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Denmark Up; Germany Down
European Numbers
All Over the Board
LONDON – How’s the box office in Europe?
Depends what part of Europe you’re talking about,
and when.
According
to the London-based Cinema Advertising Association
(CAA), September admissions in the United Kingdom
remained about the same as the previous September’s,
holding at 10.6 million.
September’s
numbers decreased 33 percent from August which reached
15.9
million with
the help of “Men in Black II” and “Austin
Powers in Goldmember.”
German
admissions slipped 8 percent in the first three quarters
of 2002, in spite of the 1.3 percent
increase
in the year’s first six months. According to
the German Federal Film Board, the poor August and
September numbers may be attributed to the generally
pleasant weather, floods in East Germany and fewer
film releases. Only one local film, “Nowhere
in Africa” reached the million mark for
admissions.
Local
Danish films such as “I am Dina” and “Open
Hearts,” on the other hand, helped Denmark
ticket sales hit 9 million during the first
nine months of
2002. Experts expect 2002 admissions to hit
13 million, the most for one year since 1983.  MPA Lauds Congress
Washington Urges Taiwan
To Crack Down on Piracy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Motion Picture Association
(MPA) heralded the U.S. Congress Oct. 29 for urging
the Taiwanese government to undertake a more effective
war on piracy.
Congress
suggested Taiwanese officials designate copyright
infringement as a “public offense” and
permit law enforcers to take action against piracy
activity without prior complaint from copyright owners.
In
addition to encouraging more aggressive enforcement
of existing laws, Congress suggested Taiwan create
a special piracy task force in major cities to
aid the war on piracy.
“Congress
warned that Taiwan’s failure to take
appropriate steps to address piracy would put at risk
the political support in Washington for Taiwan and
could impede the negotiations on jointly agreed priorities,
such as the potential US-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement,” read
an MPA press release.
“I
applaud the members of Congress for taking
a firm stand against Taiwan’s egregious piracy situation.
Taiwan’s piracy rates are increasing. They are
one of the largest producers of illegal optical discs
in the world,” said MPA chief exec Jack Valenti. “I
urge President Chen and Speaker Wang to take this opportunity
to put forth these recommendations into action. A failure
to act will put into peril a long-standing friendship
between our two countries and will jeopardize progress
toward a Free Trade Agreement.”
The
MPA estimates that piracy in Taiwan accounts
for around $35 million in losses to the film
industry. Two For Megascreen
Four Imax Sites To
Ecuador and Chile
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador – Imax Corp. announced plans
Oct. 16 to launch four new Imax venues in Ecuador and
Chile.
Locations
in Ecuador will include Guayaquil, the
country’s
largest city, and Quito, situated in northern Ecuador.
Malecon 2000 Foundation will operate the Guayaquil
location utilizing the Imax Dome Technology, while
the later site will be run by the Universidad San
Francisco De Quito, equipped with the
Imax 3D technology.
Expansion
into Chile includes a Santiago facility.
The exact location of the nation’s other new
Imax has not yet been determined, but both Chilean
venues will be operated by Megascreen S.A. and feature
Imax 3D technology.
“We
have found that once an Imax theatre
opens in a new region of the world, that
theatre typically drives
demand for even more theatres and we are optimistic
that this will be the case in South America,” said
Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler, co-CEOs
and co-Chairmen of Imax Corp.
As
of June, more than 225 Imax facilities
were operating in 30 countries.
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Following British Raids
MPA Launches Euro
Anti-Piracy Campaign
GLASGOW, Scotland – The MPA launched a campaign
Oct. 30 calling on European lawmakers to more aggressively
enforce copyright laws and increase sanctions against
pirates.
The
MPA campaign also encouraged European nations to
create a more standardized penalty system for piracy
offenders in Europe.
In
the Barras Market in Glasgow, nearly a week prior
to the campaign, the Federation Against Copyright
Theft (FACT) seized over 100,000 illegal discs,
one of the
largest seizures ever of pirated software.
Further
south, in East Anglia northeast of London, an Oct.
15 FACT raid saw the seizure of thousands
of “The
Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring” videos
and more than 200 VCRs. FACT announced that the
operation was possibly the largest VHS piracy
smash in nearly
two years. BO Leader in Prague
UCI Exhib Reigns
In Czech Republic
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – With the Oct. 18 opening
of UCI CE’s new 8-plex in Prague, the company
became the highest-grossing exhibitor in the Czech
Republic.
While
operating just 15 percent of Czech screens,
UCI – which
recently bought Ster Century’s Czech sites – currently
earns 40 percent of the nation’s box office.
According
to Variety, UCI CE is discussing plans to further
expand into Slovakia with the purchase
of Ster
Century’s multi in Bratislava, the nation’s
capital. Brazilian Cinema Fest
Cinemark Slashes Ticket
Price for One-Day Event
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Cinemark lowered ticket
prices from $1.67 to 28 cents all day Nov. 4 and screened
only local films nationwide in celebration of Brazilian
Cinema Day.
Some
19 pics were shown, including Kátia Lund
and Fernando Meirelles’ “City of God,” which
is set to bow Jan. 17 in New York and Los Angeles.
The
210,000 turnout marked a 75,000 increase from
2001, surprising many exhibitors who projected
a 150,000
turnout.
All
proceeds will fund the audience prize for Brazilian
film in the local Gramado and Brasilia film festivals.
Home-Spun Helmers
Argentinian, Korean
Films Find Local Success
SEOUL – With titles such as “Marrying the
Mafia” and “Common Places,” locally-produced
films in South Korea and Argentina continue to find
box office succes in their countries of origin.
Korean
films accounted for more than 40 percent
of the domestic box office last quarter,
with the 10
top-grossing local films each surpassing 1.3 million
in admissions.
Top
Korean exhibitors Cinema Services and CJ
Entertainment earned 21.4 percent and 18
percent respectively
of the box office gross.
While
admissions are declining in Argentina, local
films accounted for 20 percent of September
admissions,
partly due to accolades received at that month’s
San Sebastian film festival.
Attempting
to boost admissions, Argentinian distributors
are using alternative advertising
techniques
such as partnerships with banks, supermarkets,
beer
companies,
debit cards and newspapers, tempting consumers
with reduced prices or two-for-one offers.
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