In today's Daily Record. And this is why I love previews and FMUK. Perhaps someone should tell the family about FMUK.
By Clare Johnston
Revealed: The true price of family day out at the cinema
27 May 2013 00:01
RECORD WOMAN undertook an investigation into cinema prices by asking one ordinary family to count the cost of taking in the latest blockbusters.
3D film tickets are more expensive than standard movies
FOR £45 you could enjoy a family day out or a meal in a nice restaurant– but this is what one family pa*d just to take their two kids to watch a 3D film.
We asked the Monaghan family, from Morningside near Wishaw, to visit three different cinemas in recent weeks to find out how much it costs to spend a couple of hours watching the latest movies.
But, despite the fact they are aware of the average ticket prices, Jim and Gillian, both 32, were dismayed at the cost of taking their five-year-old twin daughters Lauren and Olivia to see the blockbuster Iron Man 3 in 3D at the Odeon Braehead. And when they added in a few snacks and drinks, the total cost for a couple of hours entertainment quickly rose to more than £62.
Gillian, who works in financial services, says it means they can’t make regular trips to see the latest box office hits.
She added: “The price at the Odeon when we went to see Iron Man was just ridiculous. I understand it’s in 3D, but to charge £45 for the four of us just to sit and see a film for a couple of hours is ridiculous. I don’t know how people can afford to do that more often.
“We went to Edinburgh Zoo and it was around £50 for the four of us to get in, but that was a full day out and there was loads to see and do and you can take your own lunch.”
The cost of a family ticket at the Vue Cinema in Livingston, where they went to see Oz The Great And Powerful, was a more reasonable £25.60. But when the kids ordered snack combos of popcorn, a drink and Oreos, and Jim and Gillian added drinks, popcorn and a packet of sweets for themselves, the price of the cinema trip spiralled to £47.70.
At Glasgow’s independent Grosvenor cinema, where they went to see Wreck It Ralph at the kids’ club, the tickets cost £15.80, just £3.50 each but, once again, drinks, sweets and popcorn – considered part of the experience by most children – were priced at an eye-watering £20.40. The Monaghans pa*d £3.50 each at Grosvenor Cinema, but snacks were pricey
Most parents taking their kids to cinemas expect to have to fork out for popcorn, sweets or ice-cream – their presence at the entrance ensuring they can’t be missed.
Where a small bottle of water might cost as little as 20p at the supermarket, they sell at up to £2.75 at the cinema – more than 10 times the price. The mark-up on cinema popcorn is estimated to be up to 700 per cent. Kernels cost just pennies, yet cinemas charge around £4.50 for a regular box.
Last year, Respect MP George Galloway called for action to stop cinema-goers being ripped off, claiming some picturehouses were adding as much as 1000 per cent to the price of popcorn.
It’s not just the cost of food. While films shown in 3D offer viewers a better experience, tickets can cost up to 40 per cent more than those for traditional 2D films, prompting many cinema-goers to wonder whether it’s worth it.
The markup on popcorn in cinemas is estimated to be up to 700 per cent
Family activities costing more for equivalent periods of time include an SPL football game, where a family of four could expect to p*y at least £60 at bigger clubs, or theatre tickets for a top show. However, both are live events.
Cinema owners say big mark-ups are needed to make a profit so they can invest in new technology to continue to attract audiences.
Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association, said: “The average ticket price in 2012 was just £6.37, although prices in some city sites will be higher, reflecting the increased costs of staffing, business rates and utilities in those areas.
“On top of this, most operators also offer discounted tickets for young people and students, or take part in other promotions, such as the Orange/EE Wednesdays scheme.
“Cinemas p*y distributors rental to show their films. This is typically a split of box office income. While we are not party to the exact level of rental agreed between cinemas and the distributor for any one film, our understanding is that this can be between 40 and 60 per cent.
“With staff, property and utility costs all making significant inroads into what’s left, many cinemas rely on additional income from concessions to allow them to generate sufficient revenue to make a profit and to continue to invest in improving the cinema-going experience.
“In the last five years alone, UK cinemas have invested around £200million in converting their sites to digital technology.”
He added: “Cinemas are not alone in charging a premium on food – sports grounds and bowling alleys do similarly – and most will offer special promotions or combo deals for the price-conscious customer.”
But with a so-called combo deal on a drink and a box of popcorn costing £7.45, the Monaghans plan to take their own snacks in future.
Gillian said: “We b*y our own kernels at home and you can get a massive bag for a £1, so the cost of cinemas making their own popcorn must be really cheap. It’s the same for the drinks, which are just soda water with syrup.
“So they have to be making a lot of money.
“I can understand the independents charging a bit more as they’re smaller screens and are not going to get as many people in, but what the larger cinemas charge is just extortionate.”
Mark Gander of the Consumer Action Group agrees film-goers should b*y their snacks before they get to the cinema, but believes it’s only a matter of time before owners put a stop to that.
He said: “When I take my kids, we go to the supermarket, b*y our sweets and take them in with us. I carry them in a little backpack but I can imagine that if everyone starts doing this the cinemas will start saying you’re not allowed to bring in your own food.
“On one hand you can understand that – these people are running businesses – but the trouble is that when you go on a cinema outing with the family it’s a different kind of culture and the prices that these people charge are excessive.”
Cost for family of four at other attractions
Aberdeen FC (Richard Donald Stand) - £64
King’s Theatre, Glasgow, family saver -£50
Edinburgh Zoo -£49.50
Deep Sea World, Queensferry - £42
Glasgow Warriors game (standing) -£40
Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh - £38
Amazonia, Lanarkshire - £16.55
. I always b*y my bottle of Pepsi Max in Farmfoods at 39p and if I b*y a bar of chocolate it will be from a multipack (4 for £1) so total spend is 64p! 
