You've got to be joking!

[mandragora]

Yesterday went to the cinema in the West End, the Odeon Leicester Square, no less. I don't tend to go to see a film in the West End because it's so damn expensive. Last time I went it was £12 a ticket - that's about US$23 at present exchange rates. That was last year.

So I was thinking that the ticket might be, say, £12.50. It wasn't. It was... wait for it £17 (about US$32). Jesus Christ. I could buy a DVD for that - less than that in most cases. I was gobsmacked. That is a gigantic rip-off par none. It's back to Wood Green (tickets £5.50, or £3.50 during the week) for me. Oh sure, the screens aren't quite as big and the sound quality perhaps not quite as good. But, it's at least £11.50 cheaper!

As for the film, that was Kingdom of Heaven. For a review, I suggest that you check out musesfool's entry here, which I pretty much agree with and is a very nice summary. Although I think I liked the romance bit more than musesfool did.

Comments

[cyberducks.livejournal.com]

Movie tickets here where I am (SoCal) are about 10 dollars a pop, and "only" 8 dollars for the matinee, but it is cheaper to go to the movies in other states of the US. The big cities are more expensive, and SoCal is too (I guess because of the high AC costs - or basic greed). Where they really get you is with soft drinks, pop corn, and candy.It's extortion!

But movie going seems to be more expensive in Europe. I remember as a child in Germany it was already like 10 DM, which was a lot of money considering a childs weekly allowance, so movie going was a special occasion for us.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

movie going seems to be more expensive in Europe

I can't say about Europe, as I've only ever been to the cinema in Britain and Gibraltar (which always has the English language version of English language films) in Europe, but I think in general it is more expensive to go to the cinema over here, definitely. When I last went to the movies in the US it struck me as pretty damn cheap.

OTOH, £3.50 - about US$6.50 isn't too bad and I could have paid that little to see the film, even in London (which is normally more expensive than anywhere else in the UK). If only I'd known the extortionate West End price beforehand. Alas.

[smaragdgrun.livejournal.com]

See, but the problem here is that you actually paid the exhortion price. That just encourages them.

What was the convenience/ambiance/coolness factor worth to you?

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

the problem here is that you actually paid the exhortion price

Yes, but I wouldn't have if I'd known beforehand how much it would cost. A friend booked the tickets and I didn't know how much they cost until he handed me my ticket at the cinema. If he'd told me how much they would cost before he booked the tickets I would have said, no way.

He did look rather sheepish, as well he might!

[filenotch.livejournal.com]

Around here movie tickets run about $9.00. We spent that to see Kung Fu Hustle on Friday night in a suburban cinema. That is a fun movie, by the way, if you like Loony Tunes with your martial arts.

We tried to see Kung Fu Hustle a couple of weeks ago, and despite being listed on the Web, it was not on the marquee. This theater has a Cinema and Grill attached to it, where you can eat, drink and watch a movie. It was showing Sahara. There wasn't anything else we wanted to see and we were hungry. The tickets to get in and pay more that standard rates for food was $18, which we thought was robbery. Food (sandwich, salad, fried calamari, and a bottle of wine) was another $60. And they close the bar half way through the movie. Will not do again.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I may go and see King Fu Hustle at some point. I don't think it's opened over here as yet.

Sounds like the Cinema and Grill is a total ripoff. I loathe being ripped off.

It's not the cost per se - I will happily pay £100 (about US$190) for Michelin-star quality cuisine on the basis that although it's expensive it is bloody good food. But I hate being blindsided. How can cinema ticket have gone up by almost 50% in a few months?

bah, humbug!

[keletkezes.livejournal.com]

OW! I moaned at paying £7 in Chelmsford Odeon for the decent (slightly bigger at the back) seats...!

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

£7! Bargain!

If only it was only £7 in the West End.

[keletkezes.livejournal.com]

Romford Ster Century's much better than Chelmsford damn Odeon though. Bigger seats, not so loud, and I've never paid more than £6.50 there, and that's without £1 student discount, which unlike Odeon, they have all the time! I can normally expect to pay £4.00-4.50. And then there's the Savoy in Nottm and Clacton cinema, where the seats are ultra comfy (mmm, ex-theatres) and I paid £3.00 and £2.50 respectively. Although factoring in the travel costs does make a difference: we walked to the Savoy from Dunkirk (Nottm, not France, for anyone who doesn't know), from Highfields Caravan Park to Clacton, and even getting the slightly more expensive train journey from Shenfield to Romford doesn't make it as expensive as Chelmsford.

But then, I've also never been to the West End (except walking through I think), and I'm sure it must be nice, even of it is expensive.