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Can We Afford Our Principles?

22 Jul

I’m a pretty prolific cinema go-er, as you well may know.  My Last Week’s Highlights posts often feature at least one film I’ve seen and there are always plenty more that I wouldn’t mind watching given the chance…

…and the money.

See, the cinema is an expensive game.  Even if (like me) you only pay for a ticket and bring your own snacks (yeah, I’ll admit it corporate cinema chains, I SNEAK MY SNACKS IN!  Deal with it or slash those crazy prices!).

Anyway.  Edinburgh is an especially lucky city when it comes to cinemas.  Sure we have the usual big chain players, but we are also blessed with a generous sprinkling of independent cinemas.  Cinemas with old-fashioned red velvet chairs and gold-fringed curtains that swish open at the beginning of the film and closed again at the end.  My favourite cinema in Edinbugh – the Dominion – takes the experience a whole step further with its comfy two-seater sofas, each one replete with cushions, armrests that are actually as wide as your arm(!) and foot stools.  Real foot stools!  Squeak!

And I love the independents.  I love the fact that they are locally owned and managed by people who are genuinely into film.  I also love it that some have been around for decades, not attempting to take over the world, but simply plodding along, quietly showing their movies to those of us who care to watch them.  The independent cinemas represent a little slice of my ideal world – a world where old-fashioned, family run enterprises are the norm, companies are content to just ‘be’ as opposed to ‘grow’ and our towns and cities feel unique, and not just the same as we already know with different street names.

But here’s the thing.  This last year, I’ve been a student and so have had the benefit of a generous discount on my cinema ticket prices.  Which was great while it lasted, but lasting it no longer is.  The other night I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows mark II** with a friend and, my student card having expired, was resigned to handing over a small fortune just to see the film.  Forget drinks, forget snacks, the ticket itself was almost £10.

And I was so surprised/horrified at this that I went home after the film and did what I’ve always sworn I’d never do.

I signed up for a Cineworld Unlimited card.

I know, I know, principles out the window; moral code ripped in half; poor, independent cinemas floundering at the loss of my custom (OK, not quite)…  But you guys?  I can’t afford my principles!  I can’t afford to pay over a tenner each time I want to see a film, even if it does go towards a local, independent business and not a giant money-spinning conglomerate!  Who can?!

And you know?  As much as I like to moan about big companies taking over the world, I’m also not made of cash.  And the Cineworld deal is a good one.  For £14.99 per month I can watch as many films as I want, as many times over as I want.  No limits (but you got that from the title, didn’t you?).  Rainy Friday with no plans?  I can see three films in a row.  Don’t understand something the first time round?  I can watch it again the next day.  All I have to do to be saving myself money is go to the cinema twice a month.  Easy, considering I sometimes go twice a week as it is.

So there you have it.  I’ve sold my soul to the commercial devil.  I have no right to cry when the independent cinemas start closing down.  I am a Bad. Person.

But I’m also quids in…

What are your thoughts on independent cinemas?  Would you sign up for/do you have an Unlimited card?

Image above from here.

**LOVED the film right up until the final three minutes (you know the bit I mean, Potter fans) which I will forever count as some of the most uncomfortable moments I ever spent in a cinema.

  • http://bexpressyourself.blogspot.com Rebecca

    Ah ha ha, the end was GOD AWFUL. But then I knew it would be, it was awful in the book too. 

    I adore the Dominion but it does cost a small fortune to go! Great for a Sunday arvo treat :)

  • Rebecca

    I would love to be able to have the choice of going to an independent cinema or a ‘take over the world cinema’ but we dont have that here where I live so its back to cramming by bag full of snacks…..

    Also I didn’t think the harry potter film had the same feel as the book it didn’t have the whole school fighting together spirit towards the end and didn’t Ginny’s hair look very 50′s style house wife/ mum :L  

    love the posts have a nice day
       Rebecca xxx

  • http://www.totallymoney.com/blogs Harri Pierce

    Feel your pain. I love independent cinemas and there’s nothing worse, in my opinion, than a galumphing Odeon. But yes- the price rules out us penny pinched lot. 

    I know that Picturehouse Cinemas (the independent cinema operators) have loyalty cards, which give you points for every pound spent and you can redeem these against free snacks, drinks and tickets, but they don’t come close to the same value as the Cineworld pass. Sad face.

    Even more sad face is this tragic final 3 minutes of HP7 that you mention. 

  • http://www.sarahrooftops.co.uk Sarah Rooftops

    If I didn’t live right next door to Vue, I totally would do. Instead, I have my cinema routine – the local Picturehouse is cheap on Mondays; everywhere’s cheap on Orange Wednesdays; Vue is cheap on Sundays (here, anyway; I think it’s Tuesdays in most other towns). I sometimes resent being tied into three specific cinema nights but I’d struggle to pay full price – I’m on a charity wage and I see a lot of films!

    That said, as a former projectionist, I will argue the cinema’s side, too. Projector bulbs alone cost hundreds and need to be changed every hundred or so hours, never mind the staffing costs and electricity bills of your average multiplex. And films are not cheap to hire. Most cinemas are really not raking much money in. I also don’t think £10 is that bad compared to, say, a ticket for the football or an evening of binge drinking; I just can’t afford it myself.

  • http://foofandfaff.blogspot.com/ Elise

    Hmm this is a tricky one being that I work for a cinema and know the inside workings!  Basically retail is a huge part of how a cinema makes money, like if they didn’t have a snack stand most wouldn’t exist, so I usually buy something when I go (eh with my free tickets and popcorn discount hehe).  The Cineworld card is a great incentive, however they recently fired the vast majority of their projectionists thanks to going digital, and now have managers (attempting) to run all shows, so when I hear that other companies are making my job obsolete it doesn’t win a lot of respect from me! Therefore I made a decision not to go back there, just my opinion though, I understand in most places a lot of people don’t have a choice over venue, I’d love if we had some of the more independent sites near me, may mean I’d be able to see something other than chic flicks or kids films! :)

  • Anonymous

    Some very interesting perspectives here – thank you guys!  Sarah, Elise – thanks for sharing your insider knowledge – it definitely helps me understand a little better the rationale behind the cinema prices.  I guess I’ve always (naively) assumed that the cinemas were making money hand over fist (and I have to say I probably will still think that when I see the queue backed all the way out the door and down the street!) never stopping to factor in how much it actually must cost to run the things!  Thanks for enlightening me!

    And Harry ladies – thank you for sharing your pain at the ending.  It helps me to know I’m not alone! :)

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