Cineworld cinemas to file for bankruptcy.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504507#Comment_119504507

Na that sounds boring. OK if you know that many people to party with not if you don't. Besides you can do that in some hotels that have there own cinema room.

We did that years ago in 2012 to be exact for my sisters 30th Birthday celebrations.

Went to see her favorite film. A comedy.

I disagree with cinemas going the same way as HMV and Xtra-Vision.

I think they will still be around for a long time.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504540#Comment_119504540

All the movies you listed were in the cinema so what's the problem ?

Superhero and sci-fi is what I said and it's what all those movies listed are.

Are you by any chance my age or older ? Maybe its just the movies are not for you anymore. When I was young Limerick had 1 cinema then 2 and it now has 3 so I think cinemas are doing alright looking at it that way. Never been to a Cineworld but they sound like its not the Marvel superheroes that killed them.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504099#Comment_119504099

Tbh there aren't even that many of them recently! And the ones that have come out have been poor.

The recent Thor was bloody awful.

But even the stuff on the more arthouse side of things has been pretty uninspiring recently.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504507#Comment_119504507

Is that not what they tried to do (badly) with the Savoy? It's a bit of a disaster some of the screens are like sitting at home...so pointless

HerrKuehn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504688#Comment_119504688

I am early 40's. There are very few movies like the ones I listed anymore. In the past the superhero type movies were around but would have made up a much smaller proportion of the output. At the end of the day they are producing a consumer product, it isn't for me, so I have no reason to go anymore.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504701#Comment_119504701

Is the Savoy still going? I can not imagine it is going good.

SheepsClothing

I'd love to see the big suburban multiplexes acting more like art house cinemas even if it can't be their core business. I would regularly go to see older films or art house fair if they were offered, as it's very inconvenient to get into town to visit the IFI or the Lighthouse. Even setting aside 1 or 2 screens where these films could be consistently screened could attract a regular audience.

If they are going to survive, I think fostering communities of film fans and member programmes, with forums, exclusive screenings and polling that gives regular cinema goers a say in the slate could to be key.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504712#Comment_119504712

As I said in the past people had to use the cinema to see the new comedy, drama, romance etc. Movies that you didn't need a big screen and sound for but now they can enjoy those movies at home.

That's not the cinema or Marvels fault and even if there are no more superhero movies that won't change.

I loved Dune but even for a movie with 2 huge young actors and a supporting cast of Marvel and SW lads it still didn't blow the film world apart.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504729#Comment_119504729

As far as I know. I haven't been for a wee while. But it has been fairly quiet. You can get 2 tickets for 10 euro via three (Sunday to Thursday)

Screen 1 which was a genuinely good place to see a film....was split up into multiple smaller screens.

I do think more niche is maybe the way to go for a new cinema. Retro screenings, plush seating, food (like Stella etc - despite the pricing being so high they are busy).

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504042#Comment_119504042

Too many odeons in Dublin, all same movies

HerrKuehn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504756#Comment_119504756

I assume the studios see that it is mostly teenagers going to cinemas, there are a continuous stream of new teenagers all the time. So, they know they can keep producing these movies at a low risk of failure. I would guess the main market is teenagers anyway as adults wouldn't have much interest in movies about mermen etc.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504774#Comment_119504774

Me either and when Screen 1 was a proper bìg screen I used to love going there.

Yes maybe they will all have to like that to survive.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504777#Comment_119504777

Really. The only one I know is down at the point. All the others too far out for me to make sense going to and I rearly go to the one in the point now either since there prices became extortionate. A pity as I did like that cinema. It was my favorite at one stage.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504754#Comment_119504754

I know it's big budget sci-fi not art house but Star Trek:The Motion Picture is playing across the country this week in Vue and a few others.

One issue for these big places is any successful art house or niche cinema I have been to does booze and I'm not sure it's something the big screens want to do in Ireland (they sell it in the more liberal UK)

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504791#Comment_119504791

Youde never know 😁

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504701#Comment_119504701

Vue has been like that for a few years too; a mate booked us for Alien: Covenant in something like screen 11 when it came out - about 20 seats in there - they can shove it afaik, I'm not paying €12/14+ for that crap! I haven't been to the Savoy since they split up screen 1 also, fair enough they did it for 'business' reasons but that's not what cinema should be imho.

These circular conversations about movie quality/genre diversity come up all the time. Maybe if lots of people hadn't been so tight fisted in downloading every bloody film going for years the bigger studios wouldn't be so risk averse and stop playing it safe? 🤷‍♂️

The music industry has gone to shít for the same reasons - people want everything for free ("sure studio/label x, y are making loads of money why should I pay for it?!") but then complain when the quality nosedives as a result.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504979#Comment_119504979

quality/genre diversity come up all the time. Maybe if lots of people hadn't been so tight fisted in downloading every bloody film going for years the bigger studios wouldn't be so risk averse and stop playing it safe? 🤷‍♂️

The music industry has gone to shít for the same reasons - people want everything for free ("sure studio/label x, y are making loads of money why should I pay for it?!") but then complain when the quality nosedives as a result.

I suppose it was just there was do many movies coming out and people have busy lives too.

Streaming came along and people took advantage of it.

I agree about both of the things you say there. I honestly would not have a glue who or what is popular in new music anymore and nor do I care. I used to nearly know all the songs and singers at one stage. Not anymore.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504979#Comment_119504979

I don't go that often but it's been ages since I spent more than a fiver for Vue.

pixelburp

The problem isn't the genre - those come and go and if it wasn't Superheroes it'd be disaster flicks, westerns, Star Wars knock-offs whatever - the problem is where the industry has gone in terms of how it makes its money back.

