Estonian cinemas still struggling to attract audiences
School holidays have a positive effect on cinemas, bringing people to otherwise empty auditoriums. However, attendance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, which, according to cinema operators, is mainly due to changing habits.
School holidays, Christmas and New Year are the best times of year for Estonian cinemas.
However, even then, the economic pressure is felt, with cinemas forced to compete not only with one other but also with home streaming platforms.
"I have a TV and everything else at home. Why should I go to the cinema when I can watch everything for free at home? Look at how much popcorn costs at the cinema and how much it costs in the store," one cinema-goer, Kirill, told ERR.
"Of course, that hits your pocket. We can't go more than once a month, but today we got a small tub of popcorn and sat in the Lux hall. Everything was great," said another movie fan, Irina, adding that she also keeps an eye on promotional campaigns to save money.
According to cinema chain Apollo, movie lovers are price-sensitive, which is why the number of people taking advantage of promotional campaigns has grown. The situation is further complicated by the fact that there aren't many great blockbusters out at the moment. "When there are discount campaigns, people come to the cinema much more, and that's noticeable. In fact, if it's a really good movie, people will come even at the regular price. Unfortunately, the proportion of big movies has simply declined over time," said Maarja Kaalep, sales and marketing manager for Apollo Cinemas in the Baltics.
Even Tallinn's oldest cinema, Kino Sõprus, is seeing smaller and smaller audiences these days.
It is worrying that young people are no longer even interested in going to the cinema, which is why it is important to nurture a new generation of cinema-goers.
"Compared to last year, the number of visitors to Sõprus has fallen by almost 25 percent. We are approaching this problem from two angles. On the one hand, we are recognizing change and behavior and rewarding repeat cinema visits, which is why we have the Sõprus card, which allows you to go to the cinema at half price. On the other hand, we are working on film education," said Gert Põrk, CEO of Sõprus cinema.
"When talking to young people and asking them if or when they go to the cinema, it is their reactions that are worrying. For them, it is no longer an option or something they would consider doing. They laugh, but I believe that with long-term work and the popularization of film education, it is possible to change this," added Põrk.
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Editor: Michael Cole, Johanna Alvin
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
