Cineworld vs Vue 15 January 2019 at 8:37PM in Going out deals 19 replies 13.8K views

Unkdb

I struggle to understand the difference in ticket prices between Cineworld and Vue.

My local Cineworld in Didcot will charge me £12.10 for an adult ticket for a 2D movie. If I were to jump in the car and drive about 7 miles I can watch the same file at a Vue for less than half the price at £5.74.

How can they possibly justify the huge difference ???

elsien

My Vue cinema is a closer to a tenner unless it's the cheap deal Monday showing.
They're businesses, they work on local market forces.

Unkdb

Strange that market forces drive the price down at an Oxford out of town cinema compared with smalltown Didcot

MataNui

Are they same in terms of quality though?


There is nothing i would say is 'local' to me but i also have a choice of Vue or Cineworld.


The Cineworld has traditional large screens (even an imax). The Vue has these 4k displays mounted high on the wall. Vue is like watching a film in a living room (you know where some people mount the TV at eye level when they are standing up). Nothing special and you leave with a sore neck. The Cineworld is a proper cinema experience.



For me though if a film is worth watching in the cinema its worth the full cinema experience so despite the fact that for me:

Cineworld is more than twice the distance away from me as the Vue and i can actually go to the Vue for free i always go to Cineworld and would never go back to Vue.

Nicholas

We have had a Vue for years but we now have a new Cineworld opening in a couple of days time. Cineworld will definately be the winner for the first week with their £3 a ticket opening offer. It will probably hold some appeal for a few weeks after that, being brand new.

After that, who knows?

Vue only charge £4.99 a ticket and they're in the process of upgrading all the seats in all screens to recliners, so it will be sort of new again. They also have free parking even though they're situate just outside of the city centre.
Cineworld, on the other hand, is in the city centre, and they don't own the underground carpark, neither is the tickets validated, so anyone driving will have to pay for parking, at least a fiver, plus £9 for each ticket and that's just for the standard screens.

So even if the screen size is better, is it good enough to warrant paying the extra? Some may think so....In fact it could work out cheaper with Unlimited, providing at least a film a week is watched . And of course there are those with Club Lloyds vouchers etc. that may appreciate changing to Cineworld from Vue due to the perceived extra value in the vouchers.

At the end of the day, (in my opinion) it will be a competition between the recliner seats at Vue vs (possibly) the better cinema screens at Cineworld.

Overall, I think everyone is going to be onto a winner here because I don't think a new cinema is going to mean extra people going to the cinema, rather the existing customer base split between the 2 cinemas, so it won't be so crowded at peak times. Conversely, I just hope there is enough customers to go around to keep both cinemas financially viable.

coffeehound

There are a Cineworld IMAX and a Vue within walking distance here. Cineworld charges £12.10 for a basic adult ticket to a 2D film; Vue charges £4.99. The Vue screen is a proper cinema screen and the seating is nice enough. Although I might like to see the odd film in IMAX, Vue will get my money every other time and cineworld can fold for its ridiculous pricing.

Nicholas

At least Vue did eventually come to its senses with their ridiculous pricing. (Well, in most of their cinemas anyway). They used to charge north of a tenner as well for their standard screens, with a premium for the 'Vue extreme' screen - and the problem with that screen was most of the tiered seating was luxury seating, so another premium on top of that again. Quite a pathetic extreme screen as well, being less than a third of the size of the old Odeon that closed down. The only thing 'extreme' was the price, but as I said they have come to their senses and only charge £4.99 a ticket for every screen every day. Even the luxury seating charge will be out the window soon as every seat will be a recliner for the same basic £4.99.

It will be interesting what Cineworld will do if they fail to attract enough customers in the long-term. I can't see them pulling out any time soon after such an investment in a brand new building.

DCFC79

I can't comment on Vue but the prices at Cineworld are getting expensive, would be great to have a choice of going to a Vue for the cheaper prices.

Nicholas

DCFC79 wrote: »

I can't comment on Vue but the prices at Cineworld are getting expensive, would be great to have a choice of going to a Vue for the cheaper prices.

I'm sure it was only the threat of the Cineworld opening where I live that 'encouraged' Vue to lower it's prices in the first place because not all Vues are cheap. Also our Vue was fast turning into a flea pit with some really worn out and uncomfortable seats, despite being only 20 years old - and now they are putting in recliners all around, which I'm sure they would have done eventually, but I don't think it is any coincidence that the work started a couple of months before the opening of the new Cineworld.

DCFC79

Nicholas wrote: »

I'm sure it was only the threat of the Cineworld opening where I live that 'encouraged' Vue to lower it's prices in the first place because not all Vues are cheap. Also our Vue was fast turning into a flea pit with some really worn out and uncomfortable seats, despite being only 20 years old - and now they are putting in recliners all around, which I'm sure they would have done eventually, but I don't think it is any coincidence that the work started a couple of months before the opening of the new Cineworld.

Just looked and the nearest Vue to me is £13.04 to see a film tonight so your more likely to be right.

coffeehound

Blimey, I'd assumed all Vues were cheaper now. Must take advantage of this one before I move away.