If the financial focus of studios are a small number of $1+ billion behemoths, rather than a larger number of mid-range crowdpleasers then of course things get skewed one way - and quality becomes one of hitting as many demographics as possible to meet those outsized projections.

Our specific era of capitalism has become one obsessed with Infinite Growth (oh Hi Netflix), or one where only mega-successes mean success. Probably doesn't help that studios are run by corporation types, rather than moguls.

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505112#Comment_119505112

Oh hey, what I called out isn't my only experience at Vue - I've had some good experiences there too over the past few years and I also paid €5 to see 'The Many Saints' of Newark' when it came out. What I'm moaning about is the appearance of these tiny 20-30 seat screens at multiplexes and charging top dollar for them. Maybe if they were sold at a continuously reduced rate to the larger screens I'd accept it for people without the means to go to the cinema regularly to chose.

It's not just here either, I had a similar experience in Cineworld Leicester Square in London back in 2018; Creed 2 in a tiny screen for something like £13/14 (I was in town for a gig with a mate and we decided last minute we didn't want to stay on the lash all day).

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505101#Comment_119505101

I also avail of streaming for certain types of films, I've absolutely no issue with that. What I do have issue with is the absolute sense of entitlement from certain quarters that you shouldn't have to pay a red cent for a piece of media, while having the temerity to complain about the subsequent reduced quality of offerings and lacking any self awareness of that type of behaviour being a contributing factor.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505156#Comment_119505156

Oh ya I'de be annoyed by that too. I'm happy to have a small screen in on of those luxury cinemas but not to see Creed in Vue. Luckily I think practically every movie is €5 now in Vue Limerick (maybe Saturday is different idk)

Just to expensive now to go to the cinema any more than once a blue moon.

Green Mile

I worked there for a number of years when it was UGC. The big movie when I started at the time was The Day After Tomorrow. Cinema then became Cineworld which didn't change much except the logo and one manager who oversaw the operations. Great place to work whilst in college as it was flexible and zero stress. Lots of fond memories. I still have all my staff €0.00 cinema stubs too which I hold onto as a keep sake

Agent Coulson

I wonder would Amazon buy them out then.

Come watch a movie while waiting for your Amazon delivery at our new Amazon collection points.

johnny_ultimate

It's not accurate to say there's only superhero or sequel fare in cinemas. Just using Dublin (since it's the only place in Ireland with a Cineworld) there are a good dozen or more non-blockbuster, non-family films screening today alone across the cinemas. Granted, there's nobody out there that will want to see all of those, and a few have been around cinemas for a few months now... but that's the situation at the end of what has actually been a fairly quiet summer for new releases big & small. Naturally, it's a totally different situation outside the city. But if you're in Dublin, I don't really buy into suggestions there's nothing to watch.

The problem is a lot of multiplex cinemas don't really programme films in the way independent cinemas do. They just show whatever studios give them - often blanket scheduling them in a half dozen or more screens. Cineworld isn't actually the worst offender in some ways, as they have enough screens to at least show some alternative films and promote smaller films through the likes of their Indian / Chinese film efforts or their Unlimited screenings. Though they are guilty of blanket programming blockbusters every 20 or 30 mins sometimes. Overall though there's simply not a whole lot of thought or effort put into their programmes in the way a Light House or IFI might.

There's also not much effort or care put into projection or screen quality. A lot of these cinemas fired their projectionists years ago, and it shows. No masking on screens. Poor audio quality (I've been to at least two screens in Cineworld in the last year or so with dire audio quality). Based on complaints in this forum other chains have been known for keeping lights on or not adjusting their projectors when switching between 3D and 2D screenings. And yeah, some cinemas have tiny screens - IMC is a particular bad offender in that respect.

And then you often pay extra for an inferior experience - a standard ticket in Cineworld is often several euro more than the Light House or IFI (although looking at their website at the moment Cineworld seems to have reduced their prices recently, so fair play for that), and you'll pay substantially more for drinks or food. At least the Stella offers a genuinely different experience for their higher ticket prices.

walkonby

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505395#Comment_119505395

A ticket to see Nope in the Lighthouse this evening is €12.50 for an adult. The same film in Cineworld, for a non-“Imax” screening, is €11, not “several Euro more”.

And the Lighthouse still does not offer a membership scheme equivalent to Cineworld’s (it has been threatening to launch an updated membership scheme for ages).

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505494#Comment_119505494

Yep, I edited that when I checked the ticket prices for this week - they are actually cheaper at the moment, at least during the week (can't check weekend prices at the moment for comparison). Traditionally Cineworld was always the most expensive cinema option in Dublin - several euro more generally - but they seem more competitive now which is great. My last few Cineworld tickets were around €13.50 going by receipts (mix of afternoon and evening screenings) so good to see a change for the better there.

walkonby

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505525#Comment_119505525

I think it depends. Star Trek rerelease this weekend was €10 in Cineworld. In Lighthouse tonight, standard 12.50.

Lighthouse is a vastly better cinema, but now a little bit more expensive, especially considering lack of an Unlimited type scheme.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505575#Comment_119505575

I'd be surprised if an Unlimited option would be feasible for independent cinemas as they simply don't have the economies of scale you get with a massive chain. But unfortunately the Lighthouse's standard membership scheme has also been out of action for a few months because of their website / ticketing system switchover - hopefully that at least will be back sooner rather than later.