DVD rentals versus the cinema

I refer to Vanessa MacDonald's article on DVD laws in Malta (June 25).

I run a small DVD rental shop (part-time) and I was really upset by what I read. Does Kevin DeCesare really think that a couple of new titles found at our shops are creating a crisis in the cinema industry? Or is it the exaggerated prices they charge at cinemas that are really repelling people? Does anyone think that 50c for a glass of water, or 85c for a glass of lemonade are reasonable prices when for 5c more you can buy three one-litre bottles of lemonade?

Leaving the issue of prices apart; not all movies (originals, of course!) are available for rent or sale at video stores before their release in local cinemas, as stated by Mr DeCesare and Alex Pace. I admit that I have had certain titles before their launch at theatres, however, I receive most movies quite a long time after their arrival at cinemas.

When it comes to blockbusters, like for example Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Passion of the Christ to mention a few, these were released on DVD (Region 1) much later than in cinemas. The Passion of the Christ will be available (officially) soon on Region 1 DVD when it was at local cinemas more than two months ago. The same may be said of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and other blockbusters. It is only the less known movies that are sometimes available at video shops before they are at cinemas.

Besides that, if a movie is a really good one, people will tend to watch it at a theatre rather than on a small screen. I myself am a keen cinemagoer, despite the fact that I can watch any movie I like gratis! I can also add that whenever I go to the cinema, most of the times it will be packed... so where's the crisis?

On the other hand, on the same criteria of Mr Pace's argument, is it fair that we invest in DVDs and people do not hire them because they would have already seen the film at the cinema? Or does Mr Pace mean that if certain titles are available for rent before showing at cinemas, cinema owners and KRS will lose all their monopoly?

Another fallacy in Mr Pace's argument is in the piracy issue. Piracy does not have anything to do with Region 1 DVDs. I sometimes see certain movies (pirates) for sale at the market long before they are released officially on Region 1 DVDs. I think that if Mr Pace goes to the market on a Sunday, he will notice that all DVDs for sale there are pirates... there is no need for expertise here! I can tell Mr Pace that certain pirate DVDs are actually taken by video-cameras at theatres. When watching such a movie, you can actually see people moving to and fro in front of the screen!

And if, only if, Mr DeCesare's and Mr Pace's arguments are valid, how many original copies of a certain movie do they think a shop owner can afford? I myself will have only one copy of each movie while larger shops may have up to a maximum of three. A single DVD can only be viewed by a very limited number of persons at a time (let us say a maximum of six) while at a cinema there will be a whole audience for a single show. Let's face it Mr DeCesare, the smaller fish has never eaten the bigger one!

The one and only threat for both parties (cinema owners and video shops) is without doubt piracy, especially when it comes to rentals. It is the only threat here, not a couple of less known titles available at shops before they are at cinemas.