Bad news for people who go to the movies in South Africa

Movie ticket prices in South Africa are between 92% and 275% more expensive than they were a decade ago, an analysis by MyBroadband shows.

South Africa’s two big cinema chains, Ster-Kinekor and Nu-Metro, have struggled to remain relevant while video streaming services have seen explosive growth.

The growing libraries of excellent movies and series on these services are believed to have driven demand for larger-screen TVs at home, which has further blunted the appeal of the big-screen experience.

The Covid-19 pandemic further accelerated streaming adoption, as people were forced to spend more time at home during lockdown periods.

Worsening the migration from theatre seats to TV room couches is the impact of the rand’s significant weakening against the dollar in the past decade.

South African movie distributors must often pay for titles in US dollars, as many of the most popular titles are produced through Hollywood.

The US film industry accounts for about 40% to 45% of the global box office market share, and its movies generally appeal more to South African audiences than those from Bollywood (India), Nollywood (Nigeria), and Asian production companies.

Between March 2015 and March 2025, the average price of a US dollar increased from R12.07 to R18.24.

Despite cramming screenings with more advertisements as an additional source of revenue, South African cinemas have needed to push up ticket prices substantially to remain solvent.

There have been a few bright spots of hope for the industry, with a handful of high-grossing blockbusters like Barbie, Dune 2, and Oppenheimer drawing people back to the big screen.

Cinemas have also tried to pivot to adapt to the times with screenings of major music and sports events and classic movies.

The change in strategy has helped Ster-Kinekor avoid a large-scale theatre shutdown and retrenching 236 workers — a third of its workforce.

However, it nonetheless shuttered two theatres and cut close to 60 jobs.

That comes less than three years after the firm escaped liquidation thanks to a R250 million investment.

MyBroadband compared the latest ticket prices of Ster-Kinekor and its primary competition Nu-Metro to better understand just how much more expensive a night at the movies has become.

Ster-Kinekor

The pricing on all Ster-Kinekor’s tickets have increased by far more than inflation, which increased by roughly 63% between April 2015 and April 2025.

Ten years ago, the most affordable ticket at a Ster-Kinekor cinema was R24, which was exclusive to its Sterland theatre.

Maponya Mall was the next most affordable at R38, followed by N1 City’s tickets at R45.

In 2025, these cinemas all charge R89.90 per ticket, working out to between about 100% and 275% more expensive.

However, the more common prices in 2015 were R53 and R66 at Ster-Kinekor’s Junction and Classic theatres, respectively.

All the cinemas that remain from those sub-chains now charge R129.90 per ticket, which is between 97% and 145% more expensive than a decade ago.

This is more than the monthly subscription of a Showmax Entertainment, Netflix Basic, Amazon Prime Video, or Apple TV+ subscription.

The only major international streaming service that is more expensive is Disney+, which costs about R30 more per month than these tickets.

The more premium Blue Route and CapeGate cinemas charge R149.90 per ticket, up from R62 in 2015.

The table below summarises how prices for tickets at Ster-Kinekor cinemas changed between 2015 and 2025.

Nu-Metro

Pricing changes at South Africa’s second largest cinema chain Nu-Metro have not been any better, apart from the adjustment on its most expensive screenings.

Nu-Metro’s cheapest prices are its Price Freeze 2D/3D tickets at only five cinemas, which cost R50 each.

It also offers discounts for pensioners and kids at all its cinemas, with tickets available for R100 on both 2D and 3D movies at most screenings.

However, its regular 2D/3D ticket prices are R135, up from between R55 and R70 in 2015. That works out to effective increases between 93% and 145%.

Tickets for its Xtreme screenings have increased by more than 100%, going from R99 to R200.

VIP 3D tickets have increased by the lowest percentage of 67%. Even so, the increase is slightly above the rate of inflation over the past few years.

The table below compares Nu-Metro’s cinema ticket prices in 2025 with those from 10 years ago.