CRISIS HITS MOVIE THEATRES THE MOST
Support A1+!The global financial crisis is hitting movie theatres the most. The fall in numbers of movie-goers and incomes is making it hard for theatres to obtain the right to show films.
The decline of movie-goers can also be seen in movie theatres around Yerevan.
“Moscow” cinema worker Tamara Zhamkochyan confirmed that the global financial crisis is costly for movie theatres, but assured that “Moscow” cinema has no problems with obtaining rights to show films. The workers at “Nairi” cinema didn’t deny the fall in numbers of movie-goers either.
Despite the crisis, ticket prices are still at a high. As before, prices range from 500-2,500 drams.
No matter how strange it sounds, there are still people who go to the movies. It is impossible to watch films due to lack of high-speed Internet connection in Armenia and that’s why movie fans rent films, which range from 250-400 drams.
Head of one of the well-known rental spots in Yerevan told “A1+” that there hasn’t been a drop in customers recently. In fact, the majority of them are students and kids.
“Renting films is cheaper and easier because I can watch them with my friends whenever I want,” says rental store clerk Milena Stepanyan, 22.
It seems as though the global financial crisis has not had an effect on all places, that is, theatres and places for leisure time. For example, the staff at the Gabriel Sundukyan theatre assured that they haven’t had any serious problems with the number of visitors in the past couple of months due to the fact that unlike movie fans, theatre fans have nowhere else to go. One of the clubs of Yerevan where the so-called “stars” perform has some problems with clients. But the manager doesn’t connect that with the financial crisis.
“We usually see a fall in the number of clients after the holidays. I hope that we won’t have any problems later,” he said.
