HOW MUCH??????

Let's face it, we all like nothing more than sitting down on a comfy seat with a tub of popcorn, a large coke and some nachos. We pile in and stare rapt at the big screen as our favourite actors, actresses and in some cases, cartoon characters, cavort across the celluloid and transport us to another world. I am, of course, talking about the cinema....

Trooping in we pay our £2.50 to see... what?
It's not £2.50? Of course it is. That's what I used to pay on a Saturday morning...

How much? I'm sorry... what did you say? Yes folks, that's right... it cost me £37.20 just for tickets today to take me and two children to see Wreck-It Ralph at our local cinema. And that was before I'd even considered popcorn!

I am, of course, not stupid, so I'd been to the local supermarket's pick 'n' mix beforehand and paid for sweets and a drink for the kids, which I stuffed in my over-sized handbag especially dug out of storage for the trip. I did purchase a large hotdog combo (hotdog, large drink and a chunky KitKat for some reason) for  us to share (my kids seem to drink more fluids sat on their arses in front of a film than they do after a day of running around at top speed). That cost me £10.99. So our quaint family outing just to watch a film has risen to nearly £50.00. Fifty of your English pounds!

I love the cinema as much as the next person but really... how do they justify charging £12.55 for a seat? It's not like you are ushered into your chair by a cacophony of angels. No one has offered to give me the leading man's home address and phone number. Nor am I receiving a foot rub or having the movie paused every time I want the bathroom.

I might sound like a moaning minnie, but it saddens me to think that lots of children may be missing out on the great experience of an afternoon at the cinema because of the cost. I know I will be thinking twice from now on when they ask if we can go.

What are your thoughts?