Cinemas in Hungary generated ticket-sales revenue of HUF 3.99bn (EUR 14.57m) in the first five months of 2009, up 12pc from the first five months of 2008, while attendance increased 4pc yr/yr to 3.88m during the period, the business daily Napi Gazdasag reported on Monday.
Napi Gazdasag noted that ticket-sales revenue and attendance rose during the first five months of the year in spite of a 10.2pc decline in screenings to 176,000 during the period.
Citing data from TNS Media Intelligence, the newspaper reported that advertisers spent more than HUF 500m for on-screen cinema advertising during the first five months of 2009, up 78pc yr/yr.
I am not sure what the exact aim of realdeal.hu is with this here article, but the numbers are staggering. I hope this is not something that would pass the editor as a piece of ‘good news,’ correct?
For starters, there is plenty of advertising one can get for absolutely free in Hungary. There is no reason to spend a throusand forints or more to watch some stupid-ass commercial about some ridiculous multinational Western product on a cinema screen, you know people what I mean?
Since the revenue derived from cinem ads wen up by 78 percent, we can safely assume that Hungarian moviegoes will have to sit through many more minutes of this junk before they are permitted to watch the show for which they had purchased their tickets for in the first place.
With a 10% decline in screeings, the only way revenue can go up at the BO is by squeezing more people into the screening rooms and/or by raising ticket prices even more. Since attendance only went up 4 percent but revenues went up by 12, what this article sorely misses is the annual rate of increase in cinema ticket prices.
As it is written, this piece sort of reads just like a verbatim press release put out by the association of Hungarian cinema exhibitors.
@filmic: Well, it probably *was* put out by the trade, and then picked up by MTI (note the byline). Still, for these numbers to be showing any positive growth this year strikes me as pretty interesting. As for “squeezing more people into the screening rooms” this should be a priority; from what I recall, the “industry standard” in the biz is that you need to fill at least 25% of all seats at all shows to break even… often I have been to the cinema during peak hours in BP and only a quarter of seats are taken.
Erik, our good communal friend, you continue to have major trouble with even the most basic of arithmetics. Can I kindly point it out (yet again) as to the why, please?
You say: “The “industry standard” in the biz is that you need to fill at least 25% of all seats at all shows to break even… often I have been to the cinema during peak hours in BP and only a quarter of seats are taken.”
Now, for the rest of us, 25% is about the same than a “quarter” of the counted universe. In other words, 25% = a quarter = 25 percent. And so on.
So, if you count the cineme hall to be a quarter full with paying viewers, you count it 25% full, which is quite all right, as it is at the break-even point, since you said it yourself that “you need to fill at least 25% of all seats at all shows to break even…”
Now, on the other hand, if you had counted, for instance, a quarter of a quarter only in the audience thaty would fit into the room, the exhibitos may have something to be concerned with. Not that they do, really, since both ATTENDANCE and REVENUE is UP!!!!
So, Erik: be happy, don’t worry.
@Filmic (aka Anonymous, Gyuszi G. and Karman): Why do you keep pretending you understand anything about maths and business? Got those stats and details on the CB Richard Ellis report you claimed to have, but could never demonstrate and knowledge or understanding of yet? (http://www.realdeal.hu/20090714/cb-richard-ellis-retail-space-price-survey-puts-budapest-is-38th-place )
And this is how to impress yourself that you understand statistics and maths: “25% = a quarter = 25 percent”? Really, are you sure % = percent?
What on earth are you talking about?
Hey, Dumb Horse Vándorló: you really must the be the dumbest of all the clueless & blind mine horses, Buddy.
So, let me jsut ask you this then: why don’t you shut the fu_ck up already, Ass_hole?
@Filmic, in defense of Erik. Erik had 2 points to his missive. The showing needs to fill at least 1/4 of the house, and more importantly, Erik was noting that he was going at peak time.
Perhaps I’m just on Erik’s wavelength (or just that I was taught to combine all the info presented in a paragraph to draw a meaning) and am able to conclude that if at peak times only 25% of the seats are filled, then what’s happening off-peak? Would that mean that the average is less than 25% for the entire operation of the cinema, or would you conclude that it’s always 25% and “peak” simply means that those in the cinema at that time are sitting on top of a mountain, or mis-understood and thought they were going to a “peep-show?”
Rolrox, Erik didn’t say sh_it worth crap. All he said was, if you can read what he said, that “he was told” a cinema in Hungary should be 25% occupied to reach break-even point, but that was not the case, because when he goes to a cinema, he finds that the room is only quarter full.
Never mind that the article cites a very healthy situation for the country’s cinema exhibitors. Accoridng to Erik, who should really know, after all: it’s all sh_it.
I guess now Erik has a disciple in the person of Rolox, what a huge surprise for all of us, eh?
The rest of your comment is idiotic, typical of most of the so-called “Western” riff-raff stuck in Hungary long-term for some God-awful reason. Next thing you tell me, the “Erik Survey” is more scientific for Hungarian cinema attendance figures than the one the article is citing?
Man, I never knew who from the so-called “West” would be VOLUNTARILY stuck in East Block Hungary — now I know a few such all-around losers. Yippie-yo!!!
