Cineworld to file for bankruptcy

[Scotrail12]

Shares have significantly fallen (over 60%) and Cineworld is in significant debt so they are filing for bankruptcy.

Cineworld shares plunge on bankruptcy fears

The heavily indebted cinema chain, which also owns Picturehouse, has been hit by poor audiences.

www.bbc.co.uk

Shares in Cineworld have fallen more than 60% as concerns mount that the world's second largest cinema chain is about to file for bankruptcy.
The company, which also owns the Picturehouse chain in the UK, is struggling under $5bn worth of debt.
Like other cinema chains, Cineworld was hit hard by the pandemic.
Cineworld recently said post-Covid customers levels were lower than expected and blamed "limited" film releases.

Thoughts on this? I wonder what the outcome will be. Certainly in Glasgow, it's our only real cinema presence and would be a shame to lose the world's tallest.

I do remember they closed for quite a long time during COVID so that won't have helped them at all.

 

[AlterEgo]

I am a Cineworld Unlimited member and regularly consider stopping my Direct Debit. I’ve nothing against the cinema chain itself, but rather cinema as an art form is in a bad way. Nearly all the showings I go to are mostly empty and half the films I see end up being rubbish.

(Nope was very good though!)

I do think cinema as a medium of entertainment is at its nadir. Films are too long, and Hollywood is still far too introspective.

 

[Scotrail12]

I do despair a bit at how everything seems to have to be 'at home' now. Work at home, online shopping, Deliveroo rather than restaurants, dating apps and now movies at home.

But there are a lack of movies that appeal to me today and sitting through them for 120 mins is a lot so I only really go to my local Cineworld because it has a quiet Starbucks. And even then, I'm there less than pre COVID, it was basically a second home in 2019 with 5 visits a week (uni student), now I get one, maybe two, tops.

Time for the business model to change a bit overall in the film industry maybe but would be a shame to lose it completely to Netflix.

 

[MikeWM]

I've had an unlimited card since 2008, and it will be very annoying if my local ends up closing, but if I'm perfectly honest rather less so than it would have been 3 or 4 years ago.

The last 6 months or so has been pretty pitiful, with just one 'wide' release a week. If that's not something you want to see, you'll have to wait until next week. Only a few years ago that would only apply to the 4 or 5 'tentpoles' a year and every other week you'd get 3 or 4 releases to appeal to as wide a market as possible.

And I'd agree that the quality of what is coming out recently has mostly been very poor.

 

[kristiang85]

I only go to the cinema about once a year. For films that are worth seeing on the big screen, most are comic books or sequels or remakes, which really don't interest me, and the rest are dramas and the like that work just as well on the TV at home and aren't worth paying £10 or so for.

I would say the last truly awe-inspiring cinematic experience I had was Interstellar, way back in 2014.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I am a Cineworld Unlimited member and regularly consider stopping my Direct Debit. I’ve nothing against the cinema chain itself, but rather cinema as an art form is in a bad way. Nearly all the showings I go to are mostly empty and half the films I see end up being rubbish.

I have seen two very good ones recently. I would put the new Top Gun as one of the best films I have ever seen (those into artsy stuff may cringe, but it's just an all round good feel-good film, put your pretentions on hold and go watch it) and Bullet Train was excellent as well (any other sad ***s notice that the seating featured is of the same type being fitted to Pendolinos? ) - but there has definitely been a shortage of good stuff of late, and it can't be helping their case, yet they appear not to be doing much in the way of e.g. showing classics that people might like to enjoy on the big screen once again (if, say, they showed the full set of classic Star Trek movies on the Superscreen over a 2 week period I'd probably go to the lot). Pre pandemic I was going at least once a week, often more, but there's just not the stuff to see at the moment. Of course as I'm an unlimited cardholder that's not costing Cineworld anything, but if people are cancelling...

I don't fundamentally think they put much effort in at all, to be honest. Another example is that their food and drink service is incredibly slow yet staff-inefficient.

They also have a huge mix of sites, some that have been refurbished and are in very good condition e.g. MK Xscape, and some which are in terrible condition like Bedford and Edinburgh. I suspect they will end up doing a "pre-pack", shedding maybe half of the more run-down and less profitable sites, then re-emerge, probably with a higher priced unlimited offering. (I don't think they'd drop that, it's a good enough business model that they forced Odeon to adopt it, initially in Milton Keynes where they simply couldn't compete without, but now I think everywhere).

(Nope was very good though!)

