Cineworld customers have said the chain has priced them out of trips to the movies.
MailOnline has calculated a family of four going to see a film in 4DX along with snacks and drinks could now cost as much as an eye-watering £105.
The complaints over the rising prices come after reports earlier today that Cineworld bosses are planning to shut around a quarter of its cinemas in the UK under a radical restructuring proposal.
The chain, which currently runs around 100 sites across the country, is expected to carry out 25 closures as part of a formal restructuring plan.
Bosses want to renegotiate rent agreements at a further 50 sites, with the remaining 25 untouched by the restructuring.
Cineworld customers have said the chain has priced them out of trips to the movies
The news of Cineworld’s closures has left fans wondering if this could be the final credits for Britain’s cinemas after a series of difficult years for the industry
One social media user expressed his anger at popcorn prices in Cineworld in March
The news of the closures has left fans wondering if this could be the final credits for Britain’s cinemas after a series of difficult years for the industry.
Cineworld, which also runs the Picturehouse chain, is among cinema firms to have been knocked by the cost-of-living causing a reduction in customers, growth of streaming services and delays to releases following actor and writer strikes.
Last year, a swathe of Empire cinemas across the country closed abruptly when the chain plunged into administration.
A Cineworld spokesperson said in a statement: ‘We continue to review our options but we don’t comment on rumours and speculation.’
MailOnline has calculated that a family of four trip to Cineworld could cost as much as £105.
That’s for a family of four to see a 4DX screening of Inside Out 2 at the chain’s Wembley cinema, buying two large popcorns, two large hot dogs, confectionary for the two children and four large soft drinks.
However, prices may vary depending on where the Cineworld is located.
A number of cinema-goers took to the internet to express their views on why Cineworld was on the rocks, with many putting the blame firmly on the pricing.
One commenter said: ‘With cinemas being so over priced and given that films now take less time before they end up on streams I’m not surprised.
‘Does anyone remember orange Wednesdays and Saturday morning pictures for £1.. ah the good old days..’
Another said: ‘Multiplex cinemas in general are going to become a thing of the past. There are no longer enough films people want to see to fill them.’
The company has faced problems of people not returning to the cinema post-pandemic and instead increasingly choosing to stay at home and watch new releases on streaming services. Pictured: A boarded up Cineworld cinema in London during the pandemic
A number of cinema-goers took to the internet to express their views on why Cineworld was on the rocks, with many putting the blame firmly on the pricing
One comment said: ‘It is too expensive to go to the cinema with the family these days!’
While another posted: ‘Hardly surprising when it’s nearly a hundred pound touch for a family of four with drinks and snacks to watch a film.’
While someone else simply posted: ‘Netflix £4.99 a month.’
A separate comment said: ‘Going to the cinema used to be a cheap day out and great for rainy days with the kids. A family of 4 could go for less than £20, and they used to do movies for juniors on Saturday mornings for £1 a ticket.
‘Now it’s £12 just for 1 adult ticket. It’s now a special treat for a birthday or occasion, when it used to be something you could afford once or twice a month.’
The soaring prices are in part due to the pricey popcorn and drinks, which can quickly double the cost of a ticket.
A number of people commented online that Cineworld’s problem was due to increasing prices
In many cases, families are choosing to stay at home and opt for a far cheaper streaming service, which often has a very wide catalogue of choices.
In March a YouGov study found the most common reason for people no attending the cinema was that tickets were too expensive.
It was by far the common answer as 57 per cent of people across the UK said it was the primary reason they have not or will not go to the theatre.
In a distant second place, at 23 per cent, was the belief that theatres don’t show the kinds of things that they want to see. This figure was 17 per cent among London-based non-attendees.
Others cited logistical concerns – for 20 per cent in both the capital and the wider country said the amount of effort required to get to a theatre was a top issue, while 16 per cent said they didn’t have enough time to go.
Cineworld has been contacted for further comment about its pricing.
In March a YouGov study found the most common reason for people no attending the cinema was that tickets were too expensive
Families cut back on the cinema due to the cost of living crisis and instead opted for streaming services such as Disney Plus and Netflix
Earlier today Sources told Sky News that the insolvency mechanism employed by Cineworld was expected to be a restructuring plan which would allow it to rework its balance sheet and restructure debts.
