According to research carried out by NU, cinemas in the Netherlands are raising their ticket prices in order to make up for the high cost of energy unless the Dutch government steps in to offer financial support. 

Cinemas backed into a corner by higher energy prices

Back in September, the Dutch cultural sector announced that it hoped to spare customers and visitors from higher prices by passing on the rising energy costs to the government. At the time, the director of the Dutch Association of Cinemas and Film Theatres, Gulian Nolthenius, told NU that “a visit to the cinema should remain one of the cheapest outings.” 

Over the past two months, however, the industry’s outlook appears to have changed. While it still hopes that the government will take “all conceivable measures” to provide financial support to businesses, cinemas across the country have already taken steps to raise ticket prices after struggling to keep up with rising energy bills. 

Cultural sector calls on Dutch government to provide financial support

NU reports that cinemas such as the Rialto in Amsterdam have had to raise ticket prices, along with the KINO in Rotterdam and Lumière Cinema in Maastricht: “The main concern is, of course, that energy prices will continue to rise and thus become an unmanageable and unaffordable cost item,” director Nico Haenen told the website.

While the Rialto and other institutions, such as Forum Groningen, are also taking steps to improve the insulation of their building and reduce their energy consumption by lowering the thermostat, turning off projectors and closing doors, this won’t necessarily be enough. 

"We do what we can, but we don't have that many options," Forum Groningen’s CEO Dirk Nijdam explains to NU. "For a solution to the high energy costs, we look to the government. They must step in."