Not seen that yet. Once I shake this Wuhanese bat-lurgy* off (or whatever we might call it these days) I might go.

I do think cinema as a medium of entertainment is at its nadir. Films are too long, and Hollywood is still far too introspective.

There is certainly a trend for films to be about half an hour to an hour too long. More editing needed. There are stories that are long and involved enough for a three-hour film (e.g. the Lord of the Rings films) but they are few and far between. The optimal length for a film is somewhere between 1h30 and 2hrs.

* Yes, that's why I've been posting even more prolifically than usual the past week or so - can't do a lot else!

 

[Scotrail12]

They also have a huge mix of sites, some that have been refurbished and are in very good condition e.g. MK Xscape, and some which are in terrible condition like Bedford and Edinburgh. I suspect they will end up doing a "pre-pack", shedding maybe half of the more run-down and less profitable sites, then re-emerge, probably with a higher priced unlimited offering. (I don't think they'd drop that, it's a good enough business model that they forced Odeon to adopt it, initially in Milton Keynes where they simply couldn't compete without, but now I think everywhere).

Yeah, the sites seem to really vary. Here in Glasgow, the city centre one is our main cinema and it's great. But there are others which just seem really tired, even the one only a few miles away in the East End at the Forge. The one in Aberdeen's Union Square looks pretty tired from the outside as well (though that one apparently isn't that old).

 

[MikeWM]

I have seen two very good ones recently. I would put the new Top Gun as one of the best films I have ever seen (those into artsy stuff may cringe, but it's just an all round good feel-good film, put your pretentions on hold and go watch it) and Bullet Train was excellent as well (any other sad ***s notice that the seating featured is of the same type being fitted to Pendolinos? )

Definitely agree on Top Gun. Bullet Train was a bit too long but otherwise pretty enjoyable, yes.

I don't think much of cinema at the moment is delivering what the people want to see. I tend to think people generally want to be entertained, thought-provoked and/or find a film aspirational, or preferably some combination of the three.

Top Gun fitted the entertained and aspirational boxes, and I think that is mostly why it was so popular. The endless raft of superhero films just don't cut it anymore - there are too many of them, they all seem rather similar to each other, and they're not people you can actually aspire to being (at least not realistically!).

But when was the last semi-decent comedy film? Or adventure film? Or sci-fi film?

- but there has definitely been a shortage of good stuff of late, and it can't be helping their case, yet they appear not to be doing much in the way of e.g. showing classics that people might like to enjoy on the big screen once again.

Agreed this is what they should be doing - when cinemas reopened in July 2020 that's exactly what they did, and it went rather well. When they reopened in May 2021 there was a lot of new stuff out every week for the first month or two, so that was less important. But with the lack of new films to actually show right now, yes, why not show some classics?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Definitely agree on Top Gun. Bullet Train was a bit too long but otherwise pretty enjoyable, yes.

I don't think much of cinema at the moment is delivering what the people want to see. I tend to think people generally want to be entertained, thought-provoked and/or find a film aspirational, or preferably some combination of the three.

Top Gun fitted the entertained and aspirational boxes, and I think that is mostly why it was so popular. The endless raft of superhero films just don't cut it anymore - there are too many of them, they all seem rather similar to each other, and they're not people you can actually aspire to being (at least not realistically!).

But when was the last semi-decent comedy film? Or adventure film? Or sci-fi film?

I think one issue may be just how much effort is now going into series production on the likes of Netflix. The thing is, I don't enjoy American style 6-10 episode serials. They require commitment to watching it all, and the story tends to develop far too slowly, a bit like the current trend for 3-hour overlong films. I want to decide I've got nothing on a given evening, check what's on at the cinema, go and see a film about 2 hours long at about 7pm and get home at a reasonable time for bed.

As an aside I have really enjoyed Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a "prequel" to the Original Series - precisely because it is a "classic" Star Trek format, with each single or double-episode carrying its own standalone story and only a loose thread continued across the episodes, so it's much better for "dipping in and out" than the Netflix type stuff. Picard in particular only had enough story content for a 2 hour film (or a classic Trek double-episode) strung out across about ten.

 

[MikeWM]

I think one issue may be just how much effort is now going into series production on the likes of Netflix. The thing is, I don't enjoy American style 6-10 episode serials. They require commitment to watching it all, and the story tends to develop far too slowly, a bit like the current trend for 3-hour overlong films. I want to decide I've got nothing on a given evening, check what's on at the cinema, go and see a film about 2 hours long at about 7pm and get home at a reasonable time for bed.

