IT seems not even Tom Cruise himself, jetting onto the big screen in hypersonic speed, can save cinema.

The past two years or so have been tough for cinemas, with closures during the pandemic followed by restrictions on audience numbers. And despite the release of blockbusters like the latest Bond movie, No Time To Die, Marvel superhero epic Thor: Love and Thunder and long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick, post-pandemic audiences haven’t been flocking to cinemas in numbers that were expected.

Now bosses at Cineworld are considering whether to put the world’s second largest cinema chain into bankruptcy. They confirmed this week that they’re looking at options for restructuring the business, said to have debts of $5 billion. While it won’t mean the end of the chain - more a chance to propose a reorganisation to stakeholders - it’s a worrying sign that the industry is struggling.

Cinema bosses warn there haven’t been enough major releases to attract the audiences needed to give multiplexes, and smaller picture houses, a much-needed boost.

Streaming services have hit cinemas hard too. Audiences turned to streaming in droves during lockdown and for many people it remains the go-to way of watching films. Remember when you had to wait months for a film to come out on DVD or a movie channel after its cinema release? Now you can access new releases pretty much straight away on streaming. That’s tough competition for cinemas.

It’s a great shame, as there’s nothing quite like watching a film on the big screen. I have always loved going to the cinema, it’s one of my favourite things; watching a film in a shared public space makes it a more memorable, even meaningful, experience. Some films you simply have to see at the cinema. I’d find it grim to watch any film on a laptop or, worse, a mobile phone! It takes all the romance out of the movies.

Cinema was one of the things I missed most during lockdown. But I confess I haven’t been back to the pictures much since. I think it’s partly because I don’t keep up with new releases like I used to, as so many films go straight to streaming now, and I don’t subscribe to these services. Another factor is the expense. The last film I saw at the cinema was Elvis, Baz Luhrmann’s excellent biopic, but the ticket was £10, which seemed rather steep. It’s even more in some cinemas. Add on costs of a drink and snacks (if, like me, you get sucked in to buying an extortionate bag of confectionery because you’re not organised enough to get cheaper stuff beforehand) and it can be quite pricey. Taking a family to the cinema could set you back you the best part of a hundred quid.

With living expenses rising, and the prospect of a grim winter ahead, the cinema has become an occasional treat. Yet there was a time when I went nearly every week. Why has it become so expensive? Back when there was a picture house on practically every street corner, it was cheap, accessible pre and post-war entertainment for the working-classes.

These days movies cost a lot to make and distribute, and ticket prices have to cover that. But if those mega-budget blockbusters aren’t bringing in enough punters, maybe the industry needs to re-think the way its studio-to-cinema supply chain operates. Fewer people are going to cinemas, and putting up ticket prices won’t attract them back.