Cineworld to file for bankruptcy

[Bletchleyite]

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.

Bizarrely the COVID setup has remained in place in Odeons, whereby you have to show your ticket to get anywhere near the snack sales. Thus they're actively dissuading anyone just coming in for pic-n-mix. Which is really weird.

They're also making buying it more awkward, you have to order it from your phone or the automatic kiosk thing.

It's bizarre and throwing money away, you can see people looking at it and going "let's not bother with any snacks".

 

[Mojo]

Bizarrely the COVID setup has remained in place in Odeons, whereby you have to show your ticket to get anywhere near the snack sales. Thus they're actively dissuading anyone just coming in for pic-n-mix. Which is really weird.

I thought most cinemas these days have the popcorn sales desk doubling up as the ticket office?

 

[Red Onion]

I held an unlimited card from 2012 till about 2018/19. I cancelled as it had shot up to almost £20 a month by that point and there were very few attractive movies coming out. I used to be guaranteed two decent movies a month, if not more, but as time went on there was very little originality with lots of remakes and sequels. I really don’t mind a sequel or remake from time to time but the quality of many recently has been poor to the point that when I saw one, it was almost instantly off putting. And has been alluded to by other posters, this drive for excessively long movies is another factor in my avoidance of cinema, I’d almost rather wait till it was released on DVD or streaming so I can pause midway through for refreshments!

Very sad to hear they are struggling but the film industry is so poor right now that I can’t see them surviving this. I do wonder if initiatives like a weekly “vintage” day where an old classic is shown would help cinemas survive, I’d certainly pay to see some old favourites in the cinema.

 

[AlterEgo]

I thought most cinemas these days have the popcorn sales desk doubling up as the ticket office?

Not at Cineworld, as far as I know. You buy at self service kiosks or online.

 

[camerar1]

Fancy some chips or a pub on the way home? Similar story coming there:

‘Lost generation’: small businesses folding across UK as energy bills land

Jobs disappear and high streets decimated as growing number of traders are forced to shut due to higher costs

www.theguardian.com

"‘Lost generation’: small businesses folding across UK as energy bills land​

Jobs disappear and high streets decimated as growing number of traders are forced to shut due to higher costs"

This Guardian story explains how many business will close as energy prices increase - there are no price caps for businesses.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I thought most cinemas these days have the popcorn sales desk doubling up as the ticket office?

Odeon don't, you buy everything (ticket and food/drink) at the touch screens at the entrance and can't pass into the main foyer without a receipt from one of those or a prebooked ticket. It's what they did for COVID but it makes no sense now and feels really unfriendly. The UI on the machines is useless, too.

Not at Cineworld, as far as I know. You buy at self service kiosks or online.

Cineworld can and does sell tickets at the food desks but almost everyone prebooks or uses their phone. There are also a few touchscreen sales kiosks but very rarely do you see anyone using one.

 

[Mojo]

Cineworld can and does sell tickets at the food desks but almost everyone prebooks or uses their phone. There are also a few touchscreen sales kiosks but very rarely do you see anyone using one.

I’m surprised so many people book online as I’ve just looked at the Cineworld website and they want to charge a £1.50 booking fee!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I’m surprised so many people book online as I’ve just looked at the Cineworld website and they want to charge a £1.50 booking fee!

For the same reason as people pay the fees Trainline charge. Because it's easy, and importantly it means you can pick your preferred seat.

 

[MikeWM]

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...

They did some years ago, I can't remember when it changed but probably 10 years or so. I assume there was some good reason they changed it, or at least they thought they had a good reason.

I distinctly recall being mildly concerned about taking food I'd bought to eat (later, at home) into the Cambridge Cineworld in case I was searched and they wanted to confiscate it Although it never actually caused an issue, of course.

I did use to 'do my part' for the cinema by often buying a Coke from the concessions stand. But then Cineworld changed to Pepsi, and I don't like Pepsi, so that was the end of that.

Cineworld can and does sell tickets at the food desks but almost everyone prebooks or uses their phone. There are also a few touchscreen sales kiosks but very rarely do you see anyone using one.

Well *I* do, that's about the only way I buy tickets nowadays at Cineworld, but we've probably established by now that I'm a bit odd

---

I’m surprised so many people book online as I’ve just looked at the Cineworld website and they want to charge a £1.50 booking fee!

Vue do the opposite nowadays - they charge £1 more to buy the ticket at the cinema than booking online.

Both those policies seem rather poor to me - I don't see any reason the price shouldn't be the same either way.

 

[kristiang85]

Somewhat against the grain, I actually prefer longer films (as long as they are good). It's better value for money and I find myself much more immersed. A lot of the epics from yesteryear were 3-4 hours long.

Give me an overly long film than a rushed short one, anyday.

