Athens (AFP)

True institutions of the Athenian summer, the open-air cinemas are suffering from a shortened season because of the pandemic, and the fear of the coronavirus causes a drop in attendance: "The atmosphere is not conducive to pleasure", summarizes a manager.

Embalmed by the scents of jasmine and rocked by the song of the cicadas, the Zephyros cinema, opened in 1932, has been managed for more than 30 years by the Mouzakioti family.

"We traditionally open the doors of the cinema on Easter Sunday" but this year, we only opened on June 1, tells AFP the owner of the place, Georgia Mouzakioti.

Leaning against the burgundy red wall of the open-air cinema, her daughter Konstandina Mouzakioti looks grim. "I don't like this situation, the atmosphere is not conducive to pleasure", comments the manager, between two puffs of a cigarette.

His mother deplores "a much shorter operating period disrupted by sanitary measures".

Disinfection at the end of each session, marking on the ground, masks for employees and reduction of the number of places transform the atmosphere and limit the experience.

"The cinema can accommodate up to 250 people in normal times. Today, we only have 125 seats available, spaced apart from each other," resumes Ms. Mouzakioti mother. She strokes the air with her fan and continues: "There are very few foreign tourists and the elderly have deserted. The period is not easy".

Under the stars and the summer heat, the open-air cinemas represent a haven of peace in the tumult of the Hellenic capital. A timeless night out that Greeks and tourists alike delight in every summer. But this year, with more than 5,600 cases of coronavirus and 213 deaths in Greece, the consequences are heavy for the sector.

- One million fewer entries -

If the mother and daughter Mouzakioti ensure that the number of admissions to their cinema is comparable to last year, the figures show a more stifling reality.

Just over 356,000 cinema tickets were sold in Greece for the months of June and July (open air and theaters) compared to more than 1.3 million in the same period last year, according to data from the Greek Center of Cinematography (CGC).

To the reduced reception capacities and to the fear of contracting the virus in some spectators, must be added the slowdown in film production for several months. "The big posters that drain the public have been postponed," Christos Katselos of the CGC told AFP.

"A new consumption habit developed during confinement, from video-on-demand platforms, could also harm outdoor cinemas," he said. "All the new films released have flopped," says Andreas Kontarakis, manager of the Karmen, Stella and Dafni outdoor cinemas. He estimates the drop in attendance for its three spaces at 60%.

- "We are sailing in troubled waters" -

The traditional intermissions, conducive to consumption, have been removed to avoid gatherings at the cinema bar. A measure that managers understand but which undeniably constitutes a shortfall.

"We do everything to limit the interaction of people and we end up with almost empty rooms", storms Mr. Kontarakis.

Like his peers, this manager assures that he has not received any financial assistance from the State.

"We are sailing in troubled waters," summarizes Nina Veligradi. Programmer at the Cinematheque of Greece for fifteen years, she tries to adapt to this unprecedented situation by orienting the selection of films towards a younger audience than in previous years.

"We also offer a lot of reruns this summer, it's cheaper and less risky," she says, anxious to limit spending for the next uncertain months.

"We can not make any plan, we are in expectation. Each week, we receive new instructions to apply," she laments.

Nestled in the alleys of the tourist district of Plaka, the Ciné Paris remains closed all summer. "Because of the pandemic, essential and planned work has been delayed", announces the outdoor cinema on its website. At the foot of Lycabettus, the Dexameni has also drawn the curtain for this year.

© 2020 AFP