Fewer Romanians went to see a movie at a cinema in 2005 than in 2004. In 2004, there were 4 million movie goers visiting the big screen, compared to only 2.8 million in 2005. The number of DVD’s and VHS tapes nearly tripled over the same time period.
Part of the reason may be the disappearing theatres. When the Romanian Revolution occurred in December 1989, there were more than 4,600 registered theatres, of which only 155 remain.
Romanians seem to prefer American movies over European films, as 86.7% of the tickets sold were for American productions vs. 7.5% for European and 4.8% for Romanian made movies.
The most popular movie in Romania in 2005 was "Star Wars: Episodul III – Razbunarea Sith" which had 116,802 visits.
Another reason for declining cinema goers may be the same as in the U.S. – the experience is not worth the price. Most theatres I’ve been to in Romania are freezing cold in the winter, sauna like in the summer and the smells are tough to endure. When I lived in Romania they opened the first American style "Hollywood Multiplex" at the clean and modern Bucuresti Mall – this was the most visited
theatre in 2005 with 852,221 tickets sold.
