Went To The Pictures.....

[Gismo]

............me, me julie and wee jase, well, he aint so wee now he's taller then me :o
But, £21 to get in, £30 for grub and never mind the petrol, sheesh, no wonder you don't see any broke cinema owners :mad:
And no, not a dig at you Andy, but, how can they (Odeon etc) justify £3.50 for a plain hot dog.
I'm not surprised there is so much piracy going about :eek: the folks on the cash counters should be wearing masks

[zimbo]

:rolleyes: and you're only finding this out now....... Where you been? timbuktu or baku or something!!! :D

This is why I've now not been to the cinema for AGES & AGES.... and I used to love to go to the cinema, but just cant afford to these days.

[The Dogfather]

............me, me julie and wee jase, well, he aint so wee now he's taller then me :o


How old is he? Six :eek:

Seriously though, I feel the same way far too expensive. I spent a lot of money on my home cinema, OK I have to wait longer for the big films but at least I don't have to put up with screaming kids and chavs in my cinema......

[Gismo]

:rolleyes: and you're only finding this out now....... Where you been? timbuktu or baku or something!!! :D
Been watching too many cheapo type films :eek: :rolleyes: :D

[zimbo]

Been watching too many cheapo type films :eek: :rolleyes: :D

Ha ha.... So that will now be a yearly family trip to the cinema from now on then? :D

[Craig]

are you sure your not from Fife BS ? :eek: :rolleyes: :D

it's not the cheapest I grant you, but neither is the building, staff, fixtures and fittings, the cinema hardware and the films themselves... ;)

don't go that much myself, but thats more to do with time than anything else..:cool:

[Scottie]

I don't do pictures that often maybe once every couple of years.

I don't mind the price of the ticket to see the movie as Craig has said they have to run the place and pay the staff.


However I agree on the price of the sweets and juice and stuff, there a tad over priced but I bet most folks buy it as in their mind it is all part of going to the movies but as it's a standard over the top price round all cinemas they all can get away with it. What we need is a Tesco type giant to get a cinema and really bring the sweets back in line with prices the rest would have to follow.;)

[AndyP & Lenore]

Alan, no dig taken.;) ;)

Sadly, I agree with much of what you say.:o :( £3.50 for a hot dog is indeed robbery. (We don't sell Hot Dog's so it's easy for me to say that).;)

However, I also agree with what Craig says, staffing costs, heat/light, rent, rates etc., etc, are an ever increasing overhead on all businesses, not just cinemas, and are making it very difficult indeed to make a profit.

As for "you never see a broke cinema owner".... Not entirely true. The industry has seen a large number of corporate consolidations over the past two or three years. ABC went bust 3 times (if my memory serves me correctly), MGM were bought out by Virgin, then they were bought out by Cineworld, SBC bought out Warner Village and created Vue, UCI were bought out by Odeon. Odeon themselves have been on the brink of being bought out a couple of times the past few years. And I can say for absolute sure, these consolidations are not because all these companies are making a fortune. It's because trading in this market is becoming increasingly difficult, and more often than not consolidating with another "biggie" is easier (and more profitable) than the alternative for the shareholders.

What worries me more than anything is that you and your Julie & the big-wee-lad are our (the industry's) target market - generally settled, reasonably affluent, with a mature disposable income. And if on this first trip to a (Major Chain) cinema, you've come away with the feeling of being fleeced, it's not the way to attract you back.:o

I'm assuming you went to a cinema in Aberdeen but I don't see an Odeon in Aberdeen.:confused: :confused: Anyway, have you tried the Belmont Picturehouse Cinema in Dundee? You may find their choice (and price) of confectionery more sensible. Mainly because they are an independent chain, and we indies tend to be priced a fair bit lower than the majors.

One last thing in closing. Please please please folks.... remember all cinema's, not just us, make very little profit from the actual cinema ticket. It is not unusual for the distributor to command 70% of the NETT cinema take for the first two weeks of release (basically the only time loads of folk are going to see it). The only way cinema's are able to continue to provide big screen movie entertainment is from the profit from sweets. You may not like it, but there it is. If we didn't have significant sweet sales, we simply wouldn't exist. So, sorry Fi, but your Tesco's theory simply wouldn't work. Easy Cinema anyone?

