Odeon cinemas.....never again!

[tex]

My local cinema (vue) has been closed for refurbishment, they are putting leather reclining seats in all the screens...lovely jubbly, the price of a ticket £7.99 which i think is reasonable. My wife fancied seeing Dumbo and feared we may not get the opportunity and so we went to the odeon in the trafford centre....never again!, £12.25 each and thats in the cheap seats, what a con.

[George 1978]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

Haven't been to the cinema for a few years myself, but I am considering visiting the Odeon in Bournemouth when I go down there in August, or should I say if I ever get down there! I used to go the local one (no longer there) in the mid 1980s to see films more in the ilk of Dumbo - kids' movies of course as I was seven or eight at the time. We all know that newsagents and sweet shops close to the cinema have a lucrative business supplying sweets and chocolates that the cinemas are not happy about as it obviously affects their business of course.

In 1985, probably the Monday before Christmas that year as we broke up for the school holidays at that point, we saw Santa Claus the Movie at the Nottingham Odeon (or perhaps the ABC) on Angel Row which I think was on screen three (according to the sign outside as we were queueing) - screen one had Target and screen two had the Michael Caine film Hannah and Her Sisters (it says online that it was made in 1986, but I am certain that the cinemas already had it towards the end of the previous year). Both were given 15 certificate by the BBFC and so were a bit out of bounds for an eight year old such as myself back then. I have got a good memory by the way, so please don't be alarmed.

I have had the earworm of the audience laughing in the cinema when I heard Joe (SCTM character) belching which brings it all back when it was on TV. Once I went there around my birthday for a kid's film in around 1984, and the cinema had announced that the film had been cancelled for some reason - cue a lot of disappointed youngsters - probably the Care Bears or something from Disney.

If I do get the opportunity, I give myself a choice of three films that could be on so that I am not disappointed - mind you, I often see 12 or 15 certificate ones these days, so not quite Dumbo! I always think of cinemas, just like theatres being as a "birthday" thing to do, reviving the memories of when I was younger.

[tex]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

I love a trip to the flix and probably go about twice a month, but it does have many annoying aspects...

1...car park charges, my cinema used to validate parking...no longer.
2...Ticket prices, depending where you go....worst offenders? Odeon £12.25!
3...queuing behind people buying overpriced hotdogs,nachos etc
4...hotdogs and nachos...c'mon people,surely you can go two hours without stuffing your faces.
5...popcorn...it stinks
6...30 minutes of advertisements before the film starts
7...people looking at mobile phones during the film
8...people talking,coughing,bag rattling
9...people up and down for the loo
10.people.

[George 1978]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

What does popcorn stink of, dare I ask? - I have never found that that popcorn stinks, and I am talking about outside the cinema.

One good thing about the adverts and trailers before the film is that it allows latecomers time to arrive and they haven't really missed anything, like a buffer - it's better to miss the adverts than to miss the film. If Victor Lewis-Smith had anyone believe in his TV Offal or Ads Infinitum programmes, most cinema adverts have the stereotypical Indian restaurant being advertised with "only 50 yards from this cinema" said in an anorak-style voice.

Of course, the businesses a few doors down who lucratively sell sweets and chocolate (and "stinky" popcorn) will never get a chance to advertise on the big screen.

Mobile phones - I never take mine if I go to such a place (even once a year). What's is the point? I happened to go to Weston super Mare for a few days in 2016 and saw a film at their Odeon - only me and AN Other aka a woman were in the room for the film for the entire duration, apart from a staff member who poked his head around the door every 15 minutes or so.

[tex]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

Nah, can't stand the smell of popcorn, as for latecomers missing the start of the film might just teach them to set off in good time, i would rather be an hour early than a minute late and i apply that stance to any situation not just trips to the cinema. The businesses close to cinemas are probably not charging £3.99 for a bag of revels and so deserve any passing trade they may get .Modern cinemas have technology now which can detect cameras being used by bootleggers so the regular appearance of the ushers is now defunct which is a shame because nobody is policing the use of mobile phones and people being generally annoying to others who have just paid £12 to see and listen to the film. Cinema advertising now is usually just extended versions of tv ads and of course the future attractions which i quite like to see. The days of Pearl and Dean are long gone

[Moonraker]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

Went to see film last year. Paid about £32 for me and 3 kids. I would not even dream of getting popcorn and drink at over £8.
I smuggle in couple of bags of popcorn and bottle of pepsi at £1 each.
I do know of a cinema where the customers' bags are searched.

[George 1978]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

I think that it is the hot food such as hotdogs which are more likely to smell other than the popcorn, and I believe that any cinema that finds that you are taking in hot food into the film, they would give you marching orders very quickly! The cinema staff would be concerned that they would get grease everywhere (and I don't mean the John Travolta film on screen either!) If I had arrived to watch a film and I was dehydrated, it would be worth paying a tenner for a bottle of Fanta so that the staff are not suspicious. Let's face it: would you sit in McDonald's and eat food purchased from KFC?

