Cinemas in Malta and Gozo projected 922 film shows and registered 702,239 admissions last year, down from 780,763 in 2012, which had already been a 10% drop over the previous year.

The National Statistics Office said a survey carried out among the eight cinemas in Malta and Gozo showed that in 2013 they had 38 screens and a total seating capacity of 7,107.

More than two-thirds of the screens, 68.4 per cent, were still equipped with the analog film format. 7.9 per cent were equipped to project digital 3D films only, whereas 21.1 per cent were equipped to project more than one type of format, varying from digital non-3D to digital 3D.

Furthermore, 26 screens in seven cinemas were accessible to persons with disabilities).

In 2013, cinemas registered a total of 702,239 admissions. The largest share of admissions, 87.5 per cent, was registered for films with the United States as their country of origin.

Total admissions for 3D movies accounted for 25.3 per cent of the total, while 40.8per cent were for digital non-3D films.

Films originating from Malta registered 3.6 per cent of total admissions. On average, Maltese films enjoyed the highest number of admissions per film.

The total number of film titles screened in 2013 was 373. More than half, 54.2 per cent, were produced in the United States while five films were produced locally. Total screenings amounted to 56,816, with an average 152.3 screenings per film.

A total of 922 film shows were projected in 2013, of which 61.8 per cent were
first-time releases.

In 2013, the most popular movies were ‘Fast and Furious 6’ followed by ‘The Smurfs 2’, registering 27,277 and 25,215 admissions respectively. The third most popular film was ‘Frozen’ with 20,007 admissions.

The largest share were fiction films which attracted just over 75 per cent of total audiences. Films pertaining to the animation genre registered the highest average admissions per film, with 4,173 admissions.

In 2013, the highest number of staff members employed by cinemas was in the
first quarter, at 113. Most staff worked on a part-time basis.