A.:D

[Scottie]

Alan, no dig taken.;) ;)

Sadly, I agree with much of what you say.:o :( £3.50 for a hot dog is indeed robbery. (We don't sell Hot Dog's so it's easy for me to say that).;)

However, I also agree with what Craig says, staffing costs, heat/light, rent, rates etc., etc, are an ever increasing overhead on all businesses, not just cinemas, and are making it very difficult indeed to make a profit.

As for "you never see a broke cinema owner".... Not entirely true. The industry has seen a large number of corporate consolidations over the past two or three years. ABC went bust 3 times (if my memory serves me correctly), MGM were bought out by Virgin, then they were bought out by Cineworld, SBC bought out Warner Village and created Vue, UCI were bought out by Odeon. Odeon themselves have been on the brink of being bought out a couple of times the past few years. And I can say for absolute sure, these consolidations are not because all these companies are making a fortune. It's because trading in this market is becoming increasingly difficult, and more often than not consolidating with another "biggie" is easier (and more profitable) than the alternative for the shareholders.

What worries me more than anything is that you and your Julie & the big-wee-lad are our (the industry's) target market - generally settled, reasonably affluent, with a mature disposable income. And if on this first trip to a (Major Chain) cinema, you've come away with the feeling of being fleeced, it's not the way to attract you back.:o

I'm assuming you went to a cinema in Aberdeen but I don't see an Odeon in Aberdeen.:confused: :confused: Anyway, have you tried the Belmont Picturehouse Cinema in Dundee? You may find their choice (and price) of confectionery more sensible. Mainly because they are an independent chain, and we indies tend to be priced a fair bit lower than the majors.

One last thing in closing. Please please please folks.... remember all cinema's, not just us, make very little profit from the actual cinema ticket. It is not unusual for the distributor to command 70% of the NETT cinema take for the first two weeks of release (basically the only time loads of folk are going to see it). The only way cinema's are able to continue provide big screen movie entertainment is from the profit from sweets. You may not like it, but there it is. If we didn't have significant sweet sales, we simply wouldn't exist. So, sorry Fi, but your Tesco's theory simply wouldn't work. Easy Cinema anyone?

A.:D

Andy before your typed all that I knew your answer would be that your biggest profit margin would be from sweets. I thought it best to let you reply. Why did I know that well it's exactly the same as the retail sites. If it was not for the shop and sweets bread juice water etc etc then the petrol stations would make no real profit.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Andy before your typed all that I knew your answer would be that your biggest profit margin would be from sweets. I thought it best to let you reply. Why did I know that well it's exactly the same as the retail sites. If it was not for the shop and sweets bread juice water etc etc then the petrol stations would make no real profit.

It's becomming the way of the world Fi. Sadly.:(

What we know best at doing, what we enjoy more at doing, and what we've done for 25 years is turning into a very large, very expensive to run, sweetie shop. Oh, and we also show films.:rolleyes:

We've even invested in our state-of-the-art digital projector to help with our diversification programme. But that is proving hardy than we thought too.:o

A.:D

EDIT to add: It's probably also the same for Bowling Alley's, Pool Halls, etc.

[euan]

If I'm honest, we live all of 2 minutes walk from our cinema. In fact, we go there every week, but only as the door is the same one we use for the gym.

We get discount from the gym membership, but it's still 15 quid for the two if us, and that hurts when I have a full 5.1 surround sound at home and I can get DVD's for 3.50 in Blockbuster, which is also 2 minutes walk away from our front door. So what am I going to do? I rarely go to see the latest things as we are usually out doing something, or just cannot be bothered at a weekend.

I like going to the cinema, used to go loads, but it's expensive these days compared to online DVD rental and the like. Still love the experience though!

As a complete aside, as I write this the Who are on Jules Holland and they are awesome.

[Gismo]

Aye Andy and Craig, excellent responses, i wasn't too fussed over the price of the seats, cause we upgraded to Premier seats, best viwing angle for the screen etc.
I appreciate overheads etc, as Andy mentioned, giving me the feeling of being fleeced is high, on this occasion isn't the best way to get me back.

For what it's worth and the main reason i've got me home cinema, you can't beat the big screen and the surround system :D when they work properly, sadly, the picture quality on this film wasn't the best, certainly not up to modern standards, maybe the film isn't recorded in the superior formats.....Andy, can you explain a wee bit as to what we can expect nowadays??

