I may seem to be overly critical about the film industry but the thing is many seem to believe that if box office continues to grow then to quote The Lego Movie “Everything is Awesome”.
But these people seem to ignore that the only reason this is happening is the dramatic rise in ticket pricing even the UK Cinema Association admit ticket prices have increased 63% have increased between 2003 and 2015 as UK box office increased by 67% from £742m to £1.24 billion over the same period. But admissions have been flat over that same time.
Cinema attendance was at an all-time low in 1984 with 54 million when AMC Theatres first came to the UK to build the first ever multiplex cinema in the UK The Point Milton Keynes opened in 1985 attracting more than a million admissions in its first year. Cannon opened the second multiplex in 1986 at Salford Quays and in the following 4 years, many more multiplexes were built. Odeon who now claim opened the first multiplex as UCI acquired the Point a few years after AMC opened merged with Odeon in 2004 but in fact Odeon were very slow to get into the Multiplex business as were very sceptical about them before they opened. Odeon would instead triple or more their one-screen cinemas which of course weren’t designed to be more than one screen. AMC are now back in the UK recently acquiring Odeon.
In the 10 years that followed cinema attendance continued to grow strongly up 70% between 1985- 1994 except for 1995 cinema attendance continued to grow until 2002. Since 2003 while box office has increased cinema attendance has been flat but as ticket prices have increased if you believe the industry by 68% but anyone who goes to the cinema regular did so 20 years ago, they would say nearer 200% from 20 years ago, this is the reason for why I’m so critical about the industry as its built on denial.
Had cinema attendance continued to grow as it did up to 2002 attendance would be up to similar levels of the late 60s over 230 million but instead, they have been flat since. Box office hides a lot of things as 23 years ago, Jurassic Park took over £50m (15,623,053 admissions) but while Jurassic World might have taken 25% more at the box office it actual had 44% fewer admissions (8,766,991) but of course this is going by the UK Cinema Association claimed average ticket price but as we all know the real average is a third more admissions for Jurassic World are over 50% less than Jurassic Park.
Going to the cinema used to be something people would do several times a week, twenty years ago it was several times a month now its several times a year. As there are probably many millions who went to see Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year and Star Wars: Rogue One will be the first film they have seen since but probably seen dozens on Netflix, Amazon and Sky Movies or illegally.
The price of a cinema ticket in the 40’s was the same as a pint of Guinness. In the 70’s it was the price of a Big Mac 45p (+564%) while a pint of Guinness was 40p (+675%); in 2016 a Big Mac now costs £2.99 and a pint of Guinness £3.10 a cinema ticket depending on who you believe now costs £7.50 (+1342%) or £9.50 (+1800%).
Had cinema prices stayed relative to their prices 13 years ago would be about £6 but as exhibitors say they never make any money from tickets more popcorn would be sold to compensate the lower ticket price sales. It’s the short-termism of increasing pricing which has alienated many from going to the cinema as often as they previously did so while cinemas might take more money they are taking it from far lesser tickets being sold.
In 1989 home entertainment market changed in the UK with Warner Home Video selling the first ever sell-through video remember buying it at my local Woolworths for about £13.99; in 1989 £13.99 was seen to be expensive for a VHS video but over the 27 years since home entertainment pricing has stayed the same with you being able to now pre-order new cinema releases in Sky Store for the same price while for many £13.99 is the price they pay to see a film in a cinema.
In March My First Cinema Experience: Peppa’s Australian Holiday opens in cinemas and it is probably one of the most important films to be released in cinemas in 2017 as it will introduce a who new generation of children to the cinema experience. If children enjoy their first cinema experience they will be back many more times but they won’t do so if they feel they are being priced out which many currently believe they are.
I always look to films like The Secret of My Success ending Vera Prescott telling Howard he has run daddy’s company to the ground. i look at what the so-called “experts” have done over the last 20 years and its time for them to stop being in denial. Odeon brought in their blockbuster tax two years ago wit Interstellar £1 doubled to £2 for Spectre with the talk of flexible pricing it used to be simple there were three prices, children, adult and over 65’s now there are more price tariffs than Easyjet.
and make changes as just adding more to ticket prices without offering anything more isn’t selling anymore apart from maybe one film a year.
And Josh in Big not getting why a building Transformer is fun (in the film he also created the Kindle)
And while it might now be 17 years old the technology is dated the office hasn’t changed in Office Space (while Mike Judge’s Idiocracy is likely to be the historical documentary of the US of the future).
