With the choice of only three major chain cinemas in the United Kingdom, I ask myself is Vue cinema the best in the country?
Is Vue Cinema the Best Cinema in the UK?
To answer that question we need to dive into the details a little more.
Everyone naturally has a preferred cinema for a variety of reasons. It may simply be the case that your particular cinema is your favorite because its the closest, or it has the best parking or it’s more convenient for you in some way shape or form.
Let’s take a look at the cinema from a broader perspective.
When Was Vue Cinemas Founded?
Vue Cinemas (formerly known as SBC International Cinemas) was founded in May 2003 after the acquisition of Warner Village Cinemas.
The company expanded through several acquisitions of its own including the Ster Century chain, Apollo Cinemas and Multikino.
In November 2010 the company was sold to Doughty Hanson & Co a private equity firm before being sold again in June 2013 to Canadian firms Alberta Investment Management Corporation and OMERS for a cool £935 million.
In June 2018 Vue acquired Irish cinema operators Showtime Cinema.
As of March 2020, Vue has 91 cinemas in the UK and Ireland with over 850 screens.
So how does Vue compare to its biggest competitors Odeon and Cineworld? Let’s find out!
How Good Are The Vue Recliner Seats?!
Over the last 5 years, Vue has been introducing recliner seats to all of its cinemas. This added luxury has added absolutely nothing to the ticket price of the cinema.
An added luxury comfort at no additional cost was a great move by Vue and whilst this did mean reducing the number of seats in any given theatre it has increased footfall.
Odeon Luxe and Cineworld VIP do have recliners in their cinemas but these are upcharge experiences and they certainly aren’t cheap.
Please note prices do vary dependent on location so these figures may not be accurate for your specific location
Cineworld VIP costs £32 per person and includes a buffet, unlimited soft drinks, and snacks. Check updated prices here.
Odeon Luxe is a much cheaper experience as it only covers the price of the seat and it equates to around £10 – £10.75 at off-peak times and £15 – £15.75 at peak times. Prices vary depending on location. Check live prices here.
Vue Cinema for the seat only is priced at £7.74 (online). Check the most recent prices here.
The standard Vue recliner is not an upgrade or a special VIP package. It’s the bog-standard basic experience at a fraction of the cost!
How Expensive is the Vue Confectionary?
Sadly the downsides of having luxury recliners come as bog-standard in every theatre are the hike in confectionary prices.
Take a look at some examples below.
Prices are accurate as of the date of this published article (12/02/2020)
Regular Nachos
Cineworld – £4.95
Odeon – £5.60
Vue – £5.90
Regular Popcorn
Cineworld -£4.95
Odeon – £ 4.90
Vue – £6.00
Regular Soft Drink
Cineworld – £3.75
Odeon – £3.25
Vue – £3.59
So whilst only the soft drink wasn’t the most expensive on the list for Vue the other prices are certainly more expensive.
The regular popcorn price of £6 is ludicrous, but Vue does have a solution!
You can bring your own food and drink!
Vue, just like Odeon and Cineworld does allow you to bring food and drink into the theatre as long as the drinks are not alcoholic or hot (health and safety) and the food is not hot also.
We all know we can’t resist a big bag of popcorn or those nachos just staring at us from behind the counter but if you’re on a budget then bringing your own food makes sense.
This way you can avoid the more expensive confectionary prices that Vue has and enjoy your affordable recliner seat without putting a major dent in your wallet.
What Company Runs The Highest Grossing UK Cinema?
Vue does!
The Vue Cinema Westfield London is still to this day the UK’s highest-grossing cinema with Vue Stratford City coming in a respectable third.
Whilst Vue isn’t the most profitable UK cinema chain (that title goes to Cineworld) holding the most profitable standalone cinema for a decade is very respectable indeed!
Vue Cinema London is certainly dominating!
How User Friendly is the Vue Website?
Vue’s website hands down wins. The Odeon and Cineworld sites can be tricky to navigate and an absolute pain when it comes to ordering tickets.
The Vue site is easy to navigate, it’s very clear and its crisp simple design has never personally caused my any issues.
They certainly win this title hands down.
Vue Cinema Has the Best Customer Service
You may disagree with this one depending on your own personal experience but for me, Vue is the easy winner here.
They’re easily reachable on social media (Twitter especially) and will reply to all queries quickly and efficiently.
Most of my local Cineworld Cinemas are all controlled by one person who posts the same announcement on every page. That same ‘copy and paste’ person does not have time to answer every Cineworld Cinema query on social media.
As a result, the pages are often badly maintained and many questions go unanswered.
Don’t even get me started on Odeon! You still have to ring them like we’re back in the 1990s to get a query or issue resolved.
Watching 10+ movies a month at the cinema I’ve always got questions and queries and I never have much luck with Cineworld or Odeon.
Vue is always there to help when I need them and that’s why they’re my personal favorites here.
How Many Vue Cinemas Are There?
To answer this question simply, yes.
Vue has 271 3D Screens, 11 Extreme Screens, 7 Gold Class screens, 6 Scene Screens and Bars and 3 IMAX screens in the UK and Ireland.
Let’s go into each one very briefly.
3D Screens – We all know what those are, or at least we should by now!
Extreme Screens – GIANT screens the size of two double-decker buses with 4k projection as standard
Gold Class Screens – Enhanced recliner seats and an all-around more classy experience (information is limited on this experience)
Scene Bars – Free popcorn, nachos and soft drinks with a private bar to relax in before your screening begins
IMAX– That certainly needs no introduction
Explain the VIP experience (Printworks), different seats per location, different accessibilities or perks of certain locations
Why Is Vue Cinema the Best?
Location may be a key part of making your decision here, especially if the nearest Vue is miles away and you have another cinema right on your doorstep.
For me, the logical choice would be Vue if its convenient. Whilst the confectionary is more expensive you just can’t beat the recliner seating price as standard.
A luxury experience for an affordable price.
With their beautiful 4K screens and Dolby Atmos surround sound systems I always have a wonderful time at Vue.
The seats are always a major factor for me when deciding which cinema to visit. You don’t want to be uncomfortable throughout the movie.
Cineworld’s basic seats are bus station seats and Odeon’s normal seats are one step above a dungeon torture chair.
A simple press of a button in a standard Vue cinema and you recline into cinematic heaven.
The bigger seats leave a much bigger gap between yourself and the person next to you.
Whether you’re going to the cinema alone or with friends I’m all for that personal space.
But if you want to go to a cinema with the sole intention of a good cuddling session then click here.
Despite not being the most popular or financially profitable UK cinema I certainly think Vue is the best of the major three chains
