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Odeon To Charge £1 More For Blockbuster Movies

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    Johnny ClayJohnny Clay Posts: 5,328
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    Thirty, forty years ago - pre internet, pre-satellite television etc - you had rapidly falling attendances, a dead British film industry with only cheaply made television adaptations (or soft porn) making any sort of box office business, and cinemas all over the country either being converted into porn cinemas or being closed and demolished on almost a weekly basis. The cinema industry's in a much better place than then, and while perhaps a fancy 12-screen multiplex isn't quite as atmospheric as a crumbling, dirty one-screen cinema showing a battered old film print of 'Confessions of a Window Clearner' to about three old men in raincoats, I know which era I'd rather live in.
    All true, but film as a medium was a somewhat different beast back then (what was The Hunger Games of the early seventies, say?). Film is an industry that reflects the product perhaps.
    The only problem with this pricing is that how do you determine what's a "high profile" film and what isn't? Surely anything given a major release in a mainstream cinema chain is high-profile, so is this just an excuse to eventually start adding a pound to the price of every film?
    Those with an immediate high demand will probably be given premium ticket status. The franchise giants that some people have to see as soon as it's released etc. A film that generates $700m in its first two months pleases studios, distributors and the cinema chains. Curently Interstellar is doing well out of its IMAX ticket pricing, and this tactic is similar.
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    big brother 9big brother 9 Posts: 18,153
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    It's a bit wrong that they can pick and choose what movies they will charge more for
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    HildaonplutoHildaonpluto Posts: 37,697
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    It's a bit wrong that they can pick and choose what movies they will charge more for

    Its a threat to smaller more arthouse,independent,risky films.
    We could end up with less choice.But cinema attendance is declining and like tv soaps gradual decline perhaps its inevitable and while maybe you can buck the trend and zig zag about to a certain extent ultimately the shrinkage of the sector cant be changed .The pace of decline/shrinkage can be modified or influenced but perhaps I feel the fact of decline cant be changed.
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    Virgil TracyVirgil Tracy Posts: 26,806
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    Its a threat to smaller more arthouse,independent,risky films.
    We could end up with less choice.But cinema attendance is declining and like tv soaps gradual decline perhaps its inevitable and while maybe you can buck the trend and zig zag about to a certain extent ultimately the shrinkage of the sector cant be changed .The pace of decline/shrinkage can be modified or influenced but perhaps I feel the fact of decline cant be changed.

    the biggest decline was in the 70s , and that was before even videos were commonplace . From the mid-80s attendance gradually increased and for the last few years has been about the same , and thats while combatting satellite tv , video games , dvd , internet etc.

    so I think they've done quite well considering . They've greatly increased the number of children's/family films over the last 20 years and they take a lot of money .
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    rfonzorfonzo Posts: 11,772
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    If this is the case, then this does not offer a true reflection of the box office takings. It is giving an unfair advantage to a specific genre of film. This may also create chasm between the future budgets in film making between commercial or populist cinema and art house cinema.
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    DarthchaffinchDarthchaffinch Posts: 7,558
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    The online rental firm I use here (SF Anytime) have recently started doing this!! No explanation! Is now ~£5 to rent a top tier film online!
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    HildaonplutoHildaonpluto Posts: 37,697
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    The online rental firm I use here (SF Anytime) have recently started doing this!! No explanation! Is now ~£5 to rent a top tier film online!

    I would definitely question their definition of top tier!
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    David WaineDavid Waine Posts: 3,413
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    The Odeon Metrocentre is not showing The Hunger Games in Imax, while the new Vue cinema in Gateshead (two miles away) is showing it in their Vue Xtreme rival format, and charging less. Guess which one I am choosing.
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