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A night out at the cinema
Photo: Visual/Photos

Cinema ticket sales up 30%

Data relate to months of January, February compared to same period last year. 'When there are economic problems and pressure mounts, people look for ways to emerge from this circle. A couple can spend an entire evening for NIS 100,' says owner of Cinema City compound

In recent years, the prevailing trend in Israeli shopping malls is to evacuate the cinemas in favor of fashion stores. But the recession, it seems, is causing more and more people to visit the cinemas, which provide a cheap way to pass one's time and escape from reality.

 

"January and February saw a 30% rise in the sales of cinema tickets in Cinema City and in the Park and Raanan cinemas in Raanana," said Yaakov Cohen, co-chairman of the New Lineo Cinemas company, which owns the Cinema City compound.

 

"There are two reasons for this. The first is that many good films arrived, and the second is that when there are psychological and economic problems and the pressure mounts, people are looking for ways to emerge from this circle. A couple can spend an entire evening for NIS 100 (about $24.3).

 

The fact that recent years saw an investment in improved cinema compounds which strengthen the viewing experience also contributed to the rise. Some 240,000 tickets have been sold in the past two months in the Cinemall shopping center, which includes 23 modern cinemas.

 

"This figure cannot be compared to last year, as the cinemas have yet to open, but the sales are beyond expectations," said CEO Benny Halif.

 

Moshe Rosenblum, chairman of the Israel Mall Association, said that Petah Tikva's Avnat Mall and the Rehovot Mall have seen a 38% rise in cinema ticket sales.

 

Ramat Gan's Ayalon Mall, where the Theater Israel company operates the Yes Planet cinema, reported of a 47% rise in January and a 29% rise in February. Ofer Shechter, CEO of the Promall management company reported of a 25% rise in January and February in the sales of the 12 cinemas in the Yachin Center compound in Netanya.

 

The highest rise was recorded by Herzliya Shivat Hakochavim mall. "The shutdown of the cinemas at the Arena Mall, and the fact that people have had enough of Cinema City, brings many people back to the neighborhood cinemas," explained CEO Ziv Shchori.

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.08.09, 14:00
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