Belgian cinemas do not have the heart to celebrate. Despite the end of health constraints, visitors are not back. In question: the price sometimes of the places and the competition of the platforms of diffusion on line. Professionals rely on blockbusters to attract viewers.
For some Belgians, going to the cinema as a family has obviously become a luxury. We interviewed people near a Brussels cinema: many of them told us that tickets are very expensive and that going to the cinema represents a significant budget.
After the health crisis, the economic crisis is weighing down cinemas. According to some operators, the return of customers is long overdue. The sector shows a 30% drop in attendance compared to the same period two years ago. “The icing on the cake, unfortunately for everyone, there is the crisis that is hitting at all levels, energy costs, and that is causing bills to skyrocket. And indeed, from that moment, it starts to make big budgets, and perhaps the cinema, in its quality of leisure, it pays the bill at the end when we do the accounts“, explains Olivier Meyvaert, programmer of the White Cinema in Brussels.
Create events and build loyalty
Cinema is also a victim of the rise of online platforms. Since confinement, some moviegoers prefer the comfort of their living room to dark rooms. “We get into the habit of slipping around at home in front of series that are not necessarily worth watching… But now, we are picking up the pace“, tells us an elderly couple who go to a Brussels cinema.
To compete with the price of platform subscriptions, theater managers must constantly reinvent themselves. For example by creating events or building customer loyalty. “We are trying to find other formulas. Subscription plans. We are thinking with other rooms to make a common card, which should soon arrive“, specifies Éric Franssen, director of the cinema Le Palace.
However, industry professionals remain optimistic: cinema remains a very different sensory experience from watching at home. The upcoming release of new blockbusters could also attract a crowd of moviegoers.