08/10/2010

Cinema City, the largest operator of multiplex cinemas in Central and Eastern Europe and Israel, plans to open up to 24 new screens in Romania in the near future.

The company has recently opened an eight-screen multiplex in Arad, and plans to open other three in Baia Mare, Craiova and Targu-Mures, with 10, eight and six screens, respectively. The openings depend on the work on three shopping centres in the three towns, but should take place in the next few months, Cinema City representatives told Cineuropa.

According to data made available by the company, Cinema City International currently operates 70 multiplexes with 687 screens and 133,000 seats. Cinema City also operates the only IMAX theatre in Romania, along with other eight similar venues in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria. From 2009-2013, 400 screens in 40 multiplexes are expected to open in the five countries.

The cinema operator also has a distribution arm, Forum Film, which releases Disney films in Romania.

With only 182 screens for a population of over 21 million, in 2009 Romania had the biggest number of inhabitants per screen in Europe – 117,857, according to the country's National Film Centre. All the screens are concentrated in big towns, while large regions of Romania have no access to films or film-related events.

This situation has compelled various directors to organize the so-called “film caravans”, which screen films in improvised locations in towns all over the country where cinemas have been demolished, sold, or used in other than cultural purposes. In 2007, Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [+see also:
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film profile] reached 70,000 admissions to become the biggest domestic hit of the year, thanks to such a film caravan.

In 2010, Kino Caravan, an event organized by the Transylvania International Film Festival, screened a number of European films in over 20 towns.