Remember the days when you could buy a cinema ticket and fill up on overflowing bags of Pic 'n Mix with a fiver and have still spare cash in your purse?
Well, sadly, those days are well and truly over with the standard price of an off-peak cinema ticket now totalling a shocking £8.24.
What's worse is that you can now buy 13 pints of cider for the price of a ticket to the cinema, according to a new study from the Alcohol Health Alliance.
According to the report, the cheapest alcohol sold in supermarkets equals 16 pence per unit, meaning customers can now buy up to two-and-a-half bottles of white cider for the the same price as a trip to the pictures.
Now, when it writes 'white cider' we all know it's referring to Britain's best-selling white cider, Frosty Jacks – that super-strength yellow-coloured liquid you'd by in bulk to pre-drink before a night out as a teenager (and live to regret the next day).
But, while we might be able to look back on our former youth and laugh, such inexpensive alcohol poses a serious threat to students and the economy in the U.K, with over 23,000 deaths and £21 billion spent on alcohol abuse, according to government figures.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the alliance told The Telegraph: 'In spite of a government commitment to tackle cheap, high-strength alcohol, these products are still available at pocket money prices. Harmful drinkers and children are still choosing the cheapest products: predominantly white cider and cheap vodka.'
We think placing a minimum price of 50p per unit in England (an idea originally scrapped by the former coalition) and slashing cinema tickets by half would be an excellent solution to the problem.
Pass us the popcorn, not the pint.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
