FILM-LOVERS have attacked Islington's biggest cinema for being one of the most expensive in London.

A peak-time ticket at Vue Islington, in the N1 Centre, in Parkfield Street, Islington, costs £9.45 - nearly £1.50 more than the same company's new cinema at the former Millennium Dome and over £2.50 more than independent competitor Screen on the Green, in nearby Upper Street.

The multiplex opened as Warner Village in 2002 but was taken over by Vue two years later. It has nine screens seating nearly 1,800 people.

Only the Odeon in Kensington High Street costs more among the big cinema chains outside the West End

Jenni Woolfe, 25, an equalities officer, of Offord Road, Islington, said: "It's excessive. We've come on a Wednesday because it's two for one but I wouldn't come on a weekend. You could buy a DVD for this money."

Friend Katie Sindon, 28, a TV production worker, of Wood Green, added: "It's my first time. I had no idea it was so expensive. I go to Wood Green which is cheaper."

Another cinema-goer, who did not want to be named, said: "I go to the Screen on the Green but if there's a film here that's not on there, you haven't got a choice. The IMAX in Waterloo is much better value."

A survey by consumer rights magazine Which? last November rated Vue as the country's best chain cinema experience but found ticket costs left "a lot to be desired".

A spokeswoman for Which? said: "While cinema prices may still compare favourably to the theatre, they can mount up - especially for a family. The biggest variations in prices are in London. Vue in Shepherd's Bush costs £7.75 while the Vue in Leicester Square, four miles away, is four pounds more expensive."

A Vue spokesman said: "Prices are worked out on location and rent costs. In areas such as Islington, land rents are so high that prices have to be higher to cover overheads.