Last month it was reported Cineworld was holding talks about a sale with potential buyers, and that it had now switched to a formal restructuring process.
Cineworld’s plans to close some of its sites come after a tough few years for the company, which is the UK cinema market leader along with Odeon and Vue.
It has faced problems of people not returning to the cinema post-pandemic and instead increasingly choosing to stay at home and watch new releases on streaming services.
Families also cut back due to the cost of living crisis and instead opted for streaming services such as Disney Plus, which involved a number of films being released directly on that platform – bypassing cinemas altogether.
Tim Richards, the founder and chief executive of the cinema operator Vue International, told the BBC’s Wake up to Money programme the industry was still recovering.
Cineworld grew under the leadership of the Greidinger family into a global giant of the film industry, acquiring chains including Regal in the US in 2018. Pictured: A view of the Regal movie theater while it was closed due to Covid in March 2021 in Times Square, New York
He said: ‘We are not going to see a return to post-pandemic levels until some time probably 12 months from now.’
Mr Richards said there was 35 per cent fewer films released in 2022 than in the pre-pandemic era and 20 per cent fewer in 2023.
He compared this with the period between 2017 and 2019 when there were three consecutive box office world records set.
The news of Cineworld’s closures comes after Picturehouse, the UK boutique cinema arm of the company, officially confirmed the closure of two historic UK venues last month.
Fulham Road Picturehouse and Bromley Picturehouse theatre in outer London were both revamped prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but will now closing their doors on July 11 and August 1 respectively.
Both cinema theatres are well-known listed buildings dating back to the 1930s and are much loved venues within their respective locations.
A number of social media users expressed their dismay at the decision to close the two sites in June.
Fulham Road Picturehouse will closing its doors on July 11
Bromley Picturehouse will be closing its doors on August 1
A number of social media users expressed their dismay at the decision to close the two Picturehouse sites in June
One user wrote: ‘A real shame this, but not surprised when the Vue cinema in Bromley was generally a lot cheaper.
‘While I far prefer Picturehouse, money is tight for a lot of people and so they’ll go where the cheaper options are. Sad to see you go, and hope the staff are being looked after.’
Another commented: ‘Too busy watching box sets on a tiny screen to instead spend an evening being entertained in this majestic beauty of a cinema.’
Cineworld grew under the leadership of the Greidinger family into a global giant of the film industry, acquiring chains including Regal in the US in 2018 and the British company of the same name four years prior.
However its multibillion-dollar debt mountain led it into crisis, and forced the company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. in 2022.
Filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy means a company intends to reorganise its debts and assets to have a fresh start, while remaining in business.
Cineworld shares were worth just 0.6p in June last year after it was hit hard by the pandemic. They were changing hands at 300p just five years ago.
Cineworld struck a deal last year which exchanged several billions of dollars of debt for shares, with a significant sum of fresh cash injected into the company by a group of hedge funds and investors
It caused it to delist from the London Stock Exchange in August 2023 after Cineworld’s UK arm collapsed into administration as its share price continued to fall and fears were raised for its survival.
A deal was struck last year which exchanged several billions of dollars of debt for shares, with a significant sum of fresh cash injected into the company by a group of hedge funds and investors.
The multinational, which includes cinema brands Regal, Cinema City, Picturehouse and Planet, also operates in central and eastern Europe, Israel and the United States.
As of August 2023 the company employed 28,000 workers across its global operations in 10 countries.
Cineworld was devastated by pandemic lockdowns forcing it to shut down its cinemas, having already racked up enormous debts through the costly takeover of US rival Regal Cinemas in 2018.
During the pandemic, the cinema had to reduce the capacity of each cinema by around 50 per cent.
Movie start times had to be staggered to prevent the build up of too many patrons in the foyer at the one time.
The cinema company received taxpayer support through furlough and tapping up shareholders for cash to avoid collapse during the pandemic.
More than 5,000 staff were furloughed while its 127 UK cinemas, including its Picturehouse brand, were shut.
