The Written Podcast: £17.90 Vs £17.45

I absolutely love the experience of the cinema. Seeing a monumental film on the big screen never gets old. The last film I saw at the cinema was The Avengers: Infinity War. I knew I would have loved the film regardless of the cinema, but it certainly made my first time viewing that much better.

The cinematic experience has developed over the years. No longer can you only see a film in 2D, but now IMAX, 4DX – where they incorporate actual elements into your film, such as wind and water droplets and moving seats. I’ve seen 3D and IMAX, but never 4D. 3D films are a bit of a hit and miss. Sometimes they can be incredible, other times they can be terrible. Usually those films that have been filmed in 3D have a chance of being good, but even then they mainly have to be made to be in 3D. Particular angles to increase the viewing experience in a certain format, subsequently maximising 3D, is an artistic choice and I have nothing against that. When I went to see the first Avengers film way back in 2012, I thought I would treat myself and see it in 3D, unknowing it was converted into that format during post-production, and, honestly, it looked horrendous. I would have had a better enjoyment experience if I had just watched the 2D format instead. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t put off 3D films altogether. Iron Man 3 was superb in 3D. But I do ultimately prefer 2D.

IMAX on the other hand is a completely different type of 3D altogether, basically. It’s not just 3D – it’s incredible technology that can be converted back into 2D and no quality has been lost. With IMAX, you don’t have to be precise on what to direct to make the most of 3D, it’ll look good regardless. I have never been disappointed upon seeing an IMAX film, but, and understandably so, it’s highly expensive compared to the standard 2D ticket.

4DX, an experience I’ve chosen not have – on the basis of not wanting to waste my money. I know how that sounds. Surely it wouldn’t be wasting any money if I were to have an experience greater than nothing before would ultimately be better than the 2D version of the film. The immersive atmosphere would make my money worth spending, wouldn’t it? Not if I want to actually watch the film. I don’t want to miss a thing. I don’t want to be flung about my chair because what if I miss something. I don’t want to be hit with water droplets, that would distract me from the film. I don’t want to be blown by wind, that would take me out of the immersive-ness I want to achieve for my money.

Preferring only 2D films is a way to save money. The prices for cinema tickets have gradually been increasing. It was only a couple of years ago that a cinema ticket cost £5.99 per adult. Now, it’s £10.50. That’s a huge change in price, regardless of whether the increase was gradual. There is a subscription system known as the Unlimited Card, which does save money in the long run so it is a viable option. You pay £17.90 per month, saving £3.10 if you were to pay for two individual tickets. That’s £6.20 after two months, and £9.30 after three, and you get the idea. To make up the cost of the unlimited card, you must see two films per month. At the beginning of my subscription, that was an easy task to make. Sometimes, I was able to see three or more films per month, and any subsequent films after the initial two is free. It is a fixed cost, means if you are only able to see one, you still pay £17.90.

The first year of my Unlimited Card subscription, I met the two film quota each month without fail. However, during my second year, things got a little difficult and in the way, and I was only seeing 1 film per two months. Without having to do any maths, I knew I was losing money. There was no real justification for spending an amount of money with nothing in return, and this happened month after month.

I would like leave that topic for a few paragraphs as I talk about Amazon Prime. For £79 a year, I’m able to see as many films and TV boxsets as I want with no extra cost. Breaking £79 into 12 months, it comes out as £6.58 a month, which is cheaper than the monthly cost of £7.99. I’ve been with Amazon Prime for a couple of years now, and it has been superb in areas other than film and TV, but with next day delivery, more options with self-publishing my stories – I’ve certainly have no worries over justifying spending £79 a year.

With films and TV, obviously there are movies that aren’t part of Prime, but you can buy or rent as part of prime and you’ll “own” that movie and watch it as many times as you want for no extra cost.

People tend to not only see a film at the cinema for the experience of the cinema, but as a testing ground for the film. If you like it, they’ll by the DVD, if they don’t like it, they won’t buy the DVD – a simple formula that determines the success of the film. Going back a few years, there used to be these shops that allowed you to rent a film – I say that as if I’m talking to people who’ll have no idea what the heck I’m talking about (and I dare say a few of you doesn’t know about renting a film the same as a book from a shop and taking it back a week later). If you didn’t like the film, just take it back. If you did, you’ll buy it and keep it.

