The number of seats in local cinemas has gone down “drastically” from pre-COVID-19 to now, with one of the main operators more than halving its number of screens over the years as the industry struggles to “remain relevant”. But “faith in the continuity of cinema” keeps it going in the face of adversity –such as the advent of video streaming services – says Kate De Cesare, director of operations at Eden Leisure Group. At one time, Eden operated 21 screens but these will soon dwindle to nine due to the closure of one multiplex and the downsizing of other cinema screen capacities, she said. The group will, however, be opening two new state-of-the-art cinemas in the coming months, complete with full laser projection – a demonstration of “our commitment to this part of our business”. The stark reality, she acknowledged, was that the “very valuable” real estate needed to house a cinema would turn a better profit used for different projects. Where have all the films gone? Cinemas in Malta are far from the heyday of the 1990s. Last year, admissions stood at 269,763, down to a third of the 748,568 seen in 2019. In 2020, admissions slumped to a mere 165,475. It wasn’t just the COVID...