SA cinemas jack up prices but can they win you back in other ways?
Cinema ticket prices are soaring but can blockbusters and live events lure you back from the streaming side?
Remember those epic pre-pandemic movie nights? Apparently, things have gotten a bit more expensive...
Ster-Kinekor and Nu-Metro, the cinema kings of SA, have jacked up their prices. We're talking double, even triple what they were charging back in 2014!
Some folks blame the pandemic for this box office bummer, but streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have been stealing the show for years. These services offer blockbusters for a fraction of the price.
There's a plot twist though! Big-budget flicks like 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' are making a comeback, raking in serious dough at the box office. Even 'Dune: Part Two' is crushing it globally.
Apple and Amazon are looking at things differently, releasing some of their biggest hits in cinemas first. However, our local cinemas know a blockbuster a month isn't enough to keep the popcorn machine churning. They're switching things up, planning to screen live music and sporting events to fill those seats.
MyBroadband revealed how much these price hikes hurt our movie nights. It turns out that ticket prices have skyrocketed way faster than the inflation monster. On top of that, the rand has gotten weaker, making those dollar-priced movies even more expensive.
For example, a regular Ster-Kinekor ticket in 2014 would set you back R21, but now you're looking at R64.90 and up! Those VIP cinemas? Yeah, they'll charge you a whopping R220 - more than double what it used to cost!
So, what's the ending? Will cinemas become a relic of the past? Let us know what you think in the poll below:
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