On Amazon Prime, for those films that aren’t part of prime, you can rent a film for £3.49* – as of writing this podcast. This is where an idea formed in my head – and I was able to back it up with maths and reasoning.

It costs me £17.90 per month to see two films at the cinema, plus more. The maximum number of films I’ve ever been able to see within a month is 3. That’s due to having to set aside an amount of time during the day. Time it takes to get to and from the cinema, the exclusive cinematic experience of adverts before the movie begins, and the car park charge. The car park charge wasn’t anything to really contemplate as the local Ipswich Cineworld had a system set up where if take the right section of the parking ticket to the tills, you’d get £4 back. I usually put £5 to accommodate any unexpected circumstances, such as the film being delayed for whatever reason, which means I’m able to park my car for 5 hours for £1. That’s a bargain. My real problem was finding the time in the day.

And then I wondered, is it absolutely necessary to have the Unlimited Card. A big pro for keeping the card would be enjoying a film at the cinema. If you were to have a gigantic TV with a monumental surround sound system, which I do not, then I won’t have the same experience at home as I do at the cinema. However, as previously established, a big con is having to find the time for two films in a month just to fully justify the cost of the card each month, and I knew at the point of wonderment, I hadn’t seen a film for a month and a half, which meant I had paid £17.90 and not gone to the cinema.

The price £3.49 kept floating around my head. In a way, going to the cinema is no different to renting a film. You don’t have to buy it if you don’t like it. Going by con of how much time it consumes going to the cinema, I did think it would be a massive pro if I were just to rent the film on Amazon Prime at home. A notable con would be not staying up to date with recent releases, but instead having to wait a couple of months before the film is readily available to rent. But do I have to be up to date. Who am I staying up to date for? Just because I don’t see this film or that film at the cinema doesn’t mean I’m going to be left behind – I wouldn’t be the only person having not gone to the cinema. And the passing comment of waiting a couple of months can be turned into a pro, especially when comparing that wait to a few years ago. It used to take upwards of 6 months to a year before the film was released on DVD. There were times when I saw the film at the cinema, and the gap between then and the DVD release date was so long, I had forgotten what the film was about. Nowadays, the gap has shortened considerably, so much so that the film can still be in cinemas when released on DVD, and most of the time it’s available to buy and stream long before it’s DVD counterpart hits the shops. I doubted I would fall behind everyone else at all – just wait a little bit longer before seeing the film.

But my next discovery was the one fact that proved I didn’t need the Unlimited card at all. Rent a film for £3.49. I calculated how many films I would be able to rent before hitting £17.90. I was shocked. For £17.45, I could see 5 films. 5 films instead of 2, and I didn’t have to actually see all five. If I only saw 1 film a month, I would’ve only paid £3.49, not the fixed cost of £17.90. I could choose to see 2 films for less than half of having to see 2 films at a fixed cost. Also, with renting the film, if I’m called away for whatever reason, I can pause the film and come back to it. Can’t do that in a cinema.

It was a done deal. A week later I cancelled my Unlimited Card. I’ve saved a lot of money, seen all the films I’ve wanted to see… but not at the cinema and the whole point of the cinema is not just to watch the film, but the experience of it on the big screen… good point, but it’s not something I’m missing. The cinema experience was fun and awe inspiring because when I was younger, it was something that only happened once in a while. Because of the infrequency of the experience, it kept it fresh, and therefore can be argued that it’s better when in small dosages, not all at once.

I’m still going to the cinema. I haven’t turned my back completely. The next two films I’m absolutely going to the cinema for is Captain Marvel, and of course Avengers 4 next year, and I am so tempted to see Spider Man: Into the Spiderverse, because it looks so fun. However, I’m not worried if I don’t see it, because I will only but a couple of months down the line.

A friend of mine did state, “are you really saving money, because won’t you be buying the DVD on top of renting the film?” Yes, but so was I even when “renting” the film at cinema, and I’d still be saving money. Renting and buying through Amazon Prime: £3.49 + £9.99 = £13.48. Cinema and buying on Amazon Prime: £17.90 + £9.99 = £27.89. Enough said.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)