To begin our movie ticket booking, I first went to the website to check the session times and see if the vouchers could be redeemed online. It turned out you could redeem online but it was going to incur a $12 booking fee! No way! That is ridiculous! So we decided to just chance it, afterall, we were going to a 10.40am session on a Monday - surely it won't be full. When we arrived at the ticket counter with our vouchers, the guy behind the desk advised that there was a $3 per person surcharge to see Harry Potter in 3D. My jaw dropped. Sure, it's only a couple of bucks but I couldn't see why such a thing should apply. When asked why the surcharge existed, he advised that, "It costs the cinemas more money to screen a 3D movie so we charge customers extra." So you pay to redeem online and then when you get there you have to pay a surcharge for 3D anyway... madness!
Now for anyone who knows me, you'd know it's an effort to get me in the front door of a cinema anyway - it's not my favourite thing to do - this just made it all the more painful. In a world of illegal downloading, economic crisis and home cinemas, you would have thought the commercial movie theatres would be jumping over a barrel to get you in to see their latest flicks - in particular those in 3D that they are flogging on the telly. But that's their plan you see, you can't do 3D at home so they slug you with a surcharge.
We both loved the film, but having two disappointing booking experiences (three if you count having to pay for the 3D glasses as well) our date left a rather goblin piss-like taste in our mouths.
Verdict: LEAVE (you won't see me inside Event Cinemas ever again!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was great though!
