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Proposals to liberalize some business areas are already being heard in the public sphere. But movie actors feel forgotten. According to them, the nature of their work has been misjudged so far, so the limitation of activity has been unprecedented.
Stops bleeding
The International Film Union (UNIC) recently announced that the income of Lithuanian cinemas from the sale of movie tickets had been reduced by 61%, reports Kino pasaka. Yes in 2019. Lithuanian cinemas are among the most successful in history, in 2020 the situation took a turn.
According to the Lithuanian Film Center, in 2019, 4,141,900 cinema tickets were sold in Lithuania, and in 2020 this number decreased several times. 1,533,084 tickets were sold last year.
According to data provided by Lithuanian film exhibitors, in 2020 the market received no more than 17 million. income.
However, as Gintaras Plytnikas, director of Forum Cinemas, Lithuania’s largest cinema network, says on tv3.lt, the losses from cinemas are significantly higher than those published by UNIC. Movie theaters not only sell movie tickets, but also offer viewers snacks, drinks and other items and sometimes host events. All these services also disappeared after the doors of the cinemas were closed.
“I can say with full responsibility that this is the beginning of March 13 of last year. By March 1 of this year, we will have bleed 80 percent. We no longer have blood in real life, we live off savings. During the first quarantine, there was support from Invega to help us balance our fixed costs. They have not disappeared anywhere and they are the ones that depress us the most.
As of November 6. Without salary support for employees, we have not received any support so far, we live on savings that, as you know, cannot be infinite. We are committed to black day, we had high hopes that that government would also postpone black day. Now we understand a little that this is not very postponed for the black day ”- comments G. Plytnikas on the situation.
Andrė Balžekienė, the director of Pasaka, also says that financially, the cinema is going through a difficult time: it has to pay taxes to the state and it also needs money to rent the premises.
“We thank our owners for slightly reducing rents. As far as I know, there are colleagues who have not been so lucky and their landlords have not reduced the rent at all, ”says A. Balžekienė.
The innovative solutions of the owner of the cinema also help to survive, the support received: “Our situation can be saved a bit by the fact that the same company is creating a home theater platform“ People Cinema ”, which has something to do with it. Currently, there is a notable increase in views on home theater platforms worldwide and in Lithuania. There are cinemas or not, but people want to see movies.
We adhere, of course, strongly. The help provided by Europa Cinemas over the last year has helped a bit, but we are in survival mode and we don’t know how long we can survive if the quarantine continues. “
Revenues in the European film market fell 70.6 percent, according to UNIC.
I had to fire workers
According to film directors, it is not possible without laid off or reduced workers. Pasaka laid off all the employees and Forum Cinemas had to lay off a fifth of its employees.
G. Plytnik, director of Forum Cinemas, says that the number of laid off employees is not so terrible compared to the huge losses suffered.
The manager says it was difficult to fire employees, but there was simply no other option.
“We really want them to come back because it is difficult to get people off the street, and these are people with experience, we appreciate and protect them. But when you no longer have an income for more than half a year and you no longer have anything to show and who to show when the cinema is closed, every logical thinker will ask, whose salaries do you pay?
We pay with savings and, thanks to the state budget, with salary support. At least the ones we receive through the Employment Service ”, says G. Plytnik.
Movie theaters are considered safe
Cinema activities were restricted when the pandemic began and the cinema was presented as an event. Cinematographers resent this definition of activity and say their role is somewhat different. Therefore, according to theaters, the possibility of contagion in the cinema is much lower.
“We have never been and we are not events. We are cultural institutions with large areas, good ventilation, where the flow of spectators can be regulated. Entry is through one place, exit is through another, enough spaces can be made between sessions. At events, people behave a little differently, mingle, interact, eat, are close to each other. This is not the case in cinemas, ”says A. Balžekienė.
The head of Forum Cinemas says that there are analyzes carried out by foreign experts that show that cinemas are a safe place. According to him, the chances of catching it at the movies are low.
