Cinema Sweet Prices Rip Off

shellsuit

Last time I went to the cinema with my 2, I was asked to open my bag so the guy could check it.

I asked why and was told it was because they have to check for cameras/camcorders.

As I was opening it, I said I haven't got those but I have got these (and held up a big bag of Minstrels and a bag of M&M's - 241 at Woolies )

The bloke just laughed and said that was OK and let me go through.

We had bought a drink and some popcorn from there though, maybe if we didn't have these, he would have said something about the sweets?

I don't mind paying for popcorn or a drink for us all to share (think it's £6 for a huge popcorn and huge drink), but I won't buy sweets from there at all.

98jdougl

End of the day- we all think it's a rip off and they don't pay us enough for us to care- the only time we occassionally do something if people are being really obvious about taking in their booze, that's my experience anyway.

In regards to a family of 2 adults and 2 kids being unable to go the the cinema- movies for juniors (cineworld) is £1 a ticket, adults and kids, for the saturday morning movie- is usually a couple of months late but still not on dvd and have a choice of at least 3 movie s(is 3 in my cineworld, but it's a small one) and you also get the half price kids munchbox which is £1.55 on the saturday up until 11am and you get sweets juice and popcorn with it as well as the chance to buy a half price kids activity pack for £1 which includes a free movies for juniors movie ticket in it.

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

I always take my own:p Nobody ever stopped me:T

darwin-rover

Idiophreak wrote: »

Anyway, I refuse to believe their "we pay so much to the film distributors" argument in any case.

As someone who worked in a cinema for a long time , I can tell you its true whether you believe it or not . A distributor will take a MINIMUM of 50% of the ticket price . For some big blockbusters it could easily be 60 or 70% . So theres most of the ticket price gone before you've even set foot in the theatre . Cinema chains aren't charities , equipment like surround amps and projectors aren't cheap you know . Then theres staff wages etc. If cinema chains were making billions of pounds profit like BP or HSBC then we would have grounds to complain .

uktim29

Idiophreak wrote: »

Anyway, I refuse to believe their "we pay so much to the film distributors" argument in any case.

Well you also didn't believe that higher prices make more money because you thought that if they charged less more people would spend money but I proved you wrong about that.

You didn't believe the quote above but the post above proves you wrong about that as well.

It seems some people love to believe something they've created in their heads so much they just bury their heads in the sand to everything!

Why do people do this?

bap98189

Idiophreak wrote: »

Anyway, I refuse to believe their "we pay so much to the film distributors" argument in any case.

I used to work for Odeon, and you may choose to believe it or not, but it is true.

The percentage the film distributor takes depends on the film, and also on the length of time it has been released. For a typical Hollywood blockbuster, in the first week of release, the distributor will take between 70-80% of the ticket price. This typically falls to say 60% in the second week, and 50% after that. Smaller films generally take less as they are unable to command the same percentage, and need to get their film into cinemas.

The reality is that cinemas charge such a high price for sweets and the like, because that is where they make their money. If they only had ticket sales, they would be running at a loss.

98jdougl

What I really hate is people having a go at ME for it!
I did explain to a customer where the money went when she whinged that £1.20 for a cup of tea was extertionate since the bag would have only cost us about 5p (i think £1.20 is alright for a tea- esp in a cinema_
So I then explained that we had to pay for the cupboard space for the storage of the tea bags, the delivery of the teabags, the worksurface for the tea bags, the worksurface, electricity and running costs of the coffee machine which provides the hot water, the water costs- the costs of the cup and lid, and the storage space for them, the staff to make the tea and serve the tea, the floor space, electrcity and heating and counter space for the staff and the customer, the running costs of the till, the staff who clean up the cup after she leaves it lying half full in the cinema, the costs of the milk and sugars and stirrer she uses in her tea etc

I don't set the chuffing prices :P

Idiophreak

uktim29 wrote: »

Well you also didn't believe that higher prices make more money because you thought that if they charged less more people would spend money but I proved you wrong about that.

Errr...If that's as best as your "proving" something goes, I wish you luck in all your endeavours.

So, bap98189, uktim29, darwin-rover...rather than quoting that part out of context, please respond to the rest of it...Please explain *why* our cinemas pay so much more than every other country in Europe to the distributors...

98jdougl

Why do others have to explain why the uk allegedly pays more than europe (i have no evidence to say either way if they do or dont)??

Just stating the facts as we have them which is how much a percentage is taken by distributors

Idiophreak

http://www.glalibdems.org.uk/news/000405/london_tops_european_cinema_ticket_prices__doocey.html

That's one (slightly out-of-date) example, but you'll find plenty more surveys of cinema ticket costs across europe.

Now, clearly odeon in leicester square on a saturday night isn't exactly representative of the UK as a whole, but even a "normal" £7 entry is above what's being charged in other *capital cities* across europe (sometimes 100% above)...