For info, we watched the newest release at the Dundee Odeon, The Hitman, not the best storyline ever, but, taken at face value for what it is i actually enjoyed it, exceelent sound and fast action with oodles of gore and even some nudity :D

As for places closing down, well, usually the common attitude to loss of takings generally means an increase at the tills, maybe they should try reducing the costs and enticing more folks in ;)

[AndyP & Lenore]

Alan, what you should expect these days is a steady, crisp, bright picture, in focus across the screen, with no overspill onto masking. The nature of film projection means it is difficult to get a perfect picture every time. Each time the film travels through the projector there is the risk of damage. And ultimately this would show up on screen. However, Alan, you went to see a new film on it's opening release date and you weren't impressed with the quality. This is worrying.:(

Speaking from personal experiences, I've sat in huge multiplexes and watched a film in such a poor condition, I'd have been embarrassed to show it myself.:o

Being completely honest, film damage does occur - we're all human and lacing up a film incorrectly can cause a deep score in the emulsion and leave a nasty big green line streaking through the entire film. We've done it ourselves.:o Like I say, we're all human. But on the very few occasions that has happened to us, we confess all to the distributor and ask for a replacement copy. They have the right to charge us the cost of this replacement, and occasionally they do so. Usually about £1,500.:( This is one of the reasons most cinema's are excited about the roll out of digital. Perfect copy every time.;)

The only other possible reason the picture was poor quality is in the actual capturing of the image. If there are a significant number of nighttime shots, or sometimes just to give the film a "look" the director is looking for, the film will be shot to look very grainy. Hate this. It makes it look like we're not doing a proper job in presenting the film, but is something we've no control over.:rolleyes:

One last thing that really gets my goat up is the way most of the major chains present CinemaScope films. CinemaScope was introduced by 20th century fox to widen the picture and increase the content seen on screen, without an overall reduction in the size of the image. For 50 years cinema's have been set up with movable masking, so when a CinemaScope film is on screen the masking at the side of the screen opens up to accommodate the larger image. The way they do it now, is to drop the top masking down effectively compressing the whole image to fit a smaller screen size. Pointless. And annoying.:rolleyes: :confused:

Loving this cinema thread.:D

Next question please.

A.;)

[AndyP & Lenore]

Oh yeah! And I don't buy the "premier seats for the best viewing angle to the screen" argument. I'm not saying that's not why you purchased those seats, but if that is how they are marketing it, that is way wrong.:(

In a modern multiplex, ALL the seats should have a good viewing angle to the screen. No excuse for their not to be.;)

I can understand you buying them to get a more comfortable seat, leather couch, whatever. Or if there was any freebie food thrown in, or to get a further away from audience ass holes. But not to get a better viewing angle.

A.:D

[Gismo]

Oh yeah! And I don't buy the "premier seats for the best viewing angle to the screen" argument. I'm not saying that's not why you purchased those seats, but if that is how they are marketing it, that is way wrong.:(
Ok, that was my take on the seating arrangement, but, the seats were bigger, more comfier, no way could the chavs behind me put their feet on my seat back and mess my hair :rolleyes: bigger arm rests etc, so, all in the seats were better than the standard.
They also happened to be right in the middle of the cinema, which, to my mind offered the best view to teh screen.

Defo no free food :rolleyes:

As for the picture quality, i may have been too strict on that, at times the images appeared to be very good and at other times not so, again, you're explanation goes a long way to explain this.

[The Dogfather]

Andy, how can every seat in the cinema get the full surround sound experience. I've got my 7 speakers tuned for 2 seats only?

Anyone know whether HD/Blueray will have 7.1 output?

[AndyP & Lenore]

Ok, that was my take on the seating arrangement, but, the seats were bigger, more comfier, no way could the chavs behind me put their feet on my seat back and mess my hair :rolleyes: bigger arm rests etc, so, all in the seats were better than the standard.
They also happened to be right in the middle of the cinema, which, to my mind offered the best view to teh screen.

Defo no free food :rolleyes:

As for the picture quality, i may have been too strict on that, at times the images appeared to be very good and at other times not so, again, you're explanation goes a long way to explain this.

Alan, we often find that a film needs to run through the projector three or four times before it "settles down". We've no idea why this would be the case, but it seems to be. Until it has settled the film can drift in and out of focus. The only explanation for this is that the film is bowing very slightly in the gate. It would only take a movement of a fraction of a millimetre to throw it out of focus. This phenomenon isn't apparent on all films, just some. Go figure.:rolleyes:




Andy, how can every seat in the cinema get the full surround sound experience. I've got my 7 speakers tuned for 2 seats only?

