Movie industry buzz is starting to fizzle as the market is glutted with films of poor technical quality and sleepy storylines, cinema owners say.
Ticket prices are plunging at theaters around Phnom Penh as owners try to keep hold of audiences gradually losing interest in the recent wave of Khmer-language movies, they say.
“I think that if we have good movies, then the audiences will watch. When the movie is not good, they will not watch,” said Sem Sovanndeth, director of Lux Cinema on Norodom Boulevard.
Movie producers hailed an industry renaissance last year as a slew of Cambodian-made films rode a wave of nationalistic sentiment among young moviegoers in the wake of the Jan 29, 2003, anti-Thai riots.
Observers said the industry resurgence was a cultural victory for Cambodia, where for years Thai- and Hong Kong-made movies dominated a handful of theaters in Phnom Penh.
A ban on Thai films in the aftermath of the riots allowed Cambodian films to screen without strong competition. More than a year later, production companies are churning out movies faster, but their quality has more or less stayed the same, said Som Sokun, director of the Ministry of Culture’s cinema department. “The producers have made these movies for local consumption only. They could not compete in the international markets yet,” Som Sokun said.
“If they cannot produce good movies, then they will collapse,” he said, pointing to a similar resurgence and collapse in the 1980s, when films mostly mimicked foreign productions and failed to identify with Cambodian audiences.
He added that a copyright law, expected to be more stringently enforced once the country joins the World Trade Organization, will lead to greater profits in the industry.
As it is, however, there seems to be too little profit to share among the exploding number of film productions. So far this year, some 27 movies have been registered at the department, two more than all the movies registered in 2003, Som Sokun said.
Inter-industry competition has helped drive ticket prices down, in some cases by some 40 percent. Hang Vannara, who runs a production company that sells its movies to Golden Temple cinema, said the theater now sells $0.75 tickets to Cambodian-made films, down from $1.25 last year. Tickets to foreign films—which are generally cheaper—are also $0.75.
Cinemas are also using gimmicks to try to retain audiences. Golden Temple cinema has started holding contests and lotteries to attract moviegoers.
“We offer prizes to the audience, such as a motorbike, fans and televisions in order to draw more audiences to watch the movie,” Heng Vannara said.
“I am concerned that with the low quality of some movies, the audiences will stop watching,” he said, adding that his own films could be improved.
At Kampul Pech Cinema, moviegoers get a free piece of cake with their ticket, said part-owner Bun Sear. He also plans to knock down ticket prices, from $1.25 to $1.
“It is very difficult to make a profit. Sometimes I lose $1,000 in a month,” Bun Sear said.
“I hope that when I lower the [ticket] price, more people will come to the movies,” he said.
