Cinema tickets among dearest

Renfrewshire cinema tickets are nearly double the price of other theatres around the country.

Adults can expect to splash out around a tenner to catch the latest flicks at intu Braehead.

Tickets are even more expensive at Paisley’s Showcase – with film buffs charged almost twice the price of those in Edinburgh.

Mum- of- three Gemma Brown, 36, told how it cost her family nearly £40 to catch the latest Fantastic Beats film at the Phoenix Retail Park.

She said: “We had been patiently waiting for the film to come out after seeing the first one.

“But it’s such an expensive afternoon.

“By the time you add in sweeties and lunch, you’re not far off £100.

“It’s just not feasible for families, especially with the way things are at the minute.

“I think we’ll just wait for the next one to come out on Blu-ray.”

Odeon runs the state-ofthe-art hall at Braehead’s Soar centre.

It charges £ 10.55 for a premier seat peak-time ticket to see new releases in 2D. Standard seats cost £8.75. Showcase Paisley tickets will set you back £11.20 for one of its top-tier XLR tickets.

Bosses promise “extra comfortable premium seating” with extra leg room for a luxury film- going experience.

Standard tickets are priced at £9.20.

Child tickets are priced £ 7 at Showcase and £ 6.50 for teenagers or £ 6.25 for younger fans at Odeon.

The average cost of an adult peak-time cinema ticket in Scotland is £8.59.

That falls to £ 7.69 when looking at off- peak adult tickets.

The least expensive Scottish cinemas looked at were the Hamilton, Livingston, Aberdeen and Inverness branches of Vue.

They all offer tickets at a flat rate of £4.99 for adults.

The most expensive Scottish cinema included in the analysis was the Edinburgh branch of Picturehouse.

It offers peak time tickets to adults for £12.20.

Odeon insists the cinema still represents great value compared to gigs and sports events.

A spokesman said: “Price choices vary and flex depending on a number of factors.

“These include seat type and location in the auditorium, what we’re showing, time of day, and the number of people booking at one time.”