Ian De Casare (December 28) cited many reasons for the decline in cinema attendance and claimed that, in its editorial (December 8), The Times “omitted to mention” critical rationale without once addressing, or even acknowledging, his own pivotal omissions and manifestly obvious biggest threats for such a degeneration.

He never mentioned the critical reasons why people do not go to the movies as much nowadays.

He failed to address what principal mode of transport the vast majority of cinemagoers utilised, namely their own cars and the exorbitant cost of parking them at or near his cinemas.

He answered the charge of excessive and unjustified food and drink prices in his cinemas with this pearl of revealing wisdom: “our kiosk prices are what they are”. So there you have it, clearly, concisely and succinctly explained then to a captive cinema audience!

He also claimed that when prices by suppliers were increased “we have been reticent to pass on price increases to customers”. Really! Price increases were evidently passed on to customers despite this show of reluctance.

However, regarding intermissions he really excelled but, sadly, failed to pass the smell test. He claimed that “our research shows that many of our clients still wish to have a five-minute break outside”. What research was conducted and by whom? However, he mitigated this uncorroborated claim by pledging that “we will be looking into making this break less intrusive”, whatever that means. What measures are envisaged to make it “less intrusive” yet still generate more profit from sales at the kiosks? Also, since when has any intermission ever been of just five minutes duration and not substantially longer?

Finally, Mr De Cesare gave us some more meaningful insight into why people do not go out now as much as they once did, especially to the cinema, without mentioning the restrictive and prohibitive cost of the all- inclusive package of a visit to the cinema which takes into account all of the aforementioned aspects and not just the price of a cinema ticket.

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