I entirely agree (apart from the reasonable time for bed thing, I'm very much a night owl

I think there is a place for such things - something like Babylon 5 or Twin Peaks would be in my 'best ever' list - but the problem here is that almost *everything* is like that now, and also they are very poorly plotted in my experience (when compared to say Babylon 5, which is almost entirely internally-consistent). They put the necessary hooks in to keep you watching the next episode, but you get to the end and they are deeply unsatisfying in the way they conclude, and more often than not they don't make sense if you then consider what has happened since the start. I've yet to see a series like this made in the last 10 years or so that I've found 'good'.

As an aside I have really enjoyed Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a "prequel" to the Original Series - precisely because it is a "classic" Star Trek format, with each single or double-episode carrying its own standalone story and only a loose thread continued across the episodes, so it's much better for "dipping in and out" than the Netflix type stuff.

That's good to hear - I had high hopes for this, the Pike/Enterprise stuff was the only part of Discovery that I've liked.

Picard in particular only had enough story content for a 2 hour film (or a classic Trek double-episode) strung out across about ten.

Yes, and season 1 of Picard (not seen 2 yet) is a good example of being very unsatisfying at the end, and also not really making much sense if you have enough memory and inclination to remember what had happened in previous episodes to get to that point.

 

[nlogax]

Such a shame to hear this. The Cineworld I go to at Silverburn really is one of the better cinemas in my vicinity and I'd hate to see it go. Though maybe I'm part of the problem.. probably only been four or five in the eighteen months. Cinemas can't really survive on that sort of patronage.

Picard in particular only had enough story content for a 2 hour film (or a classic Trek double-episode) strung out across about ten.

A very poor film at that. Series 2 was hugely disappointing, if it were a movie I'd probably have left two thirds of the way through. I suspect there's an entire sci-fi thread waiting to start that would fit this conversation better

 

[Bletchleyite]

Such a shame to hear this. The Cineworld I go to at Silverburn really is one of the better cinemas in my vicinity and I'd hate to see it go. Though maybe I'm part of the problem.. probably only been four or five in the eighteen months. Cinemas can't really survive on that sort of patronage.

I do half wonder if charging more but for fewer people less often is likely to be a more viable model, i.e. moving away from the "just watching a film" thing and towards the whole experience being a bit more premium so it can make money on lower volumes. Cineworld definitely isn't properly in that market. Nor to be fair is Odeon - their new standard seat is incredibly narrow. No, it's no Class 720, but cinema is meant to be about sitting comfortably watching a film!

 

[dgl]

Our local independant cinema in Dorchester charges only £3.50 during the week and £4.50 at the weekends yet seems to survive so I don't think low prices are definitely the problem (they used to be £1 cheaper but there is a minimum price they are supposed to charge).
Of course there has been quite a cost saving to cinemas with the switch to digital projection (both with the cost of the media and the lack of need to have a proper projectionist), so the price of showing a film shouldn't have changed much even with other cost increases.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Films are getting longer and longer, but there is no toilet break in three hours. No way to promote sales of fizzy drinks.

Why do multiplexes group starting times? At one near me 2000 people in and out have to be dealt with inside an hour, then the staff have nothing to do for two hours.

 

[MikeWM]

I do half wonder if charging more but for fewer people less often is likely to be a more viable model, i.e. moving away from the "just watching a film" thing and towards the whole experience being a bit more premium so it can make money on lower volumes. Cineworld definitely isn't properly in that market. Nor to be fair is Odeon - their new standard seat is incredibly narrow. No, it's no Class 720, but cinema is meant to be about sitting comfortably watching a film!

That's the model that 'arts' cinemas - Curzon, Everyman, etc. and to a lesser degree Picturehouse - have tried over the past 5 years or so. Perhaps that works for the average person that sees more 'arty' films, but it put me right off as the prices got too extortionate. I don't recall the last time I saw a French film for example, and I used to watch rather a lot of them. I also don't recall the last time I set foot in a Curzon, and I used to do that fairly regularly. (I'm not sure it does actually work anyway, when you look at the historic box office take for 'arty' films - it dropped right off around the same time that admission prices at the cinemas that showed them started getting silly).

But I don't think that would work well for the average punter for a Cineworld or an Odeon.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Films are getting longer and longer, but there is no toilet break in three hours. No way to promote sales of fizzy drinks.

