Latest news with #cinemaexperience
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Handy gadget ideal for summer film nights lands on Aldi shelves this week and it's a fraction of the price of big brands
A HANDY gadget, ideal for summer film nights, is coming to Aldi this later this week. The new specialty item will be coming to Aldi at a bargain price on June 26. The Inflatable Movie Screen is coming to stores for under £60, designed to be paired with a projector it allows shoppers to get the full cinema experience at home. Aldi will be bringing the inflatable screen to stores in the coming days with shoppers able to purchase one at their nearest Aldi location. The screen self inflates making it easy to set up and use, just point your projector at it to create the perfect at home cinema this summer. It can be deflated just as easily and rolls up so it fits easily into the carry case provided. With an impressive size of 300 x 160 x 254 cm it's larger than most TVs. It can also be used outside during the warm summer months with tethers and stakes provided to stop it blowing away in the summer breeze. Buying an equivalent item on Amazon would set you back about £100. The Aldi screen comes with built -in blowers and fans and a quick setup guide. Once inflated all you have to do is point your projector at it, grab some popcorn and press play. Aldi said: "Skip the cinema, grab some popcorn and settle in at home with this Inflatable Movie Screen." Inside 'world's largest cinema' the 'Big King' with 2,700-seater triple-decker 'grand hall' and giant 3,000sq ft screen With a black frame and a white screen the picture from your projector should be crystal clear on the inflatable movie screen. The gadget can be used both indoors and outdoors, weather permitting, and is perfect for family movie nights. It supports itself and keeps itself inflated so that you can sit back and enjoy the film. Designed for use with any front projector the gadget can also be used as a screen for gaming if your projector can connect to your console. It's the perfect device for beefing up your screen space, offering a larger screen than any monitor or TV. Aldi are selling the inflatable screen for just £59.99, about £60 less than the Amazon equivalent. The budget retailer are bringing the inflatable screen to stores just in time for the summer heatwave. You'll now be able to take full advantage of the warm weather with this gadget making it easier than ever to create a DIY garden cinema. How to bag a bargain SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain… Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with. Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks. Sales are when you can pick up a real steal. Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on. Sign up to mailing lists and you'll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too. When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use and are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer. Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping. Bargain hunters can also use B&M's scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out. And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you'll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
Geek Tyrant
05-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Tyrant
AMC Theatres Is Adding More Pre-Movie Ads; Is This a Nessassary Evil For Theaters To Survive? — GeekTyrant
If you've ever checked your watch 15-20 minutes into what should've been the start of your movie, only to be greeted by yet another trailer or car commercial, well... buckle up. Starting July 1, AMC Theatres, the biggest movie chain in the world, is adding even more ads before the film actually begins. AMC has inked a deal with National CineMedia Inc. to begin running what's called a 'platinum spot', which will feature an ad shown right before the movie starts, in that final stretch of trailers when the anticipation is peaking. It's an ad that audiences won't miss. This is a move aimed squarely at generating what AMC calls 'vital revenue,' and here's what they had to say about it: 'While AMC was initially reluctant to bring this to our theaters, our competitors have fully participated for more than five years without any direct impact to their attendance.' They're not wrong. Regal and Cinemark signed on to this model years ago. AMC was the last holdout. But, after the pandemic ravaged the exhibition industry and with 2024 delivering a mixed bag at the box office, the company is looking for every dollar it can find. Still, it's hard not to feel a little defeated. As a movie fan, you want theaters to thrive. You want AMC to survive because the industry needs it to survive. But making the moviegoing experience worse, especially when it's already fighting the "I'll just wait to stream it" mindset, feels like a step in the wrong direction. It's funny, because AMC's slogan is 'We Make Movies Better' but this will make the movie going experience at their theaters worse. It's not like audiences don't notice. According to AMC's own website: 'The listed runtime is the duration of the feature film. The feature film does not start at the published showtime. There are approximately 20 minutes of preshow material, including trailers, between the published showtime and the start of the feature film.' And now, that 'preshow' just got longer. To be fair, AMC is trying some genuinely good stuff. Discount Wednesdays are coming back, which is a solid move to get casual audiences back in the habit. But commercials? That's just another reason for people to show up late, or skip the theater entirely. This isn't about hating on ads. It's about the core experience. People go to the movies for escape, not to see ads for insurance rates or real estate agents. If the industry really wants to survive, maybe it should focus more on reminding us why we fell in love with movie theaters in the first place, not why we keep showing up 25 minutes late. Source: Bloomberg
