Cinema in London

At home, my family and I love going to the cinema. A few weeks ago, my parents traveled to London to visit. Coincidentally, the new Creed movie, Creed III, was released in theatres days before they arrived. Although we traveled a lot, we made time to go to the theatres while they were in London. We went to the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square. It was a great experience; however, it was very different from the United States.

There were three main differences between the cinematic experiences, one of which was the prices. The standard ticket price for the theatre in London was approximately 16 pounds. Once you factor in the exchange rate, the ticket would be around 19 US dollars. In the theaters in my hometown, our tickets range from 10-13 dollars. But even though the tickets here cost more, the concessions were cheaper. Two drinks, popcorn, and candy cost around 10 pounds which translates to 13 dollars. At home, it would cost 5-10 dollars more. 

The next difference was the theatre in general. When I saw the theater, my jaw dropped. The ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in London had multiple floors with an escalator, concession stands on each floor, people waiting in front of the theatre rooms to look at tickets, and more. At home, it is the complete opposite. There is only one floor to the theatre, you scan your ticket on the way in, and there is only one concession station. In addition, the screen room in the London theatre left me speechless. It was at least two to three times the size of the theatres in the United States. I estimate at least 200-300 seats. However, in the United States, the seats at many theatres recline, which makes for a more relaxing experience. The ODEON Luxe Leicester Square did not have reclining seats. The theatre lacked in this area. 

The last main difference between the theatre in the States and the one in London was the food. As stated previously, the concessions in London theatres are cheaper. But I was surprised to learn they do not butter their popcorn in London. The choices were either sweet or salty popcorn. I chose salty because I expected the saltiness to help with the lack of butter. I was wrong. It tasted like bland popcorn. In addition, they didn’t sell candy that I was familiar with. There were no sour patch kids, M&M’s, Skittles, etc. The concessions were probably the most disappointing part of the entire experience. 

Even though the concessions and lack of reclining seats were a letdown, the overall experience was great. During the movie, it felt like I was at home, sitting on my couch watching a movie. The surround sound in the theater, the screen, and the comfortable seats enhanced the experience. Creed III was also a good movie. The audience was captivated the entire time. The audience was quiet until the movie ended, and everyone started clapping. I rate the experience an 8/10. All in all, I recommend the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square.

By: Chloe Franklin