Anyone know whether HD/Blueray will have 7.1 output?

Paul, nae idea on Blu Ray or HD DVD being 7.1. The sound is certainly better because of the smaller compression ratios. But not sure about the channels.

In my experience, every seat does get the full surround experience, TBH. The sound stage is designed and calibrated to be as even as possible throughout the auditorium. Due to the laws of physics, ultimately there will be better places to sit, where you will be dead centre so-to-speak for the surround effects, but it's still the case where the majority of the sound is fed through the front left, right and centre channels. Sub base, left surround, right surround and the two extra surround channels for the 7.1 format are still really effects channels, and what you hear from these channels is not so dependant on where you sit in the auditorium. Obviously there will be audiophiles out there who have their preferred seat, and so on. They generally just turn up in plenty of time to get the seat they desire.

Loving this.

Next question....

A.:D

[monkimagic]

All that dont matter, its the punter who bares the brunt, and its quite severe, £3.50 is the cheap seats and the price of sweets and snacks are sooo high. This may cause offense but the cinema is a rip off...from the seats to the sweets! Families spend more on one trip than they do a weekly shop, based on Bonnies figures 2 adults and 3 kids (average family) would be the guts of £70-£80 for food and tickets.:mad: ,I have heard the aurgument but I still dont know how you can justify that?

I work with people who are at the lower end of the payscale, hard working honest folk who although dont, are tempted to buy pirate copies because of peer pressure, a pressure put on their kids by more affluent kids who have seen the latest release at the cinema they cannot afford to go.

I would go as far to say that the majority of famlies on average incomes cannot afford reqular cinema trips because of the over inflated prices, which means that the cinema is excluding what I thought was their target audience.

[AndyP & Lenore]

All that dont matter, its the punter who bares the brunt, and its quite severe, £3.50 is the cheap seats and the price of sweets and snacks are sooo high. This may cause offense but the cinema is a rip off...from the seats to the sweets! Families spend more on one trip than they do a weekly shop, based on Bonnies figures 2 adults and 3 kids (average family) would be the guts of £70-£80 for food and tickets.:mad: ,I have heard the aurgument but I still dont know how you can justify that?

I work with people who are at the lower end of the payscale, hard working honest folk who although dont, are tempted to buy pirate copies because of peer pressure, a pressure put on their kids by more affluent kids who have seen the latest release at the cinema they cannot afford to go.

I would go as far to say that the majority of famlies on average incomes cannot afford reqular cinema trips because of the over inflated prices, which means that the cinema is excluding what I thought was their target audience.

Sorry but this is bollocks.

I've tried reasoned debate and if you wish to completely ignore the reasoning behind that, that's up to you mate.

But let me tell ya......

£80 in our cinema for 2 adults and 3 kids would buy:

Admission tickets total cost of £22.50 (peak evening performance)
10 X Large buckets of popcorn
8 X Medium soft drinks
3 X large bags of Maltesers (or minstrels etc)
A tub of pringles
a packet of chewits.

I can tell you now, I've never had a customer come in and spend that amount of money on sweets.

The majority of parties of 5 who come in to our cinema spend less than half of that. Not because they can't afford to, but because WITH OUR PRICING they don't need to.

I can't speak for the major multiplexes.

A.;)

[euan]

Andy, what's the sound setup in your place? I mean, how many speakers, locations, bass etc? I'm always amazed by the bass in these setups.

Also, how do you make sure the sound "bleed" from one screen to another is minimal? Or do you? Quite often I've been in a "quiet" film and you can hear the bass from next door.

[Gismo]

Andy, i don't think Monki's words were aimed at your business, but, i could be wrong.
Anyway, my experience last night was:-
2 adults and 1 kid, albeit for a 15 film
2 x hot dogs
2 x medium drinks
1 x fancy blue iced slush puppy kinda drink
2 x medium popcorn
1 x small popcorn
1 x tub of revels

Tickets for the premium seats were £21 and the food and drinks were £29, the seat cost could have been only £16.50 but decided we wanted a bit special since it had been a while since the last time we went.