@Filmic. 1st, I wasn’t insulting or inflammatory to you. I don’t see the point of your tone, nor how if I can understand Erik’s point it some how makes me his ally or disciple. Nor do I get the “huge surprise” for all of us; unless you’re saying that like me, Erik tends to avoid insults, posts intelligent comments, refrains from profanity and is willing to hear all sides without taking sides… Then I guess you’re right, I’m in that camp. But it has nothing to do with him showing me the way, I just wasn’t raised to be a teamster or white trash.
2nd. This is an English speaking forum, for people that care about HU. If you find that bothersome, then why do you bother to come here at all. I don’t see how being interested makes me Riff-Raff; I do see that what we write about here seems to catch on with the political class in this country. And I hope that those in MSzP & Fidesz are able to discern the critical thinkers and thoughts, from those that can only hyphenate profanity.
3rd. As to your last line, I just don’t know what to make of you not wanting to know Westerners as you’re quite keen to come here and lambast them. Perhaps it’s some sort of pathological need. Who knows.
And then to the point. I agree that there’s some strangeness in the fact that the revenues went up by more than the attendance; and wonder. But I wonder more so, are the cinemas in HU breakeven or worse. If you have real knowledge on that, lets hear it.
Rolrox sez: “I wasn’t insulting or inflammatory to you.”
Okay, so whoever did say that you were, Friend? Who are you exactly, BTW, Erik’s gofer or foot servant? ‘Cause you sure act like one. How much is he paying you by line or comment, hmmm!?
“Erik tends to avoid insults, posts intelligent comments, refrains from profanity and is willing to hear all sides without taking sides.”
Clearly, the two of you are in love. Mutual admiration society, at the very least. How sweet. When is your next date?
“This is an English speaking forum, for people that care about HU.”
You don’t say, do you know, Rolodox? Heck, I was under the precise impression that this here was a forum for ALBANIAN speakers interested in matters of MONGOLIA. My my…. Say it ain’t so!
BTW, do you include under your heading of “people who care about HU” the assorted Western-bred refusenik ex-pat robber barons presently in Hungary trying to make it rich from the magyars?
“I hope that those in MSzP & Fidesz are able to discern the critical thinkers and thoughts…”
Well, you can certainly hope against hope, Friend, it’s just that will not make it so. Probably never, definitely not in your or my lifetime.
“I agree that there’s some strangeness in the fact that the revenues went up by more than the attendance.”
Why is that strange, My Good Friend? If the tix prices went up, b.o. revenue could increase even if attendance figures DROPPED. But they went UP. So all is well. Right?
@Filmic. Please explain yourself; I really don’t want to sort through all your blather. Unless you’re not the person making the first comment, I agreed with you re the advertising and revenue increases that were not in line with the same increase as the attendance. I too find it ridiculous to go to a cinema to see adverts; I get enough of that on TV as it is.
However, I get the feeling that you enjoy being imflammatory; in a way similar to grafitti artists tagging other people’s property … Perhaps you’ve got lots of pent up frustration and this gives you an outlet.
I don’t see what’s wrong with Erik or the insights he offers. I do think its a waste to have to wade through your diatribes to see if you’ve got something interesting to say.
Rolrox, My Friend, let’s face the firing squad together: YOU — well, you just don’t get it. Do ya’ now?
“Please explain yourself”
I did. But YOU — well, you just did not seem to get it, apparently.
“I really don’t want to sort through all your blather.”
So what? Whoever said you had to?
“The advertising and revenue increases that were not in line with the same increase as the attendance.”
Of course they were. They both went UP, Friend. Not DOWN. See the big difference? Now, they did not go UP with the same exact percentile, get it? Which does not mean that they were not “in line” with each other, dig it?
“I too find it ridiculous to go to a cinema to see adverts; I get enough of that on TV as it is.”
Life’s a regular bitch, ain’t it?
“I get the feeling that you enjoy being imflammatory; in a way similar to grafitti artists tagging other people’s property.”
My my, what are you going to be accusing me of next, Rolorocks!? BTW, have you seen a shrink recently about these crazy thoughts of yours, hmmm? You know… graffiti artists and all that…
“Perhaps you’ve got lots of pent up frustration and this gives you an outlet.”
Perhaps…. then again, perhaps not, eh?
“I do think its a waste to have to wade through your diatribes to see if you’ve got something interesting to say.”
Great news for the readership of RealDeal.hu, I am sure. And to me personally, because it means that others folks with intelligents thoughts to convey will also be heard.
@Filmic (aka Anonymous, Gyuszi G. and Karman): Ahogy a mondás tartja: a Balkánból lehet kivenni egy parasztat, de nem lehet kivenni a Balkánt a parasztból.
Vándorló, the Honkie Retarded Mine Horse!!
Apparently, you are such a dumb Dumm, you don’t really know who you are bitching about exactly, do ya’ now, Honkie Horsie? Multiple personality disorder, or some such sheite, right?
Listen Dumb Horsie of the Hungarian-Albanian steppes, wehereas it is fashionable in the East Block of Europe to show off one’s exemplenary knowledge of the Albanian and other former Iron Curtain Land languages, this site here where you are leaving your stink-bomb blogs is in the ENGLISH language.
Or “Ingles,” if you prefer.
So, why don’t you be a good little dumb donkey and waste cyberspace on some dumn Honkie-language web site and not here, huh, Dumb Dumm!?
We’ll all be thanking you for it profoundly, I am sure.