Vue Cinemas now £4.99

[IainB]

Not really Speedway related but I feel there is a comparison to be made...

As the years have gone by I found myself paying more and more to go to the cinema and up until recently I was paying up to £14 for a visit to the cinema and due to this my visits to the cinema have become less and less over the years, I probably only go 2 or 3 times a year these days.

Vue have now slashed their prices to £4.99 for any film at any time! This makes going to the cinema a hell of a lot more attractive and I'll certainly be going a lot more to see films that I'd usually wait to watch on DVD, I'm already going to see Deadpool 2 next week and I would never have dreamt going to see that at £14, same for the new Jurassic Park.

There a parallels to be drawn here, Speedway and Cinema both in the entertainment industry, both had prices only going one way... one assumes Vue have done this to attract more people and for me this has worked.

[Grachan]

Although it is only in 22 cinemas, none of which are anywhere near to where I live.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/5514465/vue-is-slashing-film-scrreening-prices-to-4-99-but-only-at-these-22-cinemas/

[Cj69]

We have had this deal at my local cinema (Vue) for the last year and it does put the pricing for speedway to shame.  £5 for 2 hours entertainment (subjective of course) or £17 to see 15 mins racing.  Would always prefer the speedway but from a weekly attendee to to now twice a month it's just getting to expensive.  Feel it reached its peak price at £15.  

[Baldyman]

The cinema are clearly trying to pack the place out and hope plenty of people purchase over priced popcorn or hotdogs and sweets.

[IainB]

30 minutes ago, Grachan said:

Although it is only in 22 cinemas, none of which are anywhere near to where I live.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/5514465/vue-is-slashing-film-scrreening-prices-to-4-99-but-only-at-these-22-cinemas/

That's what I thought... but my local Vue in Leicester is not on that list but are still doing the £4.99

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

But how are the staff supposed to make it pay? Do you know the cost of a uniform and the bus fare to the cinema for the staff, if you want the best staff at the cinema you need to charge £20 per film and only show it on a Monday and Wednesday as of a weekend the staff work in sainsbury’s, also the camera can be very very dangerous so the staff risk their life everytime they show you a film 

[foamfence]

3 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

But how are the staff supposed to make it pay? Do you know the cost of a uniform and the bus fare to the cinema for the staff, if you want the best staff at the cinema you need to charge £20 per film and only show it on a Monday and Wednesday as of a weekend the staff work in sainsbury’s, also the camera can be very very dangerous so the staff risk their life everytime they show you a film 

And the film you want to see might not be available because someone in Denmark wants to watch it or a cinema in Poland refuses to release it as it's required for practice purposes. 

[MattK]

This is very relevant for speedway promoters, an actual, real life case study for cutting admission costs and the impact on revenue. As others have said, cinemas benefit from cross selling food and drink (something not available to all clubs), but it will be interesting to see if they can increase sales overall.

[IainB]

It's also something that petrol stations do, they don't make the money on petrol as the margins are so small, but drinks and eats, Costa & Subway brings in the money

[Crump99]

1 hour ago, Cj69 said:

We have had this deal at my local cinema (Vue) for the last year and it does put the pricing for speedway to shame.  £5 for 2 hours entertainment (subjective of course) or £17 to see 15 mins racing.  Would always prefer the speedway but from a weekly attendee to to now twice a month it's just getting to expensive.  Feel it reached its peak price at £15.  

That's part of the problem, not enough is done presentation wise for the other 1 hour 45 minutes (or extra 45 mins if you get there early) apart from some bloke tediously waffling into a mic from the depths of somewhere. We've certainly gone backwards at the EoES somewhat IMO on the complete entertainment package front since Frost/Mahoney left us. I'm not sure that the pricing is wrong but the product has to justify the price.

[IainB]

You obviously don't like tractors! 

I thought the mike man at Peterborough was one of the better ones, whenever I go he seems to do lots of rider interviews between races, something sadly lacking at so many other tracks

[Aces51]

24 minutes ago, MattK said:

This is very relevant for speedway promoters, an actual, real life case study for cutting admission costs and the impact on revenue. As others have said, cinemas benefit from cross selling food and drink (something not available to all clubs), but it will be interesting to see if they can increase sales overall.

The bottom line will be whether any increase in ticket sales is sustained and importantly, whether profits increase. Although, as you and others have said, the overall picture will be distorted by food, confectionery and drink sales so it may be difficult to draw direct comparisons.

I've never understood those who refer to speedway as 15 minutes of entertainment. To me it's the whole package. The build up to the race, the race and then often discussing the result. At the NSS we have Chase the Ace, a good announcer and centre green presenter and the post meeting press conference so I rarely find that I'm not being entertained in some shape or form throughout the meeting. The only exception is if there are long delays between races but there is nearly always a good reason and an explanation and apology.

[Crump99]

36 minutes ago, iainb said:

You obviously don't like tractors! 

I thought the mike man at Peterborough was one of the better ones, whenever I go he seems to do lots of rider interviews between races, something sadly lacking at so many other tracks

Saul's ok just too much (although less at times now with 2 minute being put on before the heat result has been given - what's that all about?) and too invisible. Anyone on a roving mic should for most part be in clear view (centre green presenter as mentioned above), especially when interviewing.

Edited June 1, 2018 by Crump99