Close Up With David Prosser

Hello Exhibitors,

Here we are coming towards the end of March and with no sign of spring appearing on the horizon. I am wondering where spring has gone. In spite of the cold, perfect cinema going weather, admissions in February dipped 8.8% to14m.

The good news however is that, thanks to a phenomenal January, cinema is still up by 7.5% year on year compared to 2012, exceeding 31m admissions in the first two months of 2013.

I very much enjoyed Song for Marion last week and quite by chance happened to pass Terence Stamp in Brewer Street on the same day I saw the movie. Quite a coincidence.  I also saw Jude Law in Side Effects which I was thought was excellent and having belatedly seen Ben Affleck's Argo, I can now appreciate why the movie picked up the major Oscar. What a tense, gripping movie with Affleck directing and acting superbly.

Congratulations from all of us at DCM to Durham’s Gala Theatre on going live with digital operations last Friday. There’s more from Gala’s Programme and Operations Manager, Robin Byers, in this week's Exhibitor News Blog and we hope to share yet more news from the next flurry of Exhibitors to convert to digital over the coming weeks. Please get in touch to celebrate your success in DCM Close Up. I hope the changeover process is going smoothly and the conversion proving worthwhile.

We are steadily moving down the path whereby only a few DCM Exhibitors will be without digital projectors.  We do wish those of you in this position all the best and hope most optimistically that you are able to obtain the necessary investment to convert when the time is right. We very much appreciate everyone’s support in this difficult changeover period. The team at DCM is always at your disposal to discuss possible solutions and happy to provide potential revenue projections should that assist your decision to convert. At DCM we know it is crucial for the future that cinema can offer a digital media sell in order to compete head on with all other media.

There is a fond farewell this month from DCM to Andy Hodgkinson of the Cinebowl, Uttoxeter who has left for pastures new after doing a great job at the Cinebowl since it opened. We welcome Graham Cotterill, who replaces Andy as General Manager at the recently wholly converted digital site.

I look forward to catching up with many of you at April’s South West CEA regional meeting. Geoff Greaves, from Merlin Cinemas, is kindly opening the doors of Merlin’s newly refurbished Redruth site to host the event. I'm also hoping to meet up with Tom Offord at the wonderful Woodbridge Riverside site after Easter which will be a real treat.

Easter will have come and  gone when I write my next blog so I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Easter and may the Easter holidays bring in some good business for you all.

With very best wishes

David