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| Going to the cinema: does this rant against Odeon strike a chord? | Going to the cinema: does this rant against Odeon strike a chord? |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| It was bound to happen sooner or later: someone on the internet has got a bit cross. Mark Pledger – mad as hell and not taking it any more – has posted on Odeon cinema's Facebook page to complain about extortionate prices, poor service and a cinema "experience" that he doesn't feel is worth experiencing at all. Given that it's gone viral with more than 160,000 "likes" and 14,000 comments, it turns out that he's not the only one. | It was bound to happen sooner or later: someone on the internet has got a bit cross. Mark Pledger – mad as hell and not taking it any more – has posted on Odeon cinema's Facebook page to complain about extortionate prices, poor service and a cinema "experience" that he doesn't feel is worth experiencing at all. Given that it's gone viral with more than 160,000 "likes" and 14,000 comments, it turns out that he's not the only one. |
| His 400-word rant starts with dismay at a rare trip to the cinema costing £21 for two tickets and a medium 7-Up and goes on to say that the experience only got worse. He complains of inattentive staff, sound leaking from the adjoining screen and to cap it all, being subjected to an advert about piracy killing film. | His 400-word rant starts with dismay at a rare trip to the cinema costing £21 for two tickets and a medium 7-Up and goes on to say that the experience only got worse. He complains of inattentive staff, sound leaking from the adjoining screen and to cap it all, being subjected to an advert about piracy killing film. |
| It concludes: | It concludes: |
| If you want to see more people in your cinemas and actually put a dent in film piracy you should really try and cut your prices, hire decent staff and forget the 600% profit margins on your food and drink. | |
| You are putting plenty of nails into the cinema coffin Odeon. I won't be back in a hurry. | |
| Beyond being a lesson in how social media can reduce even the biggest companies into wishing that Tim Berners-Lee had taken up painting or something, it's also a snapshot of a wider problem – of an industry in flux. Pledger's personal experience is, of course, just that: not all cinemas leak sound or are staffed (as snobbishly assumed) with "school drop-outs". But they are expensive, and they are the frontline of what is a faulty machine. | Beyond being a lesson in how social media can reduce even the biggest companies into wishing that Tim Berners-Lee had taken up painting or something, it's also a snapshot of a wider problem – of an industry in flux. Pledger's personal experience is, of course, just that: not all cinemas leak sound or are staffed (as snobbishly assumed) with "school drop-outs". But they are expensive, and they are the frontline of what is a faulty machine. |
| I've touched upon this before within the context of 3D cinema – where Hollywood plunges to its most cynical depths in order to get as much money as it can out of audiences. Yet it applies generally too. The way the system usually works is this: a cinema leases a film from the distributor, the distributor typically takes 90% of the ticket sales, the cinema stays in business through its snacks and drinks. But given that cinema popcorn can work out over 600% above retail sellers, ticket prices continue to rise and yet cinema attendance is falling (in the US) or flat (much of Europe), it's clear that something is wrong. Is it the economy? Is it the cheaper, more convenient ways to watch films at home? Or is it – as is popular opinion – Hollywood's poverty of ideas? Declining attendance in Hollywood's biggest market feeds back artistically, with the industry less likely to take risks worth millions of dollars on original stories over sequels, adaptations and remakes – all of which already have "brand recognition" in place. Hollywood's way of saying: "you are all idiots and we hate you." Or something like that. | I've touched upon this before within the context of 3D cinema – where Hollywood plunges to its most cynical depths in order to get as much money as it can out of audiences. Yet it applies generally too. The way the system usually works is this: a cinema leases a film from the distributor, the distributor typically takes 90% of the ticket sales, the cinema stays in business through its snacks and drinks. But given that cinema popcorn can work out over 600% above retail sellers, ticket prices continue to rise and yet cinema attendance is falling (in the US) or flat (much of Europe), it's clear that something is wrong. Is it the economy? Is it the cheaper, more convenient ways to watch films at home? Or is it – as is popular opinion – Hollywood's poverty of ideas? Declining attendance in Hollywood's biggest market feeds back artistically, with the industry less likely to take risks worth millions of dollars on original stories over sequels, adaptations and remakes – all of which already have "brand recognition" in place. Hollywood's way of saying: "you are all idiots and we hate you." Or something like that. |
| Whatever the specific reason, it's a shame. The cinema is a beautiful thing, an immersive medium that manages to be both personal and social all at once. As the lights dim and silence falls, it should feel exciting, it should feel like an event. It shouldn't feel like a rip-off. | Whatever the specific reason, it's a shame. The cinema is a beautiful thing, an immersive medium that manages to be both personal and social all at once. As the lights dim and silence falls, it should feel exciting, it should feel like an event. It shouldn't feel like a rip-off. |
| But what do you think? Let us know if you agree with Pledger and leave your thoughts on the future of cinema below. Also, feel free to share any of your cinema horror stories or hidden gems. | But what do you think? Let us know if you agree with Pledger and leave your thoughts on the future of cinema below. Also, feel free to share any of your cinema horror stories or hidden gems. |