Our film was first release night, so, your theory on the film being slightly bowed out the projector could be right enough

Anyway's i wasn't wanting to start a flaming war, just sharing my experience at a large cinema group.
Would i wait and get the films on DVD in the future, damned right i would, especially since i have all the equipment at home to give me the same outcome at home, apart from the very big screen.
Audio and Video i can manage, but not on a screen teh same size as the cinema.

Andy, the screen was widened to show the film, not the image reduced to fit a smaller screen

[duncan]

Its not the cost of the cinema that puts me off.

Its the other selfish cinema goers, who either rustle sweets all through the film, constantly play with they're mobile phones, or have full blown conversations throughout and such like.

I've given up going in the evening, and go during the day, when its much, much quieter.

I hate the "new" Odeon in Dundee, only went there as my mate worked there, and got the occasional special deal ;)

Cineworld is better. The DCA shows some good non-mainstream films, but has hellishly uncomfy seats.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Andy, what's the sound setup in your place? I mean, how many speakers, locations, bass etc? I'm always amazed by the bass in these setups.

Also, how do you make sure the sound "bleed" from one screen to another is minimal? Or do you? Quite often I've been in a "quiet" film and you can hear the bass from next door.

Euan, the number speakers we have varies from one cinema hall to the other, depending on the size of the auditorium.

Our cinema 1 has:

3 off Peavey (2X15") driver full range speakers with horns lopped on top fed through a crossover network. These supply left, right and centre channels.

1 off peavey 18" 500w sub base. This sits on 4 layers of carpet to prevent too much vibration going through the wooden floor auditorium.

16 X Peavey full range speakers (can't see what the model or spec is) I'd guess about 100w. These are the surround speakers.

The centre and sub base are driven by a Peavey CS 800X running approximately 600w per channel - never driven to full capacity or our speakers would go pop.

The left, right, left surround and right surround are driven by Peavey CS 400 outputting 300w per channel.

Total potential output of 2400 watts. But it's never gonna reach that level, even on a peak.

As for speaker locations; the front center/left/right all sit behind the screen raised on plinths to face the middle of the raked auditorium. The sub base also sits behind the screen but isn't really directional so much so doesn't need to sit high up. The surrounds are bolted to the wall around the auditorium and are evenly spaced starting level with the front left row of seats, round to the front right row of seats.

Sound bleed between halls is minimal in our cinema. Mainly due to the construction, 4 screens being formed out of one former theatre building. We have a small issue with the sound bleeding from the frikking bingo hall underneath us, but then when we have an action film on, they have the problem in reverse. Very difficult to fix this problem.

But there's no doubt we've noticed it in almost every multiplex we've been in. Although, the Vue Ocean Terminal doesn't suffer from this too much.

Cheers,

A.;)

[AndyP & Lenore]

Andy, i don't think Monki's words were aimed at your business, but, i could be wrong.
Anyway, my experience last night was:-
2 adults and 1 kid, albeit for a 15 film
2 x hot dogs
2 x medium drinks
1 x fancy blue iced slush puppy kinda drink
2 x medium popcorn
1 x small popcorn
1 x tub of revels

Tickets for the premium seats were £21 and the food and drinks were £29, the seat cost could have been only £16.50 but decided we wanted a bit special since it had been a while since the last time we went.

Our film was first release night, so, your theory on the film being slightly bowed out the projector could be right enough

Anyway's i wasn't wanting to start a flaming war, just sharing my experience at a large cinema group.
Would i wait and get the films on DVD in the future, damned right i would, especially since i have all the equipment at home to give me the same outcome at home, apart from the very big screen.
Audio and Video i can manage, but not on a screen teh same size as the cinema.

Andy, the screen was widened to show the film, not the image reduced to fit a smaller screen

Not sure myself about Monki's words, but regardless of this, I'm just trying to get the point across that cinema owners (huge chains or private family run independents) are not rolling in it. Two of the most prolific entrepreneurs of the past decade (Mr Branson and Mr Stelios) both dabbled in cinema's and got out quicker than you could get out a cold shower. If that doesn't speak miles, nothing I say will.

Back to your own trip....

Firstly your "kid" will have probably paid the same as you, unless he has a student matriculation card. 'Cos Hit Man is a 15 so he will have paid adult price to get in. (Stands back and awaits another public bashing on that subject).

If you had come to our cinema... obviously you couldn't because of the distance, but lets say you lived locally.... you would have paid:

Admission tickets: £18.00 (No premier seats for us I'm afraid)
Sweets: £18.20. I've had to have a stab at what we would retail Hot Dogs and the fancy blue slush stuff 'cos we don't sell them. But we used to sell both and gave them up 'cos they weren't big sellers.

