COLUMNISTS

Is the ongoing economic downturn going to draw people to entertainment as a form of diversion, or will it repel them?

There is a popular theory that says that during a period of financial and economic crisis, people often turn to various forms of entertainment, looking for ways to escape - at least temporarily - the hardships of their day-to-day lives.

If this theory could be applied to the current situation in Russia - where the economic downturn is certainly a reality, and is no longer denied even by the officials - then the domestic entertainment industry should be booming.

However, this is not exactly the case. Recently released box-office data shows a downturn in film theater attendance, while major international music stars, judging by their announced tour schedules, don't seem to be willing to play Russia this year.

The period from December 1, 2008 to January 11, 2009 saw a 20-percent decline in film theaters' box office year-on-year, which industry professionals explain by the devaluation of the domestic currency against the US dollar (traditionally, all box office figures are in US dollars), a lack of major new releases, comparable with Ironiya Sud­by-2 ("The Irony of Fate - II"), a sequel to the hugely popular Soviet-time New Year melodrama/comedy, released a year ago, and a decline in theater attendance.

Although the combined box office performance of the recent New Year holidays' three major premiers, Obitayemy ostrov ("Inhabited Island"), Lyubov-Morkov-2 ("Lovey-Dovey II") and Stilyagy ("Style Guys"), which grossed between about $15 million and $20 million each, is higher than that of The Irony of Fate II a year ago, the figure for all theaters and releases is still smaller.

There are several reasons explaining why people don't rush into movie theaters, looking for a two-hour escape from their daily concerns. First, theater tickets are still quite expensive, often about 250 to 300 rubles for evening shows at most Moscow theaters. And although the tickets' dollar value has decreased by about a quarter due to the Russian currency's devaluing, that doesn't mean much for those people whose incomes are fixed in rubles. Another problem remains piracy. Walking around central Moscow in broad daylight, it is not difficult to find stands with pirated DVDs of the recent releases, retailed at about 100 rubles per DVD. Certainly, buying a DVD that is one-half of the theater ticket price is a big bargain for most people, especially during days of crisis.

Meanwhile, looking at re­cently announced tour schedules by artists like AC/DC, Depeche Mode, Eagles, Me­tallica and Oasis, those who began to believe that Moscow and St. Petersburg have become regular destinations for most touring Western artists may be disappointed. None of the above groups, according to information available at the time of this writing, are expected to perform in Russia this year. Among those who confirmed Russian dates for this year are mostly lower-profile artists, like Gary Moore and Simply Red.

Again, there could be quite a number of explanations, from the conservatism of artists' tour managers who still think Russia is a dangerous terrain to step foot on, to inefficiency of the domestic promoters. But no one would probably deny that the organization of a Russian tour is quite expensive, and given the crisis, recouping the investments by ticket sales might not be possible. In addition, some Western artists have performed at private and corporate parties in Russia, at a fee much more attractive and under conditions much more favorable than those of a regular show, which may make their managers think twice before accepting an offer for a regular show.

All the above is not to say that the idea of entertainment as a form of diversion during the crisis will not work in Russia. It might work, but the entertainment business should probably forget the recent prosperity and begin coming up with ideas for operating under the new conditions. Meanwhile, pass the popcorn.

By Vladimir Kozlov