I wouldn't be brave enough to "smuggle" in unofficial snacks into the cinema - I read a few years ago that someone had purchased a packet of Revels from a nearby newsagent. A staff member searched their bag (looking mostly for camcorder equipment, knives, guns, drugs, etc) and found the offensive packet of Revels inside - they confiscated them until after the film, and there was even talk about police being called - it's not worth it at the end of the day.

[Moonraker]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

What is illegal about bringing your own sweets or soft drinks?
Many years ago when my wife went to the cinema with children (one was an infant) she was searched and popcorn, chocolate and drinks were confiscated. My wife became distressed and shouted at the security guard when he'd even taken the child's milk bottle. He swiftly gave the bottle back.

[tex]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

Watch this if you have time, the lyrics are hilarious..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6EYyjndMgc

[darren]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

Number 10 u cant really do much about that as cinemas need people.

but number 7 for me is the worst surely when u go to a cinema u go to see the film.
How can u concentrate if your looking at the phone and another annoyance is phones ringing.

TALKING IS ANNOYING THE CLOSER YOU ARE TO THE ONES DOING IT.
AND BAG RATTLING GGRR.

i love a trip to the flix and probably go about twice a month, but it does have many annoying aspects...

1...car park charges, my cinema used to validate parking...no longer.
2...ticket prices, depending where you go....worst offenders? Odeon £12.25!
3...queuing behind people buying overpriced hotdogs,nachos etc
4...hotdogs and nachos...c'mon people,surely you can go two hours without stuffing your faces.
5...popcorn...it stinks
6...30 minutes of advertisements before the film starts
7...people looking at mobile phones during the film
8...people talking,coughing,bag rattling
9...people up and down for the loo
10.people.

[Mulletino]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

Went to see film last year. Paid about £32 for me and 3 kids. I would not even dream of getting popcorn and drink at over £8.
I smuggle in couple of bags of popcorn and bottle of pepsi at £1 each.
I do know of a cinema where the customers' bags are searched.

They seem far more easy about bringing your own food here, i've been to see films with mates who have taken their McDonalds meals in with nobody batting an eyelid.
I'll often take a bag of maltesers as they're cheaper in the supermarket and then tip them into my popcorn to eat during the film. Annoyingly you can only get salted popcorn in the movies here, in the UK i liked having a mix of salt and sweet to help stop turning your mouth into a cat's anus afterwards.

Perhaps it's a culture thing? As a lot of restaurants here also have BYO Booze, you buy your food there but bring your own beer/wine etc and they put it in a fridge for you when you arrive, you just ask for more of your own grog when needed. I think that's also to avoid them having to purchase a proper liquor license though...

[George 1978]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

What is illegal about bringing your own sweets or soft drinks?
Many years ago when my wife went to the cinema with children (one was an infant) she was searched and popcorn, chocolate and drinks were confiscated. My wife became distressed and shouted at the security guard when he'd even taken the child's milk bottle. He swiftly gave the bottle back.

I think that is a question that you should ask cinema staff - mind you, if I had owned a café or a restaurant and the public would come in and eat food purchased elsewhere, I would not be very happy about it. Do dinner ladies in school ban kids from bringing in packed lunches?

I was staying in a hotel in Newcastle over a decade ago, and I was surprised that one of the "guests" had brought along a box of his own breakfast cereal with him when it came to going downstairs for breakfast, and no one seemed to notice. On the other hand, based on the same lines, when I stay in Premier Inn hotels, I always take along my own bubble bath and sponge when I have a bath because I am used to using them at home - the soap used irritates my skin quite a bit.

There is nothing illegal about bringing in sweets, drinks or anything like that into a cinema, but from the cinema's perspective, for every person who brings in their own food and drink, one person would not need to purchase the items from the shop - one can understand why they get upset about it. On the other hand, these have incidents have actually happened in the past:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/m...er/7947789.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/d...re/4149216.stm

[George 1978]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

Thinking about it, I suppose that the bring in sweets to the cinema has comparisons with when I bring takeaways into my Premier Inn hotel room when I stay there (I wonder what the cleaners think when they see empty Big Mac cartons in the wastepaper bin?) I don't want to the owners to assume that it is sticking two fingers up to the hotel's own food, but at the end of the day, people do it as a matter of convenience, and literally at the end of the day when I return to my hotel room, I am often too tired and hungry to go to the restaurant downstairs - I prefer to put my feet up and eat something while watching the TV. It is all down to personal convenience.

[Richard1978]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

I've heard that cinemas don't make all that money from showing films so charge a lot for snacksto make up for this.

As for food in hotels, me & my wife smuggled some Nandos into a hotel room after being unimpressed by the quality of the food the night before!

[tex]

Re: Odeon cinemas.....never again!

I've heard that cinemas don't make all that money from showing films so charge a lot for snacksto make up for this.

As for food in hotels, me & my wife smuggled some Nandos into a hotel room after being unimpressed by the quality of the food the night before!

So how can Odeon cinemas get away with charging £12.45 for entry whilst Vue charge £7.99, I always imagined the film distributors were charging the same rates to each cinema chain but maybe that isn't the case .