Cinemas expected to recover quickly from bombing fallout
The cinema business grew 10 per cent over the last year to Bt5.5 billion despite a drop in consumer confidence since the Bangkok blasts, according to the Kasikorn Research Centre.
It said the bombs had put people off the cinema in the first two weeks of the New Year but expected the effect to wear off. "The cinema is cheap entertainment in Bangkok and will recover faster than other businesses when the situation stabilises," it said. Competition is healthy, and new cinemas about town will boost the market, Kasikorn Research Centre said. Firms have invested Bt1.7 billion in buildings offering greater comfort. Hollywood and local companies are offering 340 titles this year against 318 last year. They include expected hits "Harry Potter 5", "Fantastic Four 2", "Spider Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", which Kasikorn Research Centre expects to lure people away from their CDs and DVDs. "People are fed up with pirated versions that don't give the satisfaction of the cinema experience," the research house said, which it says accounts for the 10-per-cent growth.
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