Gold Class Cinemas [Archive]

ben_cats_fan

19 Dec 2006, 06:07

Hey all,

I work at the Village Cinemas in Hobart and we've just recently had a $3.5million upgrade which includes the inclusion of 3 Gold Class cinemas (to open on Boxing Day).

Here in Tasmania there has been a massive amount of advertising i.e. 70,000+ pamphlets handed out in the last 3 or so days alone, and patrons and management alike are really excited about this exciting development.

I was just wondering the popularity of GC over on the main-land, and whether people like to choose GC over the traditional cinemas? Whether main-land cinema-goers think that the prices for GC is OTT or whether it is well priced for the service they receive.

Bombers_Forever

19 Dec 2006, 06:12

ben_cats_fan

19 Dec 2006, 06:19

Most people get them as gifts and go along. I don't think many rock up and say, yeah, that is a good way to go. It is quite pricey (hence a good present). Because there are so few of them and only 1 or 2 movies, they are popular, depending on the movie.

Will home cinemas these days, you can have pretty much the same thing at home.

Yeah, and that's the problem working in this dying industry. The cost of going to the movies these days which even I will admit is incredibly pricey, leads to piracy and people staying at home rather than enjoying a good night out at the movies!

Management seem to think it will be a massive seller, and indeed, it very well could be. But for starters, the price atm is being labelled as $37 a ticket on Thurs-Sat - is that on par with the main land? With Happy Feet coming to our screens very soon, and the novelty of having Gold Class here may just boost our sales rapidly over the next say 4-5 months, however, i'm not convinced here in Tasmania we have the population to sustainably run such a complex. I guess only time will tell!

Ryz

19 Dec 2006, 08:15

But for starters, the price atm is being labelled as $37 a ticket on Thurs-Sat - is that on par with the main land?

Yep :mad:

Bloody x-mas presents.

Lidge

19 Dec 2006, 08:48

Just bought 4 x Directors Suite passes (for the kids to give to the missus as Xmas an Xmas pressie). At $32 a throw - not great value, but she'll love it.

Have only dipped into my own pocket once before to actually see a flick in a Gold Class cinema - purely for the novelty factor eons ago. IMO - they're good for corporate events (hardly a corporate scene in Hobart to sustain such a cinema) & gifts. But then again, there's less entertainment options in Tassie - and the concept may well work down there.

The half pipe cinema at Melbourne Central is far better value. Standard prices, but you watch from the comfort of a massive bean bag.

For mine, my preference is still at the Drive Ins. For $12 - I can take the kids along, reverse the Odessy, flip the seats down in the back and the kids lay down in the back and have a ball, and I'll sit out in a deck chair, put the feet up under the stars, have a ciggie if I want and as Michael Caton once said, "enjoy the serenity".

Greatness23

19 Dec 2006, 09:52

Over here the Greater Union Gold Class during the week (except tuesdays) is only 5 dollars more then the regular cinema during the day.

ben_cats_fan

19 Dec 2006, 11:20

Over here the Greater Union Gold Class during the week (except tuesdays) is only 5 dollars more then the regular cinema during the day.

Yeah, GC is apparently going to be $25 on a Tuesday here in Tassie. But we don't have a single drive-through :( Being someone who's got his license this year, I wish we did!

grimlock

19 Dec 2006, 11:22

The novelty wears off after 2 or 3 visits. Plus the food/drinks are nothing spectacular for the price they charge.

danzan22

19 Dec 2006, 11:52

The novelty wears off after 2 or 3 visits. Plus the food/drinks are nothing spectacular for the price they charge.
the comfort fact is awsome in gold class but the price for food is a ********ing joke, i go sometimes if its meant to be a really good movie and i have some money lying around.

grimlock

19 Dec 2006, 11:56

The only good point is that its 18+, so you don't get any whiny teenyboppers constantly chattering through the films.

Don Draper

19 Dec 2006, 12:18

Went once to see The Matrix: Revolutions and was quite comfortable sitting their watching it. Would only splash out too see a really good movie.

-Mav

HorseHead

19 Dec 2006, 13:53

Generally speaking, I'll only go to the movies if I can see the movie in Gold Class. I probably only go two or three times a year anyway, so I don't mind paying the extra to be free from all the chattering idiots and noisy food wrappers... not to mention the extra comfort. :thumbsu:

Shell

19 Dec 2006, 15:47

peternorth

19 Dec 2006, 19:24

Have seen a movie once in Directors Suite (Hoyts equivalent in Gold Class), cause my mate, who worked there at the time had free tickets. Was okay, seats really comfortable and it is good if you hate crowded cinemas, and people (teenyboppers) talking etc etc... Which btw, if people are talking, get the usher and have em turfed out. I used to work at a cinema myself... don't put up with their ******** for one second peoples.

But yeah, I can put up with the regular cinemas. For a special night out or treat, would be okay. But personally I have better things to spend my money on.

from memory the directors seats are bigger and more comfy seats at the back of the cinema - thus you are in the same cinema as the average joe?

novelty value yes GC is good. BUT personally id only see a long movie in it - ie LOTR. But because of the comfy seat factor i fell asleep during star wars I.

Arden

19 Dec 2006, 19:40

But because of the comfy seat factor i fell asleep during star wars I.

Had nothing to do with the comfy seat.

peternorth

20 Dec 2006, 06:00

Had nothing to do with the comfy seat.

hahaha lol! :thumbsu:

Shell

20 Dec 2006, 13:27

from memory the directors seats are bigger and more comfy seats at the back of the cinema - thus you are in the same cinema as the average joe?

novelty value yes GC is good. BUT personally id only see a long movie in it - ie LOTR. But because of the comfy seat factor i fell asleep during star wars I.