Good that the screen was widened to suit cinemascope. I guess some traditions are still held sacred by some exhibitors. To be fair, I haven't been in an Odeon for a long time.

A.:D

[AndyP & Lenore]

Its not the cost of the cinema that puts me off.

Its the other selfish cinema goers, who either rustle sweets all through the film, constantly play with they're mobile phones, or have full blown conversations throughout and such like.

I've given up going in the evening, and go during the day, when its much, much quieter.

I hate the "new" Odeon in Dundee, only went there as my mate worked there, and got the occasional special deal ;)

Cineworld is better. The DCA shows some good non-mainstream films, but has hellishly uncomfy seats.

It's one of our pet hates too Duncan. One of the reasons our cinema halls are ALWAYS patrolled. Rolling if this permits, but if we have a "problem hall" we will attend it permanently until the end of the film.

Mobile use is stamped on immediately by staff. Absolutely will not tolerate it. And have lost customers because of that policy. But I like to think we have kept many more.

Because we find the same problems are not dealt with quickly enough at other cinemas Lenore and I do the same as you..... daytime midweek show. We've been wanting to go and see Stardust for ages, but just haven't had the midweek chance, and there's no way I'm going to see it at the weekend.

A.:D

[monkimagic]

I have never been to your gaff Andy so I am not directing it at you but I am directing this at your industry, this is pricing based on average prices and its not Bollocks, big apologies if I offended you but I dislike over pricing.

I am writing from 1st hand experience of those families that have not got this amount of spare cash to spend on what a family trip to the cinema costs so thats not bollocks either, but fact.


What is the mark up on a large coke at an average cinema? 100% profit ? 1000% profit?

What is the mark up on the following at an average cinema?

Coke.
Popcorn.
Hotdog.
A packet of Chewits.;)

[AndyP & Lenore]

Monki, I think getting into that sort of detail with you would be pointless as you will simply tell me I'm wrong. And if I'm being completely honest, I'd have to go look the details up. And I've already spent a hour off doing "proper" work today looking up the answers to euan's question.:o

What I said stands. Cinema is not a get-rich-quick, fleece-our-customers, rip-yer-face-off business. Regardless of whether its an independent or a chain.

I would accept the mark-up on coke and popcorn is very high. But it has to be, taking into account what I've said in previous posts.

And you're forgetting one important fact. As community spirited as it may be.... as generous as it may be... as much as it may be a tad cheaper for admission and sweets.... the fact is commercial cinema's are exactly that. A commercial business, not a charity. And commercial businesses ultimately have one aim. To make a profit. If we didn't, we wouldn't exist.

This is the cornerstone on which commercial enterprise is built on.

Now, I need to go and do some real work, otherwise my expenses will go up and I'll have to add another 50p to our admission prices. So forgive me if you ask any more questions which aren't answered until midnight.:D

A.;)

[monkimagic]

You could spare me an hour to get me those figures mate....ca mon!

But your right, business is business so get out there and earn your keep!


I feels its important to mention the reason why I was not aiming comments at you is that although we have yet to meet I know from your reputation here your are someone with well founded values.

Dont work to hard mind. see you in the morning
Monki

[The Dogfather]

Andy, I've learnt a fair bit on this thread, ta. I won't be so quick to winge at the prices from here on in, however if I'm going to the multiplex I'll take my own sweets.

I still rather watch a movie at home, just because I can pause it and get a beer halfway through :D

[Sheilz]

I went to the cinema loads when I worked in residential. It put me off going just coz the kids wanted to watch all the crap of the day so that the only way I could tolerate it was to sleep. I once embarrassed two girls I was with coz I started to snore :o
We weren't allowed to buy sweets in the cinema but we never went without if you catch my drift. As dreadful as that might sound to A&L my employer expected me to have drinks and assorted sweeties stuffed up my jumper and crammed into my bag and all sorts. I guess that's how people with less money manage a night at the cinema.
I did enjoy the Harry Potter films though :D

[AndyP & Lenore]

I went to the cinema loads when I worked in residential. It put me off going just coz the kids wanted to watch all the crap of the day so that the only way I could tolerate it was to sleep. I once embarrassed two girls I was with coz I started to snore :o
We weren't allowed to buy sweets in the cinema but we never went without if you catch my drift. As dreadful as that might sound to A&L my employer expected me to have drinks and assorted sweeties stuffed up my jumper and crammed into my bag and all sorts. I guess that's how people with less money manage a night at the cinema.
I did enjoy the Harry Potter films though :D

It's a fact of (Cinema) life Sheilz. Although to be honest, because we don't fleece our customers quite the same as the "plexes" we don't see anything like as much smuggling as they do.