 

[Bungle73]

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.

It's a but like what the Odeon Leicester Square is like. Minus the waiters. TBH it doesn't sound that great to me having the annoying distraction of waiters buzzing around when I'm trying to watch a movie. It's probably got the most expensive cinema tickets in the country. Not sure what they are now, but they did top out at ~£40. I paid only £10 for my visit though.

 

[wilbers]

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.

I did that as well, was there all day. Only time I've done it, and I've never seen anything else similar advertised. Did you go to the metro centre as well as me, or was it somewhere else?

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

This is typical US financial engineered company that has over leveraged itself buying up other chains and then uses Chapter 11 to get itself out of its obligations. Someone will buy at least part of the UK operation and you can be sure Vue and Odeon will take any site where they don't have a location now.

 

[wilbers]

Not often I go to the cinema (only time I've been in the last 3 years was to see Top Gun : Maverick). I don't need to deal with any of the faf that some multiplexes can have - independent cinema in town literally 5 minutes walk, and straightforward £6.50. There is also another 2 screen cinema on the opposite side of town.

 

[Ediswan]

Somewhat against the grain, I actually prefer longer films (as long as they are good). It's better value for money and I find myself much more immersed. A lot of the epics from yesteryear were 3-4 hours long.

I definitely recall 'Once Upon a Time in America'. I was not expecting 229 minutes. Leicester Square Theatre ?

Always preffered the Empire Leicester Square. Went to the charity premiere of ET. Charles and Diana in the Royal Box. Bob Geldof with Janet Street Porter a few seats along in the stalls.

The days of 2,000 seat screens appear to be gone. Question: Which screen in the UK currently has the most seats ? I tried Google, failed.

 

[Bungle73]

I definitely recall 'Once Upon a Time in America'. I was not expecting 229 minutes. Leicester Square Theatre ?

Always preffered the Empire Leicester Square. Went to the charity premiere of ET. Charles and Diana in the Royal Box. Bob Geldof with Janet Street Porter a few seats along in the stalls.

The days of 2,000 seat screens appear to be gone. Question: Which screen in the UK currently has the most seats ? I tried Google, failed.

Even with the larger seats the Odeon (main screen) still has a 764 seat capacity. I can't think of anywhere that would be larger than that. Even the IMAX only has 498.

 

[DelayRepay]

For the same reason as people pay the fees Trainline charge. Because it's easy, and importantly it means you can pick your preferred seat.

But, as per the e-tickets debate, some people will not book online or use machines because whatever.

I am quite happy with machines but find the Odeon arrangements really off-putting, especially having to order my snacks through a machine.

 

[S&CLER]

I went round to Vue on Thursday and booked the first 5 performances of the 2022-23 series of live relays from Covent Garden at the desk for £104.90, choosing my invariable seat at the end of row D, which has a wide gap between it and row C, so I can stretch my legs out and be sure of not having anyone in front of me; I can also escape easily without disturbing anyone if I can't stand the production (as in a really appalling Carmen a couple of years ago). The last normal film I went to see was Operation Mincemeat, which did seem to drag in the last 20 minutes. The interminable and very loud trailers and ads before a film also put me off going. In any case I prefer the films of the 1940s to any other period, and have most of my favourites on DVD. What really annoys me is that Vue isn't showing the live relays of Saturday matinees from the New York Metropolitan Opera, which were very conveniently timed to begin around 6 pm and finish before 10 pm in most cases. They have reduced this to selected cinemas only, although there always seemed to be enough at our local Vue to make it worthwhile.

 

[bspahh]

I've got a Cineworld unlimited pass. On average I use it 7 times a month, with 1 more free ticket from Meerkat Movies, so it works out at £2 per screening.

I like being able to go out and watch a film with a comfy seat and good sound system, to switch off my phone and the outside world. I find ear bud headphones cut out the rustle of popcorn and sweet wrappers, but still let me hear the movie.

I live close enough to the cinema, so that I can time my arrival to the start of the movie, and avoid the trailers and adverts.

There are lots of bad films which have good bits in them, and good films with bad bits. I like being able to watch films before hearing a review, and for the good movies, then go back and watch them again to pick up extra details. My local Cineworld has 6 screens, so it usually mostly shows the big films, but they have a wider range for one off screenings that are only for people with an unlimited pass.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But, as per the e-tickets debate, some people will not book online or use machines because whatever.

True, but the majority of cinema customers can. Thus, encouraging everyone who can to do so and dealing with the few others with staff you've got anyway at counters you've got anyway is a sensible business model.

I am quite happy with machines but find the Odeon arrangements really off-putting, especially having to order my snacks through a machine.

I more have an issue with the awful UI. I go to McDs reasonably often and haven't ordered that from a person for ages.