Hit me as an exceptionally unpleasant surprise.

[Zkiller]

It hit me as an exceptionally unpleasant surprise that the cinema's management is studying increasing the entry ticket fee.
1- Is it formal enough?
2- How to convey the same meaning but in a stronger, yet polite and formal wording? (The meaning is that it's I see that it's a bad idea)

 

[Tarheel]

1. Yes.
2. You can hardly say it stronger than that. (You don't really need to say hit me as. You can just say was.)

 

[bhaisahab]

"It came as an extremely unpleasant surprise to me that the cinema's management is considering increasing the price of tickets."

 

[Polyester]

bhaisahab,
Can I use "comes" instead of "came"?

 

[Matthew Wai]

May I say 'shocking surprise'?

 

[tedmc]

I do no think 'shocking' collocates well with 'surprise'.
You are either shocked or surprised, the former being more extreme.

 

[bhaisahab]

bhaisahab,
Can I use "comes" instead of "came"?

Yes.

 

[bhaisahab]

May I say 'shocking surprise'?

No. That doesn't work for me.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Would it be stronger to say 'It is devastating news to me that...'?

 

[tedmc]

Would it be stronger to say 'It is devastating news to me that...'?

That would be an exaggeration.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think it can hardly be stronger if there is no exaggeration, but I am not a teacher.

 

[tedmc]

You cannot be 'devastated' from knowing that cinema ticket prices are going to be increased surely.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Why not? 'Devastated' means 'extremely upset and shocked', according to http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/devastated?q=devastated

Not a teacher.

 

[emsr2d2]

That is what it means but it still seems like an overreaction to cinema ticket prices going up.

 

[Tarheel]

That is what it means but it still seems like an overreaction to cinema ticket prices going up.

It's possible but unlikely. (If prices are too high at the cinema you can always go elsewhere. It's not like prices for food doubling in a matter of hours. People have to eat. (That kind of thing did, in fact, happen during the hyperinflation in Zimbabwe fairly recently.))