Prague - According to the latest figures released by the Czech film distributors' union (Unie filmových distributorů -UFD), almost 1.5 million fewer people went to Czech cinemas in the first half of this year, than in the same time last year.
To break it down - 5,266,113 viewers went to see a movie from January to June 2008, whereas 6,574,124 people went in January-June 2007. The number of show times offered by Czech movie theaters grew during that time, though, from 179,000 to 187,000.
Ticket sales have dropped accordingly, from last year's CZK 636 million to CZK 512 million this year. This is despite the fact that the average ticket price has grown, which could potentially be one of the reasons for a decrease in attendance. Last year, the average price of a ticket was CZK 93 (EUR 3.9/USD 6.2), while this year it grew by 4 crowns.
Lack of hit movies
According to Pavel Strnad from the Czech producers' association, another reason for the lower numbers of moviegoers is the lack of hit movies. Cinemas don't offer as many big-time films such as the "Pirates of the Caribbean", as they did before.
The animated films, which constitute a majority of this summer's foreign-made blockbusters, don't have such a strong popular following among Czechs. The same goes for the current American top blockbuster, the newest Batman film "The Dark Knight," which will open in Czech cinemas August 7.
Last year, some Czech movies drew large crowds. Among them was yet another father-son cooperation from Zdeněk and Jan Svěrák - "Vratné lahve" (Empties), which was a hit even among the often marginalized group of older viewers. There has not been a similar home-grown success so far this year.
Last year´s numbers
Moderately popular films this year were the Moravian comedy "Bobule" (Grape) and a remake of a 1970s TV series "Taková normální rodinka" (Just a Normal Family). Although the wine-themed romcom Bobule attracted almost 300,000 viewers, neither of the films hit the magic Czech blockbuster mark of 400,000.
Jan Hřebejk's nostalgic comedy "U mě dobrý" (All's good with me) met acclaim from the critics, but had very little of the commercial success of his previous films.
"Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" has been a popular choice, but pulling in 230,000 viewers in nine weeks is nothing compared to the totals from films such as "The Lord of the Ring." "Sex and the City" has attracted a mere 110,000 Czech fans, mostly female, interested in the key to everlasting youth.
This year's biggest hit may become Juraj Jakubisko's "Bathory" (filmed originally in English, but screened with Czech dubbing in this country), which took local theaters by storm on July 10. The film is battling with movie pirating, though. Last week, a less cunning female pirate was caught in the act at a movie theater.
Pirating on the rise
Pirating may also be contributing to the lower number of moviegoers. Some audience members can get illegal film copies soon after the premier, even before the release of the DVD, which used to be the primary prey for pirates.
On the other hand, last year raised the bar high. It was the most successful year commercially since 2000, with total sales reaching CZK 1.2 billion for 12.8 million viewers.
Besides "Vratné lahve," which racked in CZK 124 crowns and 1.2 million people, moviegoers were also drawn by "Gympl" from Tomáš Vorel, Jiří Menzel's "I served the King of England," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix," "Simpsons the Movie," the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" as well as "Shrek 3."
In 2006, movie theaters saw "only" 11.5 million visitors, while the worst year in the new millennium was 2005, with 9.5 people going to kinos all over the country.
Don´t blame Czech filmmakers
But, according to Strnad, local filmmakers are not to blame for the current lull. This year, thanks to a good amount of government subsidies, Czech directors flooded the market with many more films than in the past, although not all very good ones.
"Czech films cover 15 percent of the total film releases, but they contribute 40 percent of all ticket sales - that's rather good results," Strnad said at this year's Karlovy Vary film festival. "I don't want to jinx it, but in that respect, it's never been better."
Others think that Czech cinematography is going through a crisis, and that quantity overrides quality. No matter who's right, it does mean that not all films will have distributors and find their way into cinemas in the future.
This fall, a number of new films will try to save the face of Czech filmmaking: Václav Marhoul's "Tobruk," "Anglické jahody" (English Strawberries), the animated "Kozí příběh" (A goat's tale) and "Hlídač č. 47 (Guard No. 47)."
The ideal candidate for a successful Czech film may end up being Hřebejk's adaptation of a Michal Viewegh novel, "Nestyda", starring the ever popular Jiří Macháček, who will have to compete with agent 007 in the upcoming 22nd edition of James Bond, "Quantum of Solace."
