The ongoing upward spiral in Irish cinema admissions took a marginal downturn in the first half of this year, according to figures compiled by Carlton Screen Advertising. The biggest drop (22 per cent) was recorded in June, and admissions were also down from last year in January, February and May, writes Michael Dwyer
For Irish cinema owners, happy days were here again in July, which registered an all-time high for the month - up by 18 percent from last year to 1.9 million admissions, principally due to two blockbusters, Shrek 2 and Spider-Man 2, and a lot of bad weather. Shrek 2 proved phenomenally successful, taking over €6 million, making it the biggest hit in Irish box-office history after Titanic.
Last year, Irish cinema attendances increased by over four per cent, at a time when admissions were down in most European countries. This upsurge was due to the success of Irish-made films at the Irish box-office - principally Veronica Guerin, Intermission and In America - which accounted for over 12 per cent of the year's €97.4 million box-office takings. With far fewer Irish-made films going on release, and no films at all made here in the first half of this year, the share of the Irish market for homemade pictures is set for a precipitous decline.
People's choice film awards
With the annual Irish Film and Television Awards 2004 ceremony set to take place in Dublin on October 30th, the lines are now open for the two film awards voted by the public. The five nominees for the Jameson Best International Film Award are Lost in Translation, Mystic River, The Passion of the Christ, Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. For the AIB Best Irish Film Award, the nominees are Blind Flight, Bloom, Cowboys & Angels, Song for a Raggy Boy and Omagh. Voting is by text or telephone call, and all the relevant details are on the awards website: www.iftn/ie.
Booking boom for Bloom
The aforementioned Bloom, directed by Séan Walsh and starring Stephen Rea, Angeline Ball and Hugh O'Conor, has been selected to open the Boston Irish Film Festival next month. Bloom has been sold extensively for distribution around the world and deals are already in place to release it in the US, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Greece.
Gibson snaps back at hacks
With the exception of Jon Peters, who went from styling Barbra Streisand's locks to producing dozens of films, hairdressers have not had a notable record in film production. Paul Abascal, formerly Mel Gibson's hairstylist, seems quite unlikely to carve out a significant career as a director, to judge from the US reviews for his first film, Paparazzi.
Variety noted that the movie co-produced by Mel Gibson, "who hasn't been shy about expressing displeasure at being the subject of constant multi-media scrutiny, depicts amorally relentless celebrity photographers as degenerate monsters to be killed with impunity." Describing the film as "visually uninspired and dramatically overheated" and with the "overall look and feel of generic direct-to-video production," the review added: "Critics ... doubtless will debate whether the film is a hateful and irresponsible vanity production by an aggrieved superstar, or simply a shamelessly pandering blood-and-thunder popcorn flick."
Have tux will travel
Quote of the week, from ubiquitous actor Mark Ruffalo, already seen here this year in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and 13 Going On 30, and with Collateral and We Don't Live Here Anymore on the way, on attending premières of his films: "I have nothing left to say about myself - and I've worn all my nice clothes."
