Curtains go up in Swiss cinemas but profits remain down

A scene from 'Adieu les cons', which is cheering up audiences and cinema owners in French-speaking Switzerland PATHE FILMS

More than two weeks after re-opening, Swiss cinema owners have mixed feelings: the public seems keen to return to theatres, but attendance is four to six times lower than usual because of the 50-person audience limit.

Although some cinemas re-opened on April 19, most stayed shut until April 22 while preparatory work was carried out. They sold nearly 30,000 tickets during the first week of re-opening and about 67,000 during the second week, said Claude Ruey, president of ProCinemaExternal link, the umbrella organisation of Swiss cinema exhibitors and film distributors.

The average attendance in normal times varies between 180,000 and 240,000 spectators a week across the country. “We’re therefore well below that – between four and six times fewer people,” he said. The average Swiss cinema has about 170 seats.

“The revival is proportionally better in the French-speaking part of Switzerland than in the German-speaking part, because there are better films currently playing in the French-speaking part, such as Adieu les Cons (Bye Bye Morons) and Drunk. On the German-speaking side, it’s more difficult to get well-known films at the moment,” Ruey said.

The programming also depends on the re-opening of the French market and the return of international blockbusters, which in turn depends on the situation in the United States.

Currently cinemas in Switzerland may not admit more than 50 people per screening, the wearing of masks is compulsory and the consumption of drinks, popcorn, chocolate or ice cream is forbidden. The continued closure of kiosks or bars in cinemas is a major loss of revenue for cinema owners – the sale of drinks and food represents 20% to 30% of the total turnover, according to Ruey.

“Since the beginning of the year and as of April 14, the coronavirus crisis has caused some CHF84 million ($92 million) in losses for cinema operators across the country. This is in addition to the CHF130 million loss for 2020, for a total of CHF214 million since the beginning of the pandemic,” he said.

“Although cinemas are not earning anything and it’s hard for them, the situation is not totally catastrophic, thanks in particular to state aid for the cultural sector,” he said, adding that no bankruptcies have been declared so far.

ProCinema now has two priority demands for the second phase of relaxation of the Covid-19 measures: an increase in the capacity of a cinema to 50% of its capacity and the opening of kiosks and bars, allowing consumption once seated.