Consumers' Association of Ireland - CAI

Cinema ticket prices continue to rise well above inflation, survey shows
Online booking – most cinemas are aping Ticketmaster and Ryanair by charging per ticket, not per transaction
Introduction of new seat price variations a “worrying development”

The rapidly escalating prices of tickets and new variations in seat pricing could soon turn many consumers away from the cinema, the Consumers Association of Ireland (CAI) has warned.

In a survey of cinema ticket prices in selected venues around the country, the CAI reveals that prices have risen on average 14% (but by over 20% in some cases) in the last three years.

Compared to its last survey in 2003, the CAI found that prices in the Savoy, Screen, Dun Laoghaire IMC, Cineworld and Vue Cinemas (former Ster Century) in Dublin and the Galway Omniplex have risen by between 50c and €1.65 – an average of nearly €1.00 or 14%.

The figure would be higher but for the fact the Savoy in O’Connell Street, which recently underwent a major revamp, has upped prices by only 50c and even reduced some concession prices over the same period. However, the Savoy, along with most other cinemas in the survey, loses some of its star quality when it comes to credit card booking. The majority of cinemas surveyed, including the Savoy, add an online booking charge per ticket, as opposed to per transaction.

The other development that worries the CAI is the introduction of price variations for seats. In the UCI, for instance, a seat in the back three rows costs €1.50 extra on account of their “slightly larger” size.

Of greater concern was the fact that, when the CAI recently visited the UCI cinema in Coolock, nowhere in the venue was there any mention of this €1.50 extra charge beyond an advertising notice informing consumers that they could ‘upgrade’ their seats when purchasing their tickets.

The full details of the CAI’s cinema prices survey is contained in the October edition of its monthly consumer magazine, Consumer Choice.

CONTACTS:

Dermott Jewell or John Cradden at Consumers’ Association of Ireland : 01 – 497 8600
43-44 Chelmsford Road,
Ranelagh
Dublin 6.

The Consumers' Association of Ireland

Cinema ticket prices continue to rise well above inflation, survey shows

Online booking – most cinemas are aping Ticketmaster and Ryanair by charging per ticket, not per transaction

Introduction of new seat price variations a “worrying development”