The Saatchi Gallery has been criticised for ‘pricing out’ families from its highly anticipated Tutankhamun show, which is claimed to be Britain’s most expensive exhibition.

Due to open on Saturday in the Chelsea gallery, the exhibition of the Egyptian King’s possessions will display more than 150 pieces from Tutankhamun’s tomb until May 2020 before they are set to return to Egypt forever.

The return of the priceless artefacts to the UK has gained significant media interest, with keen fans snapping up almost every ticket for its debut weekend.

An adult ticket will cost up to £37.50 for peak times including weekends, and a family of three face a £100 price tag for the experience.

But the exhibition’s record-breaking price tag comes despite lukewarm reviews from critics and criticism from charities that the gallery are overcharging families for the experience.

‘It’s disappointing that the Saatchi Gallery has decided to charge what must be one of the highest ever ticket prices for its Tutankhamun exhibition,’ Sharon Heal from the Museum ᴀssociation told the Telegraph.

‘Although I understand the costs ᴀssociated with putting the exhibition together, it’s a shame that many families will be excluded by the exorbitant costs of tickets.’

The Museum ᴀssociation has previously backed the campaign to scrap admission charges to London’s museums, and Mrs Heal has ‘strongly recommended’ the gallery make more affordable tickets available.

A gold inlaid canopic coffinette of Tutankhamum, which dates back to 1336-1326 BC, is displayed at the Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh’ at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea in London. It is not the iconic death mask most closely ᴀssociated to the Pharoah, which remains in Cairo

The seven-month exhibit features 150 artefacts from the tomb, 60 of which have never left Egypt before. Pictured: A gilded wooden ostrich hunt fan on display at the exhibit, which recently held its press screening

A mural containing hieroglyphics taken from the tomb which was first discovered by British explorers in 1922

An adult ticket will cost up to £37.50 for peak times including weekends, and a family of three face a £100 price tag for the experience. Pictured: A wooden statue of the King hunting with a spear and wearing a crown

A gallery employee looks on at a display showing some of the several layers and trappings involved in Tutankhamun’s elaborate embalming and burial. His embalming and sarcophagus consists of five layers

A colossal quartzite statue of Tutankhamun, which was usurped by later Pharaohs Ay and Horemheb in the building of their monuments

Ticket prices seem unfairly exclusive to some when compared to other significant shows, including the £15 entry fee for the Louvre Museum’s Leonardo da Vinci exhibition.

The show also won’t be featuring the iconic death mask worn by Tutankhamun, which remains in Egypt as it now too fragile to travel on such a lengthy tour. Critics however have suggested punters might be ‘fooled’ into attending the exhibit because a similar mask has been used widely in marketing for the exhibition.

The reason behind the high prices might be explained by the Egyptians’ desire to finally finish the Grand Egyptian Museum, where King Tut will go on display following the tour.

On it’s second leg in Paris, the exhibit became France’s most popular in history, and raised £8million which is said to be going towards completing the museum.

Eminent archaeologist Zawi Hawᴀss previously said of the display: ‘Egypt’s name will be every day for six months in the TV or newspaper. And it brings money to Egypt.’

Last year the National Gallery faced similar criticism by charging £22 for a Claude Monet exhibition at peak weekend times.

Picᴀsso 1932 at the Tate Modern carried a hefty fee of £22 for adults, and the V&A’s Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains show cost £30 at its opening in 2017.

The 10-stage world exhibit is taking place to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and is the final chance to see these glittering world heritage artefacts before they return to Egypt forever.

Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, is at the Saatchi Gallery and runs from November 2 to May 3 2020.

A wooden guardian statue of the King, which would have flanked the sealed entrance to Tutankhamun’s burial chamber

The 10-stage world exhibit is taking place to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and is the final chance to see these glittering world heritage artefacts before they return to Egypt forever

A visitor looks at a painted wooden model solar boat complete with a throne and steering paddles. Believing that would need such objects in the afterlife, Kings would be given several huge objects including beds and boats to be stored in their tombs

The exhibit also features some everyday objects the king would have wanted to take with him into the afterlife, including several quite simplistic pots and vases

British archeologist Howard Carter is pictured studying the inside of Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus after making the discovery of the century beneath the sands of the Valley of the Kings in 1922

The first glimpse into Tutankhamun’s nearly intact tomb, a discovery funded by Lord Carnarvon which attracted huge media attention from across the globe

A gilt shrine is removed from the Pharaoh’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in a first stage of studying and cataloging the 5,000 items discovered in the find