Argentine exhibs pump up releases
Election, economy still keeping moviegoers at home
Releases had decreased to about 15 three years ago but are now sharply moving up: For the month of May, 31 films were released, compared with 19 in May of 1998 and 16 a year earlier.
One reason for the boost in releases is the desire to sidestep biggies such as "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" and Disney's toon "Tarzan," which opens in July.
The expansion in the number of new releases is not attracting more moviegoers, however, thanks in part to the upcoming presidential election and prevailing economic insecurity.
"Increasing theater capacity and the sharp growth in street crime (also) plays a big role in the low audience numbers," Buena Vista rep Pablo Sahores said. "Otherwise, at a rate of 5 new releases a week, we should have full houses all the time."