From memory.. I really don't remember!! :D

I went to the one at Hoyts Highpoint aaages ago, in the old cinemotion theatre (god what a waste of space that thing was :D )... anyway, I thought the seats were all the same.

red+black

20 Dec 2006, 18:25

Yeah, GC is apparently going to be $25 on a Tuesday here in Tassie. But we don't have a single drive-through :( Being someone who's got his license this year, I wish we did!

http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/tasnt1.htm

Looks like there were 4 at one stage, no details though.

Come to Vic some time, we still have some drive-ins

http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/vic_coburg.htm
http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/vic_dandenong.htm
http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/vic_dromana.htm

Renegade

21 Dec 2006, 17:32

Won a few GC tickets in a poker tournament last week, never been before but it sounds pretty good.

ben_cats_fan

21 Dec 2006, 17:40

http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/tasnt1.htm

Looks like there were 4 at one stage, no details though.

Come to Vic some time, we still have some drive-ins

http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/vic_coburg.htm
http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/vic_dandenong.htm
http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/vic_dromana.htm

Actually, am doing so on Christmas Day! Coming over to watch the cricket, but as i'm only there until the 29th then I won't be able to get ot the drive-ins. But I will hopefully get along to gold class!

The Renovations in Tassie look superb. Was there today when I was working and the way the renovators & contractors created this part of the building is really quite interesting. When we are finally open, i'll take some photos with my phone and i'll upload them here. Will be interesting to see how it finally turns out!

la47

21 Dec 2006, 17:41

The Hoyts Director's Suite at Melbourne Central is far better than any Gold Class that I've been into, the food is really ******** though

Kingpin

21 Dec 2006, 20:26

Yeah, GC is apparently going to be $25 on a Tuesday here in Tassie. But we don't have a single drive-through :( Being someone who's got his license this year, I wish we did!

It'll be initially popular, but like most things that are pricey in Hobart, numbers will fall and in the long run it'll become unsustainable.
I've noticed over the last ten or so years how much the attendances are falling down at Collins Street and being involved in another entertainment industry that operates in a pretty similar manner to what the cinemas do (AMF Bowling), the prices keep on rising, the people continue to stay away.

Also too, I think people these days just can't be bothered to have a social night out like they once would either.

Showing my age here mate, but I'm old enough to remember the two drive-in's in Hobart :o
There was the East Side Drive-In which was just off Bounty Street, Warrane, East Side Christian school is there now just up near the TAFE campus over there, and there was the Elwick Drive-In in the middle of the Elwick Racecourse.
Elwick closed in 1985, and Eastside closed a year or so before that.

ben_cats_fan

23 Dec 2006, 17:35

I've noticed over the last ten or so years how much the attendances are falling down at Collins Street and being involved in another entertainment industry that operates in a pretty similar manner to what the cinemas do (AMF Bowling), the prices keep on rising, the people continue to stay away.

Yep - attendances have been crappy - but that could easily be, and often is, attributed to the state of the cinemas (for all the inter-staters, the cinemas actually smelt like urine!) and we'd lose our patronage to sites like Eastlands & Glenorchy. But still, Hobart was the 10th best performing Village site on the circuit. However, with the recent rennovations, we're expecting the patrons to come swooming back, and maybe the trend will reverse. Who knows? Only time will tell.

Kingpin

23 Dec 2006, 19:20

Yep - attendances have been crappy - but that could easily be, and often is, attributed to the state of the cinemas (for all the inter-staters, the cinemas actually smelt like urine!) and we'd lose our patronage to sites like Eastlands & Glenorchy. But still, Hobart was the 10th best performing Village site on the circuit. However, with the recent rennovations, we're expecting the patrons to come swooming back, and maybe the trend will reverse. Who knows? Only time will tell.

Ahh yes, I haven't been inside the place to watch a movie in.....ohhhhh.... 7 or 8 years, but funnily enough you mention the pissy smell inside the place, a number of people I've known in recent years have described that smell in there and reckoned it was a bit 'well worn' shall we say ;)
AMF Moonah, when AMF Australia was taken over by MacQuarie Leisure over two years ago received a $4 million upgrade and that was hoped it would bring back a lot of lost players and new clientele, but hasn't really, in fact because of the pricing structure it's actually still losing numbers.

Good luck with the new venture and hopefully it works out fine :thumbsu:

PS: Is my little bald mate with the toupee still ushering down there?
Can't think of his name, used to know him from up here.

ben_cats_fan

24 Dec 2006, 19:12

PS: Is my little bald mate with the toupee still ushering down there?
Can't think of his name, used to know him from up here.

Phil is his name - and yes, he's still there. Although he's lost the toupee now, nothing up top ;)

thecarpetsnake

24 Dec 2006, 23:41

I was just wondering the popularity of GC over on the main-land, and whether people like to choose GC over the traditional cinemas? Whether main-land cinema-goers think that the prices for GC is OTT or whether it is well priced for the service they receive.

I've worked with Village for 5 years and I can honestly say that GC an astronomical rip-off.
It's okay as a gift for a movie buff or if you're too lazy to buy real presents. However, anybody who is dumb enough to pay the exorbitant prices we charge week in week out deserves to be swindled.

Village are well aware that there is absolutely no growth left in typical cinemas so they've put all their eggs into the GC venture. For pretty much the whole year all the seats are filled with people using gift vouchers that they got for christmas. It's actually bloody clever business, and they can get away with crap service because obviously people using vouchers they were given as presents aren't going to be as demanding as those who just paid their $37 per seat plus $17 for their microwave pizza.

Okay, enough ranting from me.