A.;)

[AndyP & Lenore]

You could spare me an hour to get me those figures mate....ca mon!

But your right, business is business so get out there and earn your keep!


I feels its important to mention the reason why I was not aiming comments at you is that although we have yet to meet I know from your reputation here your are someone with well founded values.

Dont work to hard mind. see you in the morning
Monki

Very gracious of you kind Sir.;) :D ;)

I do get very protective of our industry.:o have to really..... feeds us, clothes us, pays our mortgage and most importantly......... KEEPS US IN MINI'S.

A.:D

[Scottie]

the thing is well for me anyway. Going to the pictures nowadays any picture house well maybe not every picture house. The one in Kong Ireland ( showing only the quiet man movie) that was ace. However the others have no real thrill about it.

I much prefer the older days when you had usherette coming round with the ice cream you had a half time intervals and you had the big massive auditoriums with fantastic acoustics. The whole experience was just ace.

I've no idea what you place is like Andy but those rooms in the multiplex cinemas are just to small and for me you sit far to close to the screen even when sitting in the back row.:rolleyes:

[AndyP & Lenore]

the thing is well for me anyway. Going to the pictures nowadays any picture house well maybe not every picture house. The one in Kong Ireland ( showing only the quiet man movie) that was ace. However the others have no real thrill about it.

I much prefer the older days when you had usherette coming round with the ice cream you had a half time intervals and you had the big massive auditoriums with fantastic acoustics. The whole experience was just ace.

I've no idea what you place is like Andy but those rooms in the multiplex cinemas are just to small and for me you sit far to close to the screen even when sitting in the back row.:rolleyes:

Fi, sounds like you're stuck in the 50's.:eek: :D ;)

Our screen one is pretty huge. 300 seats and an oval shaped auditorium. Most of the plexes are a bit shoe boxy. And to be fair, our other three screens are rectangular too. I would imagine it's just far too expensive to build any other shape these days.

But to be fair on the sound issue, the days you're talking of are probably pre-dolby digital days. So the sound these days should be a vast improvement over what you used to hear. Especially with DTS rather than Dolby.


A.:D

[Scottie]

Fi, sounds like you're stuck in the 50's.:eek: :D ;)

Our screen one is pretty huge. 300 seats and an oval shaped auditorium. Most of the plexes are a bit shoe boxy. And to be fair, our other three screens are rectangular too. I would imagine it's just far too expensive to build any other shape these days.

But to be fair on the sound issue, the days you're talking of are probably pre-dolby digital days. So the sound these days should be a vast improvement over what you used to hear. Especially with DTS rather than Dolby.


A.:D

I dare say your right. Although the 50's is just a wee bit before my time. I do hate to see the sign of the times

I guess if you were to look at attendance figures from the 30's onwards the you would see a gradual drop in figures. I remember the stories from my parents how they used to go the cinema to watch the news during the war and after as well as going to see movies they would there at least twice a week.

So I guess TV is to blame and I guess the fact that the industry get the movies out on DVD really quickly nowadays.

[AndyP & Lenore]

You're spot on Fi.

In the 1940's UK cinema admissions were often topping 1.4Billion admissions per year. This dropped dramatically during the advent of TV, Colour TV then VHS to a miserable 52Million in 1985 (if my memory serves me correctly).

Since 1985 we've seen a steady incline up to a peak of 175Million in 2002. Since then we've seen the figure hover around the 155Million to 170Million mark.

A.:D

[sh@z]

Well a slight change of tone, I love going to the cinema.

What I enjoy is the whole experience, not only of the film, but of hanging out with friends, having a laugh, etc, and we go at least once a fortnight, but lately we go once a week.

I understand that the 'poorer' in society can't get out and go to the cinema, but the same applies to them for MANY MANY other luxuries in life does it not?

