A DECREASE in the number of filmgoers and the upcoming opening of multiplex theatres has forced cinema operators in Košice to close all the traditional cinemas in the city except one, the ČTK newswire reported.
Košice is the last of Slovakia’s cities to open multiplex cinemas, which debuted in Bratislava almost 10 years ago.
“Queues form in front of our cinema, and if we show a popular new movie, or a family film, the wait gets even longer,” Mária Pichnarčíková, the manager at the Úsmev cinema, told ČTK.
Tatrafilm, which operates the Úsmev cinema, has already closed its other theatre, the Capitol cinema.
Cinemax has also closed its cinema in Košice.
“We closed it because we plan to open a multiplex cinema with seven screens,” Michal Drobný, the company’s representative, told ČTK. It will open by the end of November.
Drobný said cinemas with one screening room can no longer compete with multiplex cinemas, which offer more variety, comfort and better technology.
Tatrafilm is also planning to open a multiplex cinema in Košice. It will have four screens, and should open in April 2009, Pichnarčíková said.
While traditional cinemas are closing in cities, some smaller towns and villages are keeping them open.
For example, Margecany, a village in eastern Slovakia, is investing Sk40 million (€1.3 million) in its cinema even though it loses money each year.
