Big screens luring bigger audiences

Cinema admissions in Malta increased by 10 per cent in the first nine months of this year over the same period last year, KRS Film Distributors general manager Charles Pace said yesterday.

"Malta is one of the few countries which is experiencing an increase, contrary to trends witnessed in other countries such as the UK and the US," he said.

However, despite these encouraging figures the industry was under constant threat from piracy. Mr Pace pointed out that though the blockbuster Bad Boys II was expected to be released on the big screen next week, it was already on sale at the Monti stalls.

The industry was also being hit by a legal loophole allowing Region 1 DVDs from Canada and the US to be rented out, even though the films would not yet have arrived in local cinemas.

Mr Pace was yesterday speaking at the launch of upcoming blockbusters and films to be released over the next 12 weeks.

These include Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, starring Uma Thurman; The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, parts of which were filmed in Malta; and the much anticipated final film of Peter Jackson's epic trilogy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which will be released on December 17.

Children also have a lot to look forward to from the comic adventures of two fish in Finding Nemo; the animated holiday adventures of a bear cub in Brother Bear and the exhilarating tale of Peter Pan.

Lovers of art house films are in for a treat with two French films: La Ville Est Tranquille and Comedie De L'Innocence; Young Adam starring Ewan McGregor; Open Hearts which deals with the fragility of life and the power of love and Le Divorce a modern-day comedy of errors featuring Kate Hudson.

Other films include The Matrix Revolutions; Master and Commander starring Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe and the action films S.W.A.T. with Samuel L. Jackson and Tears of the Sun with Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci.

"In the next 12 weeks we will be releasing 37 films, which include 12 blockbusters. We had a good summer with six of the summer releases making it to this year's top 10, so let us hope we have a good autumn," Mr Pace said.

Rowan Atkinson's comedy Johnny English topped Malta's top 10 box office hits for the first nine months of this year, becoming the fourth best film of all time.

The top 10 highest grossing films issued by KRS between January 1 and September 30 saw the fantasy film Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers relegated to third place after relinquishing second place to Bruce Almighty starring comedian Jim Carrey.

Mr Pace said Bruce Almighty had been the longest running film this year and was still running at cinemas after 16 weeks.

"Viewers' trends do not seem to have changed over the years and comedy and action are always the films which make it to the top," he said.

Mr Pace said The Pianist's good showing in cinemas, running an unexpected 10 weeks, had come as a surprise, despite not placing among this year's top 10.

Twenty-five of the 137 films screened so far only lasted one week on the big screen, among them No Man's Land and Amen.

Mr Pace reminded students that they have the chance to watch some of this season's blockbusters for lower prices during Student Cinema Day being held on November 1.