Cinema attendance dropped by 4.4% last year, in spite of an increase in the number of films screened.Eight cinemas with a total of 35 screens were open to the public last year, including two in Gozo.

The National Statistics Office said eight cinemas with a total of 35 screens were open to the public last year, including two in Gozo.

Altogether, they had a seating capacity of 6,771 and 26 out of the 35 theatres were accessible to persons with disabilities.

A total of 391 new film titles were proposed - an increase of 16 films when compared to the previous year. Despite this increase, admissions to cinemas dropped by 4.4 per cent when compared to the previous year, reaching 673,487. Nearly a quarter chose a 3D-film.

A total 74.8 per cent of cinemagoers watched films originating from the United States while 21.5 per cent watched a film originating from an EU state.

On their part, Maltese productions accounted for 11,036 admissions, equivalent to 1.6 per cent of the total. On average, Maltese productions were screened for a relatively longer duration than foreign films.