I did once comment that I thought these three-hour epics, if they are to be the norm, need an interval bringing back! (And people buying a second set of drinks etc might well improve the economics of it all)

Why do multiplexes group starting times? At one near me 2000 people in and out have to be dealt with inside an hour, then the staff have nothing to do for two hours.

I actually know someone who runs a very small cinema in the Lakes, and he told a group of us about how all the licensing for major films works - it's hellishly complicated (even in his small cinema), and the film companies have all sorts of demands, including for exclusivity over the largest screen and specific showing times. So it's probably because it was a condition of even showing the films concerned.

 

[ainsworth74]

I rather suspect that the whole industry is in need of a shake up as it seems like the industry is in serious trouble generally.

Tickets round my way for general admission is around £10 which isn't too bad but then popcorn and a drink easily adds another £10 onto that. I'm not paying £20 for a film so it's just the cinema ticket for me. Which means that most of my money isn't actually going to Cineworld. I have to say whilst I don't pay the closest attention it does seem like there's quite a lot of people who take a similar approach. Far fewer getting concessions than in previous years. So that's potentially a lot of lost revenue. I appreciate that some of the reason for that is that their cut of that £10 is often tiny but that's sort of my point the whole industry approach seems a mess.

That's quite apart from some of the cinemas themselves not being the greatest environment with many having not seen any real investment in many years. My local Cineworld I don't think has had a proper refurb since it was built in the late 90s. Possibly new seat covers at some point. Whereas the local Showcase got upgraded to the De Lux standard and just blows Cineworld out of the water in terms of experience. So whilst Showcase has the same issue as Cineworld (high prices on the concessions meaning money left on the table) it at least offers a far more attractive hard product.

Then there's the issues with film length! What is wrong with the 1hr 30 to 2hr range, that's surely the ideal length for most films? I watched Prey (good, could have done with being released in the cinema actually rather than just streaming! ) last weekend and it was wonderful to have a good film which wasn't needlessly bloated! More of that! We also seem to have problems with just a stream of reboots and sequels. Some stuff is to be expected like James Bond or Marvel (though good lord Marvel are doing an excellent job of killing their own product with a ludicrous amount of move and tv releases) and there will also be the odd black sheep (Top Gun, who knew that needed a sequel?). But gosh we seem to have a lot of schlock to wade through to get to the good stuff. I presume part of the problem with that is the continuing destruction of Western Civilisation by accountants armed with spreadsheets: "We know audiences loved this film therefore we must make elevenitybillion sequels and imitations because that will make guaranteed money!"

 

[MikeWM]

I did once comment that I thought these three-hour epics, if they are to be the norm, need an interval bringing back! (And people buying a second set of drinks etc might well improve the economics of it all)

Interestingly enough Bollywood films all still have an interval, even those that aren't particularly long. I'm not sure if it is to promote purchases, or just tradition, but it is interesting.

It's also interesting on the rare occasion when a cinema shows an old Hollywood film that does have an interval - people don't seem to know what to do The BFI at least used to explain if they were going to 'respect' the interval or not, and how long it would be, before the film started.

I actually know someone who runs a very small cinema in the Lakes, and he told a group of us about how all the licensing for major films works - it's hellishly complicated, and the film companies have all sorts of demands, including for exclusivity over the largest screen and specific showing times.

Yep. And that's the main reason cinemas aren't making any money right now - the studios, and the distributors, have been slowly strangling them for years, and the changes introduced 'for Covid' - eg. shorter theatrical exclusive windows, some films bypassing cinemas altogether and going straight to streaming - have accelerated the process further.

 

[J-2739]

Just when they were about to open a new branch in my home town.

 

[Bungle73]

There's a fine line to be trodden between a movie being too long and it being too short. Certainly history is full of films that suffered from too many cuts being made, usually at the behest of the studio. I suppose around 2 hours is optimal without any kind of break, maybe stretching to 2 1/2 if it's a really good film that holds your attention. Getting close to 3 hours is too long.

My cinemas of preference are the likes of the BFI IMAX, and the Empire Leicester Square, although tbh I haven't been to see a film there since the refurb when they split the main auditorium up. I also went to the Odeon Leicester Square to see Bond last year, and very nice since the refurb it was too. Huge leather reclining seats with foot rests. I fully intend to visit there again. Apart from that I usually end up at the Showcase at Bluewater, because it appears to be the nearest "decent" cinema.