“It just came to our notice then. There are objective studies that no one has bought on how the virus has spread around the world. Cinemas got into that part of the record called zero. We did our own smoke experiments in our hallways because of to ventilation volume and ventilation.
It is a bit painful when a new economic closure arrives, we somehow remember ourselves as cinemas and close the first even though we are in the last line. Then they call us events for almost a year and we don’t understand what that means because we are not events. We are cinemas, whose screens and chairs will not be transferred to Internet cables ”, says G. Plytnikas.
Many foreign cinemas are allowed to work. However, in some places they cannot function due to the lack of supply of cinemas. According to G. Plytnik, such a problem does not threaten Lithuania.
“It just came to our attention then. Last year, Lithuanian filmmakers did not sit idly by, there was funding, so there are films. We should show what: Lithuanian films, less European, American, but little by little that blood would also be recovered ”, says the director of Forum Cinemas.
According to the Lithuanian Film Center, 34 Lithuanian films were made last year and in 2020 a total of 271 films were distributed.
Calls for state intervention
The film tells that without state intervention, a bright future will likely have to wait a long time. Suggestions are already being made to help in this area of business. The Ministry of Culture, the Cinema Center, has already been contacted and asked to help cover the fixed costs of the cinemas.
Theaters also presented a Kino Bonus offer, in which the state would allocate a certain amount to the company that sold the ticket for each ticket purchased to the theater. That, according to theaters, would help maintain the cinema supply.
“You will let theaters work, but they will have nothing to show because film distributors will not risk releasing films when only 30 percent of them can visit. hallways. It is not worth it for them. Therefore, we say that if you allow us to work at 30%, we strongly ask that you add two more bonuses to the average price of entry for each person who comes, which we share with the distributor. If you allow 50% of the work, you add a bonus to the average ticket price ”, explains A. Balžekienė, director of Kino Pasaka.
Mr Plytnik says he would like to hear clear suggestions and decisions from the authorities. According to him, solutions should be drastic, but clearly communicated, an open dialogue with companies is needed.
“Then we would consider opening up to ourselves for a while, or continuing to live off the benefits, because at least it balances our balance a bit. There is a time when not opening sounds absurd, but not opening would be worth more than opening. If you open, then you are one hundred percent ready to begin your commitment to continue, but if you can accommodate six people in a hundred-seat room, then it is better not to open, ”says the director of Forum Cinemas.
According to G. Plytinikas, in some foreign countries it is allowed to visit cinemas, but a requirement has been introduced to seat spectators in two places.
To theaters, after hitting stage B?
The Culture Ministry says it cannot yet say when cinemas could reopen.
“Proposals for quarantine mitigation measures are planned, and we are in constant conversation with representatives of the cultural and artistic sectors, as well as – and the cinema you mentioned – we listen to their expectations, but it would be too early to talk about exact dates today. that the Government will consider the questions related to the relaxation of the quarantine restrictions next week ”, reads the message sent to the ministry by tv3.lt.
Already at the beginning of the year, independent health experts published four scenarios for quarantine restrictions: A, B, C and D. The scenarios indicate the 14-day morbidity in the country and which restrictions should be applied.
Scenario D shows the worst situation in the country, A – the best. Therefore, in scenario D, where the number of infected per hundred thousand exceeds 500, the applicable security requirements are the fastest. Scenario A is fulfilled when the number of infections per 100,000 inhabitants does not exceed 25 cases.
The description of the scenarios proposed by the experts shows that the resumption of movie theaters, as well as museums, theaters, exhibitions and sports competitions restricting the flow of visitors would be possible if the morbidity in the country did not exceed 100 infections per 100,000. population.
The Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys will be alone on Monday Facebook shared a slightly different plan on his account. The minister writes that we could go back to theaters and libraries sooner, after reaching 150 infections per 100,000. population.
“We can talk about the opening of cinemas, treating them not as events, but as a service, and there will be special common requirements for this: 10 square meters. Meter. Per recipient of the service and the like” – writes the Minister on the social network.
According to data from February 3, morbidity in the last two weeks in the country reaches 414.9 infections per 100,000. population.
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