Going to the cinema- have you cut back?

Churchview

Our local independent cinema is an old art deco marvel run by volunteers. You can take a drink in and a man plays one of those old fashioned organs before the film - lovely old 'Oh I do like to be beside the seaside' type tunes.

They do live links to theatre productions, documentary evenings with guest speakers and all kinds of interesting themed days.

The last time I went I saw Wicked Little Letters. I've seen it since on TV and it really demonstrated to me how much better things are on the big screen. If the local cinema closed I definitely would make the trip to a multiplex.

I have a feeling you probably live near me!!

J52

We have quite a few cinemas with several screens, a short car trip nearby.
My favourite is an independent one in the nearest city, an easy free bus ride away. It is a modern Arts centre with a fabulous cafe, and gets all the new releases. If you become a member then the tickets are discounted.
I often go with a friend, we have lunch there before seeing the film.

Is the food OK, J52?

We have a two screen independent here in Northampton, of which I am a member (I get 6 free tickets every year), and it is very well patronised.
I go frequently, sometimes every week, always matinees, and love it.
Spacious reclining leather seats, a bar in each cinema and little tables between each pair of seats.
Just booked to go and see 'Black Bag', a new spy film, Will sit with my glass of wine 🍷 and enjoy it!

I haven’t lived within 25 miles of a cinema for over 30 years so the last time I went to see a film was sometime in the last century!

We went last year to watch The Great Escaper which was excellent but rarely go.
The nearest is a car trip away, about 30 mile round trip.

Films are shown at a local hall where you can buy a glass of wine but the seats are hard and it's usually very full.

No one here chats once the film has started, I reckon there would be a riot if they did. People tend to be very polite, even at concerts etc where the bands are noisy. I think it is built into our psyche. Maybe that is just around here. As for rustling chip papers - eeeuww. They would be escorted out.

Our local independent cinema is an old art deco marvel run by volunteers. You can take a drink in and a man plays one of those old fashioned organs before the film - lovely old 'Oh I do like to be beside the seaside' type tunes.

They do live links to theatre productions, documentary evenings with guest speakers and all kinds of interesting themed days.

The last time I went I saw Wicked Little Letters. I've seen it since on TV and it really demonstrated to me how much better things are on the big screen. If the local cinema closed I definitely would make the trip to a multiplex.

Before the pandemiic, I usually went two to three times a week.

There are two big multiplexes nearby where I would go in the daytime - plus evening showings of films at the local council-run theatre which has its own programme and hosts a members’ film club. Those two show mostly smaller independent films plus world cinema. The four provide a very broad range of films. There was also a film club at the village library which showed vintage B&W films. That no longer operates as the person who ran it moved away. I now get that fix by watching Talking Pictures TV.

During the pandemic, I bought a smart TV and started to explore streaming apps. I dip in and out of Netflix, Apple, Disney etc, subscribe for a month to watch any new content that catches my interest, then cancel. The apps I like the most and have annual subscriptions to are BFI, Marquee and National Theatre at Home. I also rent films on DVD from CinemaParadiso which is an excellent service for film buffs. 100,000 titles to choose from. Especially good for world cinema or finding those old films that are discussed on the Sky Arts Discovering Film series.

Post-pandemic, the cost of going to the cinema has risen to beyond what I am prepared to pay on a regular basis so now I go only occasionally if I am too impatient to wait for a streaming or DVD release.

I think my time in isolation during the pandemic made me less forgiving of the distractions at the cinema; the late arrivers, the chatterers, the boiled-sweet and crisp rustlers, those eating smelly fried food or faffing with their mobile phones in my eyeline.

I can't remember the last time we went to the cinema, but my daughter got me a voucher for my birthday for a great independent cinema in Edinburgh, so I'm looking out for something I'd like to see so I can use it. It'll be a bit of treat as we haven't been to the cinema for so long.

I haven't been to the cinema for ages. The last time I went two women sat behind me and chatted all the way through the film. There was a coffee shop in the foyer which would have suited them ( and me) better.

Parsley3

I went to the cinema on Friday to see David Tennant and Cush Jumbo in an excellent production of Macbeth. The cinema is in an arts centre at the University and is thankfully free of people eating buckets of popcorn and slurping drinks. I wouldn't go to places like The Vue for that reason.

