Film patrons reel over snack prices

ABBY GILLIES AND ALICE NEVILLE | 22nd April 2010

Cheryl Price is so fed up with the cost of buying snacks at the cinema for her children Nicholas, 6, Elliott, 4 and Ruby, 2, she takes her own.

The Avonhead mother said escalating prices meant she could only afford to treat her children to a family outing at the movies once or twice a year.

And when they do go, snacks bought from the cinema candy bar were off the menu.

"I just think it's daylight robbery," she said. "I usually make my own popcorn - a bag for each of them."

The price of a small box of popcorn has reached $6.50 at Hoyts Riccarton, while a small drink and popcorn combo will set you back $10.90.

At The Palms Reading Cinema prices are slightly lower, with drink and popcorn combos set at $6, $7 or $8 depending on size. A family of two parents and two children going to a movie session (not 3D) at The Palms would pay $81 for tickets, large combos for the parents and small combos for the kids.

During school holidays last week, Mrs Price's sister, Jill Cockburn, treated Nicholas and Elliott to a screening of How to Train Your Dragon at Hoyts Northlands.

The price of the three tickets was $49.50, so she decided not to buy any snacks.

"It was definitely cost-related."

Other cinemagoers spoken to by The Star complained they were being overcharged when buying their favourite snacks at the cinema.

Megan Jamieson took her three children to a morning movie at The Palms Reading Cinema during the school holidays.

She was "horrified" to pay $6 for a party pack of lollies on top of $56 for tickets.

"I didn't come out with much change from $100 for a morning's entertainment.

"It's made the movies something that we just can't do."

Stuart Knappstein, 20, went to a session at Hoyts Moorhouse last Saturday and paid $11.90 for a medium popcorn and coke combo.

"It's pretty expensive because you can get into the movie for the same price," he said. He would "usually try and take stuff in because it's too expensive".

Marcia Johnson, 26, took her daughter Kayley, 6, to see The Princess and the Frog at Hoyts Riccarton recently.

She used a voucher to buy her own ticket and bought a ticket and a small popcorn for her daughter.

"I was free and it was still like $20. It was ridiculous," she said.

Managers from Hoyts Riccarton or The Palms Reading could not be reached for comment yesterday.

However, a duty manager from The Palms Reading said they didn't stop people from bringing their own snacks into the cinema - as long as it wasn't hot food.

Consumer New Zealand deputy chief executive David Naulls said cinema chains charged what they liked because they had a "captive audience".

"They can charge, within reason, what they feel like and if you don't want to pay it, don't do it or go elsewhere," said Mr Naulls. "If you're not happy about it, let them know by going to another cinema."