Cinema attendance down by 1.4 million in first six months of 2005

After several successful years, cinemas in the Czech Republic are coping with dwindling attendances. According to the Film Distributors Association, the number of cinema-goers fell considerably in the first six months of this year, sliding from 6 million in the same period in 2004 to just 4.63 million. Sales also decreased sharply, from 553 million crowns (23 million US dollars) to 423.2 million crowns (17 million dollars). The Film Distributors Association attributes the fall to a lack of blockbusters, and also to increasing piracy. Some experts say that it may also reflect the growing debts of Czech households which have to reconsider their spending priorities.