J Michael Straczynski planned out Babylon 5's entire 5 season story arc from the beginning. That's why it worked so well. Where as now it seems to be common to come up with an idea, then make it up as you go along, hence the series that start off with a good idea, and then start to fall apart when that one good idea has been expired, ala Prison Break.

 

[MikeWM]

There's a fine line to be trodden between a movie being too long and it being too short. Certainly history is full of films that suffered from too many cuts being made, usually at the behest of the studio. I suppose around 2 hours is optimal without any kind of break, maybe stretching to 2 1/2 if it's a really good film that holds your attention. Getting close to 3 hours is too long.

Usually true, though I'd say that occasionally the film can justify its extra length. Eg. Once Upon A Time In The West is one of my favourite films of all time; it is about 165 minutes but it flies by.

J Michael Straczynski planned out Babylon 5's entire 5 season story arc from the beginning. That's why it worked so well. Where as now it seems to be common to come up with an idea, then make it up as you go along, hence the series that start off with a good idea, and then start to fall apart when that one good idea has been expired, ala Prison Break.

Yes, totally agree. If you're going to try to do a complex arc-style plot, you really have to plan it first, but no-one seems to do the work anymore to make such arcs work. There is also some middle ground without going for entirely stand-alone episodes - I'd say Star Trek Deep Space Nine was a very good example of that - but again there doesn't seem much of that around nowadays.

 

[ComUtoR]

I am a Cineworld Unlimited member and regularly consider stopping my Direct Debit. I’ve nothing against the cinema chain itself,

Up my way, they are the absolute worse cinema.

but rather cinema as an art form is in a bad way.

I was going to agree with this but I'll quickly ask for a bit of clarity.

Personally, I think 'movies' as an art form are certainly dying. The modern way to consume content has changed quite dramatically and TV as a medium upped its game quite seriously. Netflix and the rest of the streaming platforms have provided some superb content, whilst Hollywood and the movie world seems content with churning out sequel and reboots. It's grown tedious.

Cinema is almost dead and buried. Not just because of Covid but the entire cinema experience is tarnished. From the insane entry prices to the crappy hotdogs that are rarely unavailable and ludicrously overpriced. My local cinema does allow food to be taken in from other sources (it's in a shopping centre so impossible to stop)

My experience in years gone by was very different. I remember going to a Star Trek marathon when Generations was released. They showed all the previous movies back to back. Such a great night ! I've even done Halloween nights too where they place a selection of classic/modern horror films. Even the classic 'midnight showing' has all but ceased. Now a cinema will just shovel the latest release and that's about it.

Nearly all the showings I go to are mostly empty and half the films I see end up being rubbish.

Me and the kids have seen all the Marvel movies at the cinema and they are just about holding my interest. I go more from tradition than because I want the cinema experience. When you pay £15 quid for ticket (sometimes higher) those family tickets or group tickets start to add up. Chuck in a bad film and your left with a nasty taste in your mouth. Love and Thunder was awful

Now, I'm happy to wait for something to hit streaming and pay the money for a streaming service.

...and Hollywood is still far too introspective.

Hollywood is stuck up its own...

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Used to know a cinema, another brand, that forbade people taking anything to eat or drink into the theatre and checked people's bags. Offered drink$ to buy of course.

I live in a small town. One of the few benefits of living in a big town/metropolis is lots of cinemas showing films in original Polish, Italian etc.

 

[skyhigh]

Used to know a cinema, another brand, that forbade people taking anything to eat or drink into the theatre and checked people's bags.

Which is understandable given the way they make money. As it's a private business they can set whatever terms of entry they wish, as long as they're not discriminatory.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I rather suspect that the whole industry is in need of a shake up as it seems like the industry is in serious trouble generally.

Tickets round my way for general admission is around £10 which isn't too bad but then popcorn and a drink easily adds another £10 onto that. I'm not paying £20 for a film so it's just the cinema ticket for me. Which means that most of my money isn't actually going to Cineworld. I have to say whilst I don't pay the closest attention it does seem like there's quite a lot of people who take a similar approach. Far fewer getting concessions than in previous years. So that's potentially a lot of lost revenue. I appreciate that some of the reason for that is that their cut of that £10 is often tiny but that's sort of my point the whole industry approach seems a mess.

I think that's another reason why Unlimited and advance booking have benefitted them - it doesn't feel like those two spends are at the same time and thus you're more likely to buy stuff. (You may see through it, but they're relying on enough people not doing).

