събота, 31 декември 2011 г.

German Chart Comments - Issue Date 30.12

The last chart of the year in Germany comes naturally with almost no new entries but at least with a change on the top. Thus, after going up in the rankings over the last few weeks Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" takes the #1 position, replacing "Video Games" by Lana Del Rey (this week down to #2). Thus, Germany joins Belgium, Australia, Austria, New Zealand and The Netherlands in the list showing where Gotye's single has been a number one smash. 

From there, it's a steady top ten, with only Flo Rida and Aura Dione changing the sixth and the seventh places. At the same time, "Jar Of Hearts" of Christina Perry reaches a new peak at #11, while LMFAO's "Sexy And I Know It" moves up to #13 but is still lacking a top ten placing. 

Further down the top 20, Lady GaGa's "Marry The Night" climbs #23 - #17, managing to outperform her least successful singles in Germany - "Judas" (peak #23) and "You and I" (peak #21).

"River Flows In You", the wedding-favourite theme of Yiruma, surprisingly on not, shoots itself to #21 from #38, while Michel Teló's "Ai se eu te pego!" makes a fabolous chart development by rising #66 - #49 - #29. Top 20 next?

Perhaps due to the exposure on Voice of Germany, local duo The Bosshoss finally has its top 30 single as "Don't Gimme That" advances this week #34 to #30. 

The highest new entry belongs to Leo Rojas, who won the latest edition of Germany's Supertalent. "Einsamer Hirte" is Rojas take on "The Lonely Shepherd" and comes new at #48. I somehow sense a new Michael Hirte scenario here...

Also marked as a new entry at #74 this week is the Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova duet "Falling Slowly" taken from the soundtrack of "Once" from 2007. It's better late than never...

The last new entry can be found at #87, belonging to Swedish House Mafia Vs Knife Party and their "Antidote".

The Album Chart

The top three in the LP chart is once again occupied by Udo Lindenberg, Adele and Michael Buble. The highest new entry at #15 comes from Gotye and his "Making Mirrors", the home of the current #1 single.  

петък, 30 декември 2011 г.

In Bulgarian Cinemas from 30 December 2011

No ratings this week. Two fresh titles invade the cinemas but on a relatively limited release. Check their trailers below.

Винаги в същия ден / One Day - (A+)

Ронал Варварина / Ronal The Barbarian - (Denmark) (ProFilms)


Previews this week:

50/50
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Slick, provocative and intriguing as the book & the Swedish version ****1/2

The ratings:
***** Perfect
**** Unmissable
*** Fine (just give it a try)
** So-so (for genre aficionados only)
* Stay away

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 23-26 December

Puss definitely knows how to court viewers
Supported by the Christmas holidays, the two new proposals of the week register strong results and take the lead of the box office chart this weekend. Expectedly, Puss in Boots comes first with BGN 221,344 for the weekend, and BGN 313,607 including previews. The excellent performance is first due to the strong brand awareness (everyone knows who Puss is, either via Shrek or via the Charles Perrault fairytale) and second to the fact that many parents found time to bring their children to the multiplexes during the holiday time. Curiously, the results of Puss in Boots make the movie the third most successful debut of animation in Bulgaria's recent cinema history, just after Ice Age 3 and Shrek 4. 

At #2 Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows conjures up BGN 143,515 for the weekend, and BGN 223,836 including previews. In comparison the first instalment started with BGN 317,854, but we should take into account the strong Puss competition and by the looks of it, the strong word-of-mouth will eventually bring the Guy Ritchie film to a success.

Last week's winner, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol slips with the okay 33% to #3 and with BGN 420,559 so far has already doubled the final results of Mission Impossible 3. Oh, how times and distribution changes here...

Supported by the forthcoming holiday and the all star cast, New Year's Eve registers a fall of just 13%. It has stolen BGN 191,445 so far.

The arrival of Christmas didn't do any good to Arthur Christmas as, hurt by the Cat, the movie bleeds 42% and has BGN 341,332 in total.

