Press Only
EMBARGO: 13/04/07 - 5.45 PM
Kinepolis Group welcomed 6 093 980 visitors to its cinema complexes between January and March this year. As expected, Kinepolis' visitor numbers during the first quarter of 2007 were down on the same period in 2006. The real blockbuster season of the 2007 film year begins in May.
The overall number of visitors for the first quarter (5.7 million) fell by 6% compared with last year
(6.1 million). On a comparative basis, that is setting aside the visitor figures of Cinema City Kinepolis in Poland (transferred and hired out to the cinema group ITIT as of 19 January 2007) and the new complex in Bruges (opened in July 2006), this means a drop of 4% compared with the same period last year.
As was indicated when the 2006 results were announced in March, this fall during the first quarter was expected, and may be attributed mainly to the mediocre range of films on offer during this period. The international Kinepolis Top 5 - Night at the Museum, Taxi 4, Blood Diamond, The Departed and La Môme (1st quarter of 2007) - were unable to match the success of Les Bronzés 3 Amis pour la Vie, Chronicles of Narnia, King Kong, Munich and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the first quarter of 2006.
Visitor figures fell in Belgium and Spain, with the exception of Kinepolis Granada, which is still experiencing a remarkable growth phase. Kinepolis France managed to surpass the outstanding result recorded in the first quarter of 2006 with the French hit Les Bronzés 3 thanks to the success of the French films Taxi 4 and La Môme.
The real blockbuster season of the 2007 film year will begin in May with the release of Spiderman 3, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Ocean's 13, Shrek 3 and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
