The age of the silver screen, are cinemas a dinosaur ?

[Dodgy69]

We haven't been for ages, always find them dirty, stinky place's and the pick n mix is very expensive.

[KungFooBob]

We haven't been for ages, always find them dirty, stinky place's and the pick n mix is very expensive.

Get your pick'n'mix from Woolworths beforehand, they can't stop you taking your own food in.

[Dodgy69]

I trade in my greenshield stamps and get loads.

[Silly Car]

I went to Vue IMAX last night to see Mission: Impossible The final reckoning. VIP seat was £17, a pepsi max and popcorn was a further £13. The prices are somewhat ridiculous but I was away for night with work and it certainly beat sitting in the hotel bar or in my room alone. Although I found out today a colleague was in the same hotel.

The bits that surprised me were:

The film premiered the night before or that day and there were only a handful of people in the showing, granted it was 8.30pm start time but still, for a blockbuster like that I’d have expected to be full(er)

When I booked the ticket, the online booking system showed 4 spare seats in the VIP section, on the night, there were a dozen or more vacant seats in that section, who spends that kind of money and is a no show?

I don’t mind going to the cinema alone, I get to see what I want, when I want without the usual ‘what’s going on’ / ‘where do I know him/her from’ questions

[Sunny]

The closest one to me is an Odeon Luxe - which means all the seats are big fat recliners. It's lush. So much space that the surrounding people don't bother you.

We used to go loads, but there stopped being much on that we wanted to see, and then we got into the habit of watching stuff at home again.

Said only a couple of weeks ago that we should get back in the habit of it.

I reckon Gen Z (or the one after) will bring cinemas back. They're already eschewing digital for film cameras, so tis surely only a matter of time...

[ZRX61]

The last time I went to the cinema to see a new movie, it was the original Men In Black.. so that would be 1997.

In related news:

[Cousin Jack]

I think I have been to the cinema 3 times since 2016.

[Horse]

£12 a ticket.

Yeah, sod that for a game of soldiers.

Join The Cinema Society, it's free. Buy a voucher for discounted tickets.

[Docca]

Get a blue light discount here but we tend to go to ‘Everyman’ style cinema’s with reclining seats/ sofas.


Yes, fewer people go because everything is streamed. However, the film is only part of the reason I still go to the cinema.

It’s great to go with my wife. We get to spend time together AND she has to be quiet- win!

Plus, the experience still beats home films.

I’ve mentioned elsewhere, but we went to see ‘Salt Path’ recently. The cinema was packed. As in every single seat. Wonderful occasion, great film.

Still worth it.

[MrLongbeard]

£12 a ticket.

Yeah, sod that for a game of soldiers.

Join The Cinema Society, it's free. Buy a voucher for discounted tickets.

I very much doubt they can beat the fiver it costs at my chosen cinema, but give it a go, Vue, Meridian Leisure Park, LE19 1JZ, I would try myself but they don't like gmail for some reason.

I used to love going to the cinema (pre-covid), take half a day off work, £5 a ticket and a cinema to myself more or less, used to do it at least every other month..

[Horse]

Get a blue light discount

I tried using it once, Vue cinemas. The discount was limited and sold out.

[Slenver]

My small provincial town has had a surprisingly big multiplex for years. It also had a Picturehouse which turned into a fully independent place, and expanded to its third screen just before Covid... bad timing, but it survived.

Since then, a new Everyman has arrived too, so we now have 3 cinemas within a few minutes' walk of each other and 14 screens. You'd assume the silver screen was having a resurgence around here.

As for kids/popcorn/mobiles... that's what the big multiplex is for. Adults can sit in sofas and drink bottles of wine in both the other two, and I love them both.

[Jody]

The last 2 times I went to the cinema were on dates.
First one, the cinema was cold and the film "Banshees of Inserin" (spelling) had won awards, but was the dullest most boring thing we'd ever seen. We couldn't wait for it to end. I didn't even snuggle upto my date as there were oversized armrests between the seats. I did give her my jacket, but she gave it back a while later as I was shivering.

The second was the latest Beetlejuice, which was OK, but is probably better if you watched the original recently (or know it very well).

On neither occasion did I think the film was better for being on the big screen.
On neither occasion did the date put out, or lead to a relationship

I did see Avatar 3d in the cinema 10+ years ago.

I think I'd only bother with a cinema again if it was a 3d film.

[Mr. Dazzle]

As above, no interest in seeing yet another rehash of old IP. Ditto with Spaceballs 2.

We only have ourselves to blame, as a viewing public, but fuck me has Hollywood totally forgotten how to make a good original film.

[Jody]

As above, no interest in seeing yet another rehash of old IP. Ditto with Spaceballs 2.

We only have ourselves to blame, as a viewing public, but fuck me has Hollywood totally forgotten how to make a good original film.

This is the problem I have with Netflix etc

Within 10 minutes of the film starting, I've worked out the storyline and then it's just an hour of "colouring in".

[Taipan]

Most of Hollywoods efforts are about CGi/Green screen effects with seemingly no, or little, regard to actual plot and storytelling.

[Slenver]

Most of Hollywoods efforts are about CGi/Green screen effects with seemingly no, or little, regard to actual plot and storytelling.

More accurately, I'd say it's most of Hollywood's popular efforts that are all like this. There are good movies released constantly, but the ones that people go and watch in the big numbers are all the silly comic ones.

You have to blame the people rather than the filmmakers I think, but you can look past that stuff and see as many good films as you like if you want.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Most of Hollywoods efforts are about CGi/Green screen effects with seemingly no, or little, regard to actual plot and storytelling.

I know I've mentioned this series loads, but Andor on Disney+ uses 99% real sets/props and spends a long time setting up and telling a story properly.

As a result, critics loved it and the viewing public call it boring

[Count Steer]

Most of Hollywoods efforts are about CGi/Green screen effects with seemingly no, or little, regard to actual plot and storytelling.

More accurately, I'd say it's most of Hollywood's popular efforts that are all like this. There are good movies released constantly, but the ones that people go and watch in the big numbers are all the silly comic ones.

You have to blame the people rather than the filmmakers I think, but you can look past that stuff and see as many good films as you like if you want.

On the big screen? Even the stuff our arts centre puts on is pretty mainstream. Distributors don't seem very interested in anything else. (I guess film clubs manage to source older films through other distributors but they're tending towards digital projection too so are restricting themselves to stuff that's been converted).

[MrLongbeard]

Andor on Disney+