IT’S OFFICIAL. Attending the cinema is quickly becoming something of an expensive experience.
If you’re one of the people not taking advantage of monthly cards that guarantee value for money, then you’ll understand where I’m coming from.
The average cost of a ticket to the cinema in Glasgow is around £8.00 – throw a 3D film into the mix and that’s another £1 on top of the initial ticket charge. Add confectionary, nachos, hotdogs or popcorn (not to mention drinks) and ONE person heading to their local multiplex can spend in excess of £15 just to see a film.
Now, Cineworld has added yet another gimmick…sorry, ‘dimension’ to the cinema-going experience with the introduction of the ‘D-Box’ seat.
Described as: “A motion experience that will excite film-goers senses through the power of movement and feeling, creating a multi-sensorial revolution in film watching. D-BOX simulators offer the next dimension of the cinematic experience, placing viewers in the centre of the action. With seat movements perfectly synchronized to the onscreen action and sounds, D-BOX seats create an unmatched realistic immersive experience.”
Now, here’s where the latest gimmick hits most working-class folk where it hurts – the wallet. For a 2D film, the added cost for a D-Box seat will increase your ticket price by £4.50 while a 3D movie will set you back some £5.50 extra. My maths isn’t great, but even I can add the relative costs together, and inform you that a movie with the D-Box experience will cost (in Glasgow) £12.50 per person.
Not being a lover of attending the cinema on my todd, going along with the missus – should we be mad enough to purchase a D-Box seat – will cost £25 just to sit in the auditorium. And, as previously mentioned, if we decide to buy food and drink, it’ll take the overall cost nearer the £40 mark. Just to see a film.
It beggars belief that anyone would think this is value for money – especially when, in many cases, we sometimes have to put up with muppets incapable of sitting for 90-minutes with their mobile phone off.
The D-Box experience is being championed after it was launched in Glasgow Cineworld, Renfrew Street, earlier this month. Having installed some 35 seats into a cinema screen, it’s safe to describe the seats as a fixed rollercoaster – moving and vibrating to the action going on on the big screen. Try and picture the mayhem as people attempt to grab a quick drink or a handful of popcorn as things get animated on screen. The cleaners will certainly be earning their cash afterwards.
Steve Weiner, Cineworld CEO, said: “We are thrilled to be the first in the UK to introduce the D-BOX technology and provide a new dimension to the film going experience. We are really excited to welcome film fans through the doors to experience the most immersive motion cinema experience to date.”
I can’t say I was excited at the prospect of a wobbly cinema seat. Intrigued? Maybe. But knowing the added cost, it just smacks of a new money-making exercise that will be yet another passing fad.
Now, in no way am I saying these seats won’t become a hit with some film lovers. In fact, there will probably be those who will choose to purchase a ticket for the D-Box seat more than once because they enjoy what they bring to the movie-watching experience (there’s that word AGAIN!). However, personally I fail to see what they provide…other than a shaky distraction.
In fact, I’m yet to be convinced that 3D brings something to feature films. Don’t get me wrong, the ACTUAL immersive 3D used with Avatar was fantastic (pity the film was so generic), however, this penchant for post-production 3D has yet to be anything other than utterly pointless. A gimmick, you may say, to extract extra moolah from our already cash-strapped wallets.
Now we have the D-Box seats. I may be proved wrong and they could become a major hit – at the moment, they are so new, film fans are intrigued by them to such an extent that many of the showings are selling out. But what happens after someone has experienced them once? Will they return for a repeat? Who knows.
Until then, I’ll be the thrifty Scot with short arms and deep pockets sitting in a normal seat watching a 2D version of the latest film, shaking my head in judgement at those with more money than sense. Enjoy the ride.
Five other Cineworld cinemas will soon be equipped with this ‘cutting-edge’ technology, including Cineworld O2 Greenwich, Cineworld Crawley, Cineworld Didsbury, Cineworld Castleford and Cineworld Milton Keynes.
The popular chain plan to introduce this all-encompassing entertainment experience in additional Cineworld cinemas nationwide over the next 24 months.
