Matthew Vaughn: Cinema prices are to blame for poor ticket sales (exclusive)

‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ director Matthew Vaughn says the cost of going to the pictures is killing the industry, lamenting the loss of ushers and box office staff. His comments come off the back of one of the worst summers at the box office in years.

“My problem with cinema,” Vaughn told Yahoo Movies while promoting the sequel to 2015’s ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’, “Is that everything around the cinema is so expensive that it’s killing appetite to go see it, because you’ve got your kids who are having the world’s most expensive popcorn. I think it’s become a little too commercialised in that sense.”

“I miss when you go to the cinema ushers telling you ‘I’ve just seen this movie, you need to see it’, because they’re not there any more. Cinema needs to become theatrical again, the experience like you’re going to a rock concert, and you’re fans. Even in the box office, someone saying ‘you shouldn’t buy a ticket to that movie, it’s dreadful, buy a ticket for this one’.

“Bring back the love of cinema so cinema can survive.”

Vaughn also spoke candidly about the appeal of making films for VOD platforms following the news that ‘Kingsman’ creator Mark Millar had sold his comic imprint Millarworld to Netflix.

“I think there are certain films that have to be seen on the big screen, and there’s something magical about going to the cinema,” Vaughn told us.

“Never say never [about making a film for Netflix], but I will always want to be in cinemas, but I understand why people do it because Netflix is pretty impressive, that you can make it and you’ve got millions of people who can just click on it [and watch it].”

‘Kingsman’ and ‘Kick-Ass’, the two Millarworld properties previously adapted by Vaughn, were not included in the Netflix deal.

‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ is in cinemas now.

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