The Viewing Experience Episode 1: Greece

Over the summer holidays I went to visit my friend John in Athens, Greece; it filled in the slot for a holiday abroad this year as usually I go away with my family. But for the first time I went on a fully-fledged holiday with my mates and it was an awesome trip. Towards the end of the week, another friend who came with me suggested going to a Greek cinema and given how much we both enjoy watching films (which are shown in English with Greek subtitles) the four of us went to see Jason Statham’s latest action flick (At least in that country!), Parker.

Differences (and a few other quirks)

·         Reduced Prices: Before heading into the film, I was surprised at how cheap the refreshments were; what could be bought for three or four euros in Greece probably would have cost at least £5 or more in the UK, especially when filling pick and mix bags. Though don’t count on this business trend making it to the UK as the low prices in Greece are circumstantial; because job salaries out in Greece are lower than the UK (and the economy isn’t doing too great), prices are lowered across the country.

• ·       Late releases: Parker first came out a year ago in the UK, fairly close to the US release, but in Greece they do things differently. Usually if it’s a big film coming out, such as The Hobbit, Greece has to wait an extra week but for low-key releases like Parker, it often takes a whole year for the film to come out.

• ·       Less adverts: Adverts are an accepted aspect of the cinema in the UK; it’s a good and widely used way of getting information out to plenty of people and because they aren’t going anyway and have a big screen to look at, the ads are pretty much impossible to ignore. In Greece, this isn’t the case; after just one advert in Greek advertising some snack products and a couple of trailers, the film started up straight away.  It’s definitely a great move from the cinema to not bombard us with all sorts of info most of us don’t really take on board.

• ·       No age ratings: Perhaps the biggest difference in Greek cinema is the complete absence of age ratings and legislation that prevent children from watching certain films. Out in Greece, the government seems confident with letting parents decide what their children should and shouldn’t experience, resulting in a much more relaxed atmosphere all around. If any cinema in the UK tried something like this, it would probably be shut down straight away.

• ·      Village Roadshow Studios: Upon arriving at the cinema (apologies in advance for the blurry photo!) I noticed a familiar looking logo on the side of the building; that of distributor Village Roadshow Studios. Could they have some sort of stake in the cinemas out in Greece?

Things that could have been better

·         A better choice of refreshment: Whilst the food and drink on offer is fairly well made, the pick and mix section of the sweets seemed quite slim when compared to those offered in the UK. They could make it more enticing by striking up more deals with confectionary companies to get a better variety of refreshment in.

My favourite aspect

The best bit of Greek cinema links to what I found about the people in general. Their laid-back and “cool as a cucumber” attitude means that seeing a film is simple and smooth. There’s no one saying “let’s see your ID”, no excessive ads before the film and to top it all off, the costs are all reduced. Dare I say it; cinemas in Greece actually do a better job at satisfying their audiences than those here in the UK.