Raiders of the discount coupon

FILMGOERS were upset at the weekend to discover that their 50 per cent SaveMax discount vouchers were rejected by K-Cineplex for the new Indiana Jones movie.

According to a sign at the K-Cineplex, anyone purchasing a ticket is entitled to a 50 per cent discount using their SaveMax voucher.

The current price of a cinema ticket in Cyprus is €7.50.

With the voucher, children’s tickets are also reduced from €5 to €3.75, if the child is under 11 years old.

“The offer is valid any day, any time, for any movie,” the K-Cineplex sign says.

But not apparently for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the long-awaited fourth film in the Raiders of the Lost Ark series, starring Harrison Ford.

“I went to the movies last night and I was told I couldn’t watch Indiana Jones using the ‘any theatre any movie’ coupon. I was told that the producers of Indy forbade K Cineplex to grant discounts. The theatre was full that night,” said one disgruntled filmgoer yesterday.

A spokesman at K-Cineplex headquarters in Larnaca said yesterday it was not the fault of the cinema.

“We are aware of the agreement we signed with SaveMax in January,” she said.

The spokeswoman said the release of the Indiana Jones movie in Cyprus came at the same time as its US and UK release, which she said was quite an achievement for Cyprus.

However, the producers issued strict instructions that no discounts were to be used during the film’s run in Cyprus.

Some producers and cinemas in the US stipulate no discounts during the first ten days to two weeks of a movie’s run. However, the Cineplex spokeswoman said the prohibition in this case would apply to the entire run of the film in Cyprus.

“K-Cineplex is not responsible,” the spokeswoman added.

Asked whether this would happen again with new or blockbuster releases, the spokeswoman said there were no instructions from distributors as regards other movies.

“It’s because the Indiana Jones film is a Steven Spielberg title,” she said. “It happens with those.”