(ETX Daily Up) – The cost of cinema tickets in the UK has become a major barrier for moviegoers, according to a recent study by the British Film Institute. This survey reveals that more than a third of Britons have reduced their attendance at cinemas due to high ticket prices.
In the United States, two out of three viewers prefer to watch streaming filmsnotably because of the prices of cinema tickets. A new study confirms this trend in Great Britain. The cost of cinema tickets in the UK has become a major barrier for cinema-goers, according to recent research from the British Film Institute (BFI). This survey reveals that more than a third of Britons (34%) have reduced their attendance at cinemas due to high ticket prices.
The study, carried out between February and March 2023 among 5,000 people, shows that the price of tickets is the main factor dissuading spectators from going to the cinema. The lack of attractive films is another significant barrier (26%), especially for viewers of multiplexes (30%), compared to those of unaffiliated independent cinemas (23%) and independent chains (24%).
Despite everything, going to the cinema is seen as a little pleasure for 35% of respondents, an opinion shared more by women and those aged 35-54. 70% even agree that watching a feature film on the big screen is “an incredible immersive experience.”
Streaming, king of entertainment
Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube are the most used streaming platforms to watch movies every week. BBC iPlayer ranks fourth but second when looking at monthly consumption.
If 44% of spectators prefer to wait for a film to be available in streaming rather than seeing it in the cinema as soon as it is released, the study nevertheless shows that 60% of respondents have visited a cinema in the last 12 months. A significant increase compared to the 41% recorded in July 2022 and the 31% in November 2020.
On average, moviegoers went to the cinema 4.5 times in the 12 months preceding the study. An average which falls to 2.7 times when including average consumers.
The biggest movie consumers watched an average of 65 movies per year.
Rishi Coupland, director of innovation and research at the BFI, declared : “The results of our latest study are a barometer of changes in spectator attitudes regarding their film viewing choices and the factors which influence these choices. It is clear that, whatever films spectators choose to watch or where they watch them, watching films remains a hugely popular activity in the UK, even in an era where options are increasingly plentiful. The growth of streaming services has opened up new opportunities to see more. of films at home, but our research shows that a majority of adults have returned to the cinema since the pandemic. However, the challenges for cinemas are clear, particularly due to cost of living pressures.
