Stuart Niblock

We were sceptical, I think, from the outset.

We wanted it to work.

There is no benefit for distributors in people not seeing the films they're releasing.

So the only money that the film distributor receives is a share of the ticket price.

That's it.

Which is why, in principle, any film distributor is going to be keen to do business with any cinema operator.

Because the only way they're getting any income at all is when tickets are sold to see the film that they're releasing.

It just doesn't work to say, well, we will take a small share of the box office.

If the customer is paying 20 pence per ticket, the VAT would be four pence on that.

You'd have 16 pence.

The distributor might get, you know,

five six seven eight pence well that that isn't a business you know if you're spending millions on the production of a big film millions more to release it with marketing and publicity and bringing stars in and booking television spots and posters and all the rest of it that just doesn't work that was where the clash came with the easy cinema concept bit tricky if you haven't got them on board sam