuffed plastic ones they supply, makes quite a difference to the picture quality (and will eventually pay for themselves over time I suppose).

G+TsTomato Juice are to flying

Why is it the only place anyone ever drinks tomato juice?

with the cost of cinema ticket prices and food there its so much easier to stay at home and watch the latest movies via Kodi or Showbox.
costs nothing, eat what you want, drink what you want, dont have to put up with other viewers disrupting you (we tie the kids down and gag them :lol:)
we’ll only go to the movies if the movie is really worth going for or if its a treat for one of the kids.

Once you get past the ticket checker who says which direction your screen is, surely you could walk in to anything that you fancied. Once in a while during the film I’ve seen an employee stand at the front for a little bit but I’m not sure what they’re looking for!

Someone in here must have tested this theory!!

Not personally but the UGC (as it was then, now Cineworld) in Glasgow had a single attendant at the bottom checking tickets. Once you were past you then had four floors to choose from, it was a frequently done thing to spend the day in there watching everything. They clamped down by sticking an attendant at each floor eventually, still had the run of four screens though.

Make sure the cinema staff give you the grounds for the search, what they are searching for and they use rubber gloves 😀

gofasterstripes – Member
Bring your own quiet food, fire up Wittr to alert other local kermodians (then put the phone away).

Hello to Jason Isaacs!

I can’t believe anyone even pays for cinema tickets any more. Hasn’t everyone cottoned on to Vitality Life insurance policies? Same price for cover, and yet with a very small level of exercise per week you get two free tickets for Vue or Cineworld. I go to the pictures weekly now when I’m working away and it doesn’t cost a penny.

squirrelking – Member

Not personally but the UGC (as it was then, now Cineworld) in Glasgow had a single attendant at the bottom checking tickets. Once you were past you then had four floors to choose from, it was a frequently done thing to spend the day in there watching everything. They clamped down by sticking an attendant at each floor eventually, still had the run of four screens though.

Fine tradition of the cinema, this. Never sure talking to my folks, I get the feeling it used to actually be legit to do this in their local but it’s entirely possible it wasn’t, but they just developed the forcefield of righteousness about stealing films 😆 “we’re scrumping, not stealing!”