We normally go out for dinner beforehand, head over to the cinema, get snacks etc from the cinema, and I don't see why it's such a big deal, maybe I just wasn't around when it used to be as cheap as its made out to be, but neither myself or my group of friends feel that it's overly expensive.

Andy good on ya for keeping the cinema going, it is very evident how tough the sector is due to the constant takeovers of big chains, the big multiplexes here in Edinburgh have both been taken over and rebranded numerous times. Everyone needs to make a living, those of you who work in the oil industry, or the council, or whatever else can be slated too ;) ;)

[AeroJonny]

I'd like to completely echo sh@z's comments, going to the cinema's one of my favourite things to do.

I've already been once this week (to see hitman...brill!) and I've a feeling a crowd of us will be heading to see a film tonight too as Sunday's the day when myself and my friends all do something together more often than not.

It can be an expensive trip for a family, but while I only have to meet my own expenses, it's a fairly reasonable night out.

[sh@z]

Glad someone agrees!!!

What did you think of Hitman, it got totally slated in the reviews, but I think I'll still go and watch it ;)

[AndyP & Lenore]

Well a slight change of tone, I love going to the cinema.

What I enjoy is the whole experience, not only of the film, but of hanging out with friends, having a laugh, etc, and we go at least once a fortnight, but lately we go once a week.

I understand that the 'poorer' in society can't get out and go to the cinema, but the same applies to them for MANY MANY other luxuries in life does it not?

We normally go out for dinner beforehand, head over to the cinema, get snacks etc from the cinema, and I don't see why it's such a big deal, maybe I just wasn't around when it used to be as cheap as its made out to be, but neither myself or my group of friends feel that it's overly expensive.

Andy good on ya for keeping the cinema going, it is very evident how tough the sector is due to the constant takeovers of big chains, the big multiplexes here in Edinburgh have both been taken over and rebranded numerous times. Everyone needs to make a living, those of you who work in the oil industry, or the council, or whatever else can be slated too ;) ;)


Needless to say I'm very glad to hear your take Sh@z.:D

I think you've hit the nail on the head - as expensive as cinema can be and as much as you can now very closely replicate the cinema "effect" in your living room with a 42" or 50" plasma and a decent amp etc., you really can't replicate the social side. IMHO, there are few things more enjoyable and infectious than sitting in a packed cinema hall watching a cracking comedy.

A.:D

[AndyP & Lenore]

Glad someone agrees!!!

What did you think of Hitman, it got totally slated in the reviews, but I think I'll still go and watch it ;)

At the end of the day Hitman is just not the type of film which will get good reviews. It's back is up against the wall to start with. What you think of it is more important, not what a reviewer thinks of it.

A.;)

[sh@z]

Yeah I figured that much, nonetheless I'll go see it at the cinema just for a laugh, since it looks like a good nonsensical action film ;)

Oh and no probs with regards to my post about the cinema being a good place to go ;) Might need to pop down to check our your establishment some time ;)

[euan]

Andy, cheers for the info on sound setup - it's always intrigued me how it was all done so thanks! And 2400 watts - that's a LOT of power! I just wonder how many of the multiplexes bother setting it up properly, if you crank it up loud enough it would cover most issues I guess. I went to the imax in London a while ago and they do a "show-off" of the surround system at the start, including a big bass tone. Fair shakes your boots...

As for Stardust - that was the last film we saw at the cinema. Went on a Monday night when it was quiet and loved the atmosphere and the film. De Niro is absolute class in it.

I'll not get into the whole sweetie rip off debate ;-) My healthy, clean living lifestyle means I avoid all sweeties etc (not!)

[Gismo]

At the end of the day Hitman is just not the type of film which will get good reviews. It's back is up against the wall to start with. What you think of it is more important, not what a reviewer thinks of it.

A.;)
I always view films in the way that they were meant, for instance, The Hitman, totally off the wall, hardly could be true in real life etc, and that is exactly what you get.
A very good film with plenty action

[RyanK]

Went to see Hitman the other day, as BS said I thought it was a bit far fetched. However it was still good.

£12 it cost me though!!! :D

[AeroJonny]

hitman did exactly what it said on the tin, a good solid action film which i thought was great. The only thing i thought was bad was the acting of one of the guys that plays an old russian commander towards the end. Some of the product placements were a bit ott...audi!
I don't pay attention to film reviews, they're generally done by people who are looking for a work of art, so a raucus shoot-em-up is always going to fail to impress them ;)