Nowhere else does it smell like it does here. A bit like popcorn, a bit like childhood. Today the boss sits behind the cash register. The phone rings, she explains which places are still free. Then it’s time for a chat. NÖN visited Julia Gaugusch-Prinz in the cinema: a look back at an eventful year 2022, an inventory of viewing habits and the search for employees and an outlook with reason to celebrate.
The effects of the Covid pandemic were still noticeable in the previous year. “Especially at the beginning of the year there were few well-attended films,” says the cinema operator. Filming was delayed, film starts as well. When the visitors were actually allowed to come back, they often stayed away. “Some people were very skeptical. It’s also understandable: you weren’t allowed to go out for many months, you had to get used to it again,” says Gaugusch-Prinz. This mainly affects older target groups.
It almost never happens anymore that unsolicited applications are sent.” Julia Gaugusch-Prinz on the search for personnel
Around 26,000 visitors in the Gmünd cinema
Since 2008 it has run the Gmünd and Zwettl locations as “Waldviertler Kinos”. In Gmünd it recorded around 26,000 visitors last year. “Compared to 2019, we are lagging behind,” she sums up. In numbers, this means that there has been a 25 percent drop in visitors between the two years. Nevertheless, investments were made in both cinemas, and a 4K laser beamer has been in operation in one hall for about a month. Gaugusch-Prinz: “We have received a lot of positive feedback.” Such quality is not feasible at home.
She is addressing what is probably the biggest competitor at the moment. Gone are the days when cinema dueled linear television. Or the small family-run businesses with the big cinema chains. The competitor has not only been called “streaming” since 2022, the pandemic has definitely intensified developments, she says: “Sunday afternoon was a time when people traditionally went to the cinema. They found out what was being played and came reliably. That no longer exists today.”
Adults in particular are more difficult to get into the cinema – especially when it comes to more demanding films. Or during the week: “After work, it’s just easier to decide to stream.” Overall, the audience has recently become more selective, and interest in side offers away from the top trends has decreased.
Big differences between the two cinema locations
The results for the past year are surprisingly different for the two locations. While the Gmünder cinema “only” attracted 26,000 visitors, according to the operator, there were around 41,000 people in Zwettl. Gaugusch-Prinz does not see the fact that Gmünd “pulls” less than Zwettl as an exception of the past year: “Zwettl has a much larger catchment area and a more younger audience. We notice that there is a lack of young people in Gmünd.”
In 2004 she took over the cinema from her mother Liese, who died in 2022, and in 2008 the “Waldviertler Kinos” were created. That sounds like an anniversary for the Zwettl location – and it is. The 15th birthday is to be celebrated with a party in the summer.
Additional earnings for young people now less of an incentive?
A total of 18 employees work at the Waldviertel cinemas. Julia Gaugusch-Prinz says that when it comes to recruiting, she is similar to most restaurants: “We also have weekend and evening shifts.” Sometimes at short notice. “We always employed a few pupils and students who were looking for a part-time job. It has become more difficult to find someone here.” The additional income aspect is taking a backseat, the importance of free time is apparently increasing at a young age: “It hardly ever happens anymore that unsolicited applications are sent.”
The big wish for this year: “The team and I would like to return to a work rhythm with a certain routine, to business as usual.” Sure, the cinema has also suffered the price increases. Neither at the buffet nor at the cinema ticket have the prices been raised. “My idea is that the cinema should remain an affordable pleasure,” says Julia Gaugusch-Prinz.
This year Otto, Super Mario & fast cars are coming
The cinema is a pleasure for her too, after almost 20 years at the helm of the company. A visit to the Munich Film Week is coming up these days: “You sit in the cinema for ten hours at a time, watching new films. It’s incredibly exhausting, but very interesting.” The program for the next few months is complete, including “Dungeons & Dragons”, “A Man Called Otto”, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Fast & Furious 10”.
The phone rings again, the next reservation. “Please pick up the tickets fifteen minutes before the start,” the caller is told. It doesn’t quite drown out the noise of the film in the auditorium. A little entertainment, a little emotion, a little popcorn. It only sounds like that here.