I saw the same at my local cinema- it cost me £12:00! Would have been hundreds if I had travelled to London.

This week I am going to the ROH ballet production of Romeo and Juliet for the same price.

I think it is a marvellous thing so yes, I go to see films too but I'm more choosy because I don't want to waste time watching something I wouldn't enjoy. I can do that at home lol!

The last film I went to see was A Complete Unknown, which I really enjoyed.

So yes, I go quite often and love it!

We went to see A Complete Unknown a month ago. It was a cinema in Birmingham. It cost almost £25 for the two of us, and we were the only ones in there! Apparently the Pensioners discount didn't apply on a Friday.

It will be quite a while before we go again I think.

Our local cinema is an Everyman, lovely but expensive. I have to really want to see a film. Lately have seen, A Complete Unknown and Mad About the Boy but there was a big gap between those two and the previous one which was Oppenheimer. I left it a little too late to book with a couple of films before they were gone, but one Nasty Little Letters popped up on Netflix recently.

Last time we went was to see ‘ A Complete Unknown’ it cost us a fiver each and there were 7 of us in the cinema!

We have a theatre/cinema complex a 15 minute drive away, the premium cinema seats are very comfortable and there's a bar and restaurant if wanted. £9.00 for seniors and less if you become a member. I go fairly regularly and have seen some excellent films recently. We also have Rural reels in the area which come to different village halls, £5 per ticket and we go monthly. I like meeting friends there making it a sociable evening. Last film I saw was a French one with subtitles, "When Autumn Falls " it was excellent and we all loved it.

The last time I went was with a Grandchild to watch some dreadful Chipmunk movie. The sound was soooo loud, I could hardly wait for it to end. Why is the volume so high? I haven’t been back since, the experience put me right off. It wasn’t just the squeaky chipmunk voices (arrrgh!), even the adverts were deafening (probably literally!)

DD has two free tickets a month from Sky and we usually use those. Otherwise we only pay to see something we really want to see and always they to assess if we are happy to wait for it to become available at home. Before Covid we would go almost every week, regardless.

I go rarely, last time I was one of 3 people.

Flix in the Stix comes to the village hall which is just over the lane from my house. They are just starting showings from National Theatre Live too.
Definitely better than braving the traffic, sitting in a jam trying to get over the river bridge, finding somewhere to park, paying a fortune for it, walking/ limping to the cinema, sitting in a mass of people, struggling with the over loud sound .. ...
In the village hall we have neighbours to chat to and discuss the film ... and tea/wine in the interval with homemade cake! That's the way to do it!!!

I went to the cinema on Friday to see David Tennant and Cush Jumbo in an excellent production of Macbeth. The cinema is in an arts centre at the University and is thankfully free of people eating buckets of popcorn and slurping drinks. I wouldn't go to places like The Vue for that reason.

I haven’t been in years. I just couldn’t sit still as I have restless legs. People ate and slurped drinks and the sound was too loud. At least at home I can get up and walk around and switch off when I want! Plus saving money.

DH and I used to go to the cinema weekly when we were courting.

Think the last film I went to was an OAP matinee, The Last Viceroy, about Indian independence.

No desire to go to sit amongst others eating popcorn and slurping drinks. Plus few films entice me.

Would rather wait and see films when they come on tv.

It was different years ago, it could be years before popular films appeared on the telly.

We have quite a few cinemas with several screens, a short car trip nearby.
My favourite is an independent one in the nearest city, an easy free bus ride away. It is a modern Arts centre with a fabulous cafe, and gets all the new releases. If you become a member then the tickets are discounted.
I often go with a friend, we have lunch there before seeing the film.

I’m lucky enough to have a one screen independent cinema 5 minutes walk from my house. I’m a member and on a Monday can take a guest for free. As an OAP I can see a film for £6.50.
My partner and I try to go once a week at least and often to films that I wouldn’t see if I was paying big cinema chain prices. I like to be able to support local organisations and it’s a fun and cheap night out.

I don’t go much now, though we used to when there was a cinema in a nearby shopping mall. Now, I would have to go into the city centre to access a cinema so I wait for films to come out on Netflix or the like. I might go and see the new film “F1” when it comes out though. Some films have to be seen on a big screen!