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Which is understandable given the way they make money. As it's a private business they can set whatever terms of entry they wish, as long as they're not discriminatory.

Cineworld don't have that rule. Maybe, it turns out, they should have? I do know that there are a couple of strategically placed kiosks in the Xscape selling sweets and bottles of pop for far less than Cineworld do, strategically positioned so you walk past them...

It's such a cult thing that the Lancashire Hotpots did a funny song about it - "Cinema Smugglers" - it's on YouTube.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2022 ==

Just when they were about to open a new branch in my home town.

If what I think is going to happen does happen, I reckon it may still go ahead. It'll be the large number of tatty old venues they've got that they'll get rid of for a pre-pack administration. If I worked for Bedford, say, one of the worst, I'd be looking for a new job now. If I worked in MK I doubt I'd be too concerned (even if it fails, I reckon other operators may buy the better venues out, and MK Xscape is definitely one of the better ones both in terms of condition and in terms of profitability). It might even be that Odeon see it as worth having two MK cinemas and take it on, the place is big enough and their Bletchley (stadium) one is very small. The local climbing wall operator has two walls in MK, which it seems they largely did to keep competitors out.

 

[Peter0124]

Maybe vue can acquire the tallest cinema, even though they already have one in St Enoch Centre

Or I do wonder what would actually happen to the building though.

I have also seen Top Gun, Maverick. Bloody amazing film though that was in a Vue in Hamilton.

 

[Cdd89]

I was convinced through Covid that cinema would not recover. During that period, people adapted to / invested more heavily in home entertainment, and I was not at all convinced people would return when they reopened.

A bit like hairdressers, where I (and millions like me) became very skilled in clippering my own hair in 50% less time than a [perfectionist] barber would spend doing it. (Straying OT, but in Japan, they responded to this with 5-minute timed barbers — with a stopwatch that ends the haircut whether it’s “done” or not; I’d go for that!).

I think cinema really needs to reinvent itself. A big screen and some popcorn is no longer good enough now people have that already. I would suggest it needs to primarily become a purely luxury experience, similar to the Cine VIP in México (which is as busy as ever post-pandemic), where waiters serve you freshly cooked snack food / cocktails in your oversized recliner and you have a good 2 square metres of personal space per couple of seats. In other words, it needs to be markedly better than watching a film at home. Maybe there is still a market for classic, “budget” cinema, but unfortunately I can’t imagine it’s very large.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Maybe vue can acquire the tallest cinema, even though they already have one in St Enoch Centre

Or I do wonder what would actually happen to the building though.

I have also seen Top Gun, Maverick. Bloody amazing film though that was in a Vue in Hamilton.

Vue of course has a different business model from Cineworld and Odeon, of course - they don't do an unlimited product but charge a more reasonable single entry price.

While it's no doubt commercially confidential, I'd love to know which model is actually working best given the complexities of how films are paid for.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2022 ==

A bit like hairdressers, where I (and millions like me) became very skilled in clippering my own hair in 50% less time than a [perfectionist] barber would spend doing it. (Straying OT, but in Japan, they responded to this with 5-minute timed barbers — with a stopwatch that ends the haircut whether it’s “done” or not; I’d go for that!).

Yeah, I've given up going to the barber's. Just been shaving it all off when it gets a bit long, it grows back quickly anyway.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

(Straying OT, but in Japan, they responded to this with 5-minute timed barbers — with a stopwatch that ends the haircut whether it’s “done” or not; I’d go for that!).

I certainly wouldn't! But further discussion of haircuts is probably somewhat off-topic for this particular thread!

 

[Mojo]

I hardly ever go to the cinema anymore; I get 6 free cinema tickets with my bank account and often let half of them if not more expire because it just does not appeal to me as an interesting night out.

Wonder also how much takings have gone down since people have realised that cinemas (at least the major chains) don’t actually care about you bringing your own food and drink in?

I remember when I was younger people used to try and “sneak” food and drink in, but in at least the past decade if not longer, the major chains have actually been quite open that they don’t actually mind if you bring in your own snacks; still I often see people attempting to be discreet. It seems that most cinemas built recently have been an overpriced popcorn and fizzy drink retailer with film showings being a sideline.

I’ve also noticed a lot of shops near cinemas have positioned their snacks to appeal to cinemagoers - a Wilkinson’s near me is in a shopping centre one floor below the cinema and has a huge display near the doors of popcorn and pick n mix; normally the entrances to them contain cosmetics.