Cinema attendance

The article in The Times about piracy on July 18 has prompted me to reply. While I agree that piracy is rampant in Malta and that it is having a negative effect on the music and film industry, I cannot agree that it is the sole factor which is "crippling" cinemas. Many may not realise it but the reality is that Malta is passing through a slump in the economy and these are the first indicators of such a downturn. A week ago we heard that participants at the Trade Fair reported poor sales.

While salaries have remained low, the cost of services is always on the increase. Watching a new release at the cinema is a totally different experience to watching a poor pirated copy.

The recent Cinema Day attracted a lot of cinema-goers who probably chose to watch two films in one evening. This shows that if the price is right, people will flock to watch a movie at the cinema.

Better promotions could be carried out by cinemas to enable cheaper viewing, perhaps during the week or off-peak times.