And the rest of the top ten:

#6. Happy Feet - a fall of 48%, a total of BGN 186,224
#7. Jack and Jill - a fall of 4%, a total of BGN 128,943 
#8. Operaciq Shmenti Kapeli - a fall of 20%, a total of BGN 1,108,780
#9. Immortals - a fall of 75%, a total of BGN 866,806
#10. Twilight - a fall of 50%, a total of BGN 537,463

The top ten is left this weekend by Bulgarian disappointment Something More About Love. The film has made the meagre BGN 18,849 for two weeks and can be considered as one of the biggest BG flops for the last few years. At the same time Machine Gun Preacher retreats with a total of BGN 81,420, which means that after all there is an audience for independent titles. So, let's wish the Bulgarian distributors bring more of them in 2012!

Compared to my last week projections, both Puss and Holmes surpassed them considerably. 

Next weekend's projections:

One Day - BGN 15,000
Ronal The Barbarian - BGN 11,000, including previews

(BGN 1 = USD 0.69/EUR 0.51) 









































NO ANONYMOUS, ALVIN 3, ZOO, CLOONEY, STRAW DOGS IN BULGARIA

Shakespeare or not Shakespeare, the truth remains hidden...
This feature is dedicated to the policy of depriving Bulgarians from watching major Hollywood films on the big screen and has nothing to do with the quality of the movies in question.  
 
Anonymous - It's a curiosity really, when Roland Emmerich makes a relatively good movie (half of the critics liked it, bar the UK ones), there is no chance for the film to be released on the big screen in Bulgaria. So, despite the heavy promotion and the almost ready advertising materials, Emmerich's view on Shakespeare was cancelled from cinema distribution in almost the 12th hour. All BBC purists can sleep calm now, at least until the blu-ray comes out...(Columbia/Alexandra)

Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked - No surprises here. The first two Alvin flicks didn't see the light of the cinema hall in Bulgaria, so no one familiar with the trends in the cinema distribution here was surprised from the fact that our country is one of the few worldwide where the chipmunks will not conquer the cinemas. Oh, it's difficult for the Bulgarian NATFA graduates to dub them after all... (Fox/Alexandra)

We Bought A Zoo - Someone somewhere has decided that Matt Damon is no star in Bulgaria (and having in mind the performance of Adjustment Bureau from earlier this year, maybe they have a point), so this feel-good drama was moved to April 2012. And as the latest Cameron Crowe is lacking any Oscar buzz and is almost a flop in the USA, don't expect to see it even then. (Fox /Alexandra)

The Descendants - We Bought A Zoo may be a flop, but the follow-up movie of Alexander Payne after the excellent Sideways is not only praised by critics but has already made above 30m bucks in the States. Of course, it won't be released here. Who needs quality movies when Underworld 4 is on the screens? (Fox/Alexandra)

Straw Dogs - This remake was met with indifference from audiences and critics all over the world, so its cinema cancellation is somewhat justified. Oh, and James Marsden is no Robert De Niro (it sounds absurd, I know). But what all True Blood fans have to do now, when they could not watch Alexander as the really really bad guy on the big screen...(Columbia/Alexandra)

четвъртък, 29 декември 2011 г.

Austrian Economic News - Week 19-25 Dec

Monday

Sanochemia Pharmazeutika posted EBIT of EUR 1.7m for fiscal 2010/11, compared to an EBIT-loss of EUR 1.3m a year earlier. Sales rose by 25% to EUR 34.1m boosted by radiology and synthetic products.
*
Lingerie maker Wolford said that its Christmas sales have increased by 6.3% so far. The company added it is satisfied with the holiday turnover this year.
*
Erste Group raised its stake in Romanian Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR) by further 6% and now owns 88% in its subsidiary.
*
BDI BioEnergy International said it had received a EUR 4.45m order to build a biogas plant for a French waste management firm.

Tuesday

Real estate company Immofinanz said its group profit soared 145% to EUR 265m for the first six months of 2011/12, beating analysts' expectations. The company plans to raise its dividend to EUR 0.15 for full 2011/12 from EUR 0.10 per share a year earlier. Rental income in the first six months went up 2.4% to EUR 284m.
*
The Austrian unit of German engineering giant Siemens will transfer EUR 1bn in dividend to its German parent for fiscal 2010/11, up from EUR 420m a year earlier. Siemens Austria's sales rose 1.2% to EUR 2.47bn for the year.
*
IT company Beko Holding said its sales in fiscal 2010/11 grew 11% to EUR 55.1m, while the EBIT came in at EUR 1.1m, compared to a loss of EUR 11m a year ago. In view of the worsening of the economic conditions, Beko intends to reduce its business activities.
*
Troubled Austrian bank OeVAG has agreed to divest of its 25% in insurer Victoria-Volksbanken Versicherungen to majority owner Ergo. Victoria is active in Austria and eastern Europe.
*
Real estate firms Warimpex, CA Immo and UBM have opened the Airportcity project in St. Petersburg. The project consists of two hotels and two office towers.

Wednesday

IT company Brain Force slipped to a net loss of EUR 1.37m for fiscal 2010/11, compared to a profit of EUR 0.92m a year earlier. The EBIT loss narrowed to EUR 1.04m from EUR 1.65m.
*
Austria's economic research institute Wifo expects a GDP increase of 0.4% for 2012, while IHS sees 0.8%. For 2013 the two institutes expect 1.6% and 1.9%, respectively. For the current year Wifo sees growth of 3.2%, while IHS predicts 3.3%.
*
Regional utility EVN has acquired almost 100% in its Bulgarian units, EVN Bulgaria Elektrorazpredelenie and EVN Bulgaria Elektrosnabdiavane. The move was implemented as Bulgaria decided to withdraw from the two firms.

Thursday

Austrian machinery group Andritz has won a EUR 107m order for a hydropower plant in Egypt. The four turbines to be delivered will produce electricity for 75,000 households from 2017.
*
Sugar, starch and fruit group Agrana said its sales grew to EUR 1.952bn for the first three quarters of fiscal 2011/12. Operating profit rose to EUR 198.7m from EUR 104.8m. The growth was supported by the sugar and starch business.
*
Indian Bajaj Auto International has boosted its stake in motorcycle producer KTM with 100,000 shares to 40.87%.

Friday

Moody's retained its AAA credit rating for Austria referring to its competitive export sector, low unemployment rate and strongly diversified economy.
*
Raiffeisen Bank Internantional said its Hungarian subsidiary will carry out a EUR 350m capital increase. The move is needed to offset the expected EUR 320 loss at the Hungarian unit. The latter will also implement strict savings measures.

2011 - The Year In Cinema - The Best

Here's a list of the best, according to my humble opinion, cinema releases in Bulgaria in 2011. The ranking in the chart has no special meaning. *

 1.   Хари Потър / Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2
2.       Черният лебед / Black Swan
3.       Речта на краля / The King’s Speech
4.       Шерлок Холмс: Игра на сенки / Sherlock Holmes: Games of Shadows
5.       X Men: Първа вълна / X Men: First Class
6.       Боецът / The Fighter
7.       Мъжете, които мразеха жените / The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (TO BE RELEASED IN 2012)
8.       Непреклонните / True Grit
9.       Поредният ергенски запой / The Hangover Part II
10.   Приключенията на Тинтин / The Adventures of Tintin
11.   Супер 8 / Super 8
12.   Оглупели от любов / Crazy Stupid Love
13.   Ранго / Rango
14.   Зеленият стършел / The Green Hornet
15.   127 часа / 127 Hours
16.   Възходът на планетата на маймуните / The Rise of The Planet Of the Apes
17.   Дилъри на време / In Time
18.   Кожата, в която живея / The Skin I Live In  
19.   Тайните служби на Дядо Коледа / Arthur Christmas
20.   Мисията невъзможна: Режим Фантом / Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
21.   Агенти на съдбата / The Adjustment Bureau
22.   Високо напрежение / Limitless
23.   Първичен код / Source Code 
24.   Бързи и яростни 5: Удар в Рио / Fast Five
25.   Заразяване / Contagion
26.   Капитан Америка / Captain America
27.   Кунг фу Панда 2 / Kung-fu Panda 2
28.   Кецове - Bulgarian
29. Кешбол / Moneyball (TO BE RELEASED IN 2012)

 *(I still have to catch some titles with a strong buzz such as Drive; Lincoln's Lawyer; Biutiful, Melancholia; Pina and others)

Expect soon - The Year In Cinema - The OK & The Worst 

вторник, 27 декември 2011 г.

Austrian Chart Update - Issue Date 23.12

Die Österreichische Hitparade

The top three 

1. Taio Cruz - Hangover (4th week at #1)
2. Lana Del Rey - Video Games
3. