The head of Cinema Park spoke about exploding projector lamps from China

The head of the joint cinema chain Cinema Park and Formula Kino, Alexey Vasyasin, said that Russian cinemas are experiencing difficulties in purchasing new equipment. He explained that some suppliers have independently stopped supplies to Russia, and alternative equipment is inferior in quality.

“If we talk about lamps for projectors, we have found several Chinese manufacturers that can compete with Western giants and are even attractive in price, taking into account supply chains and exchange rates. But so far they are inferior in quality: some lamps simply explode, which leads to the failure of the projector as a whole,” Mr. Vasyasin said in an interview RBC.

He added that equipment for cinemas is constantly becoming more expensive, and it is becoming more and more difficult to buy it. As Alexey Vasyasin explained, cinemas need renovation every 12 years. There are about 70 cinemas in the Cinema Park network; 6 are subject to annual equipment renewal.

According to Alexey Vasyasin, the main manufacturers of surround sound systems remain the American Dolby and Christie. Their equipment is not subject to sanctions, but the companies, on their own initiative, stopped supplies to Russia. Equipment enters the country through parallel imports, which is more expensive and takes longer, explained Mr. Vasyasin.

According to the Cinema Fund, tickets to Russian cinemas have risen to record levels since 2015. Experts interviewed by Kommersant FM explain this by saying that the industry has been operating at a loss for a long time amid rising costs.

Read more in the Kommersant FM article. “Cinemas have redefined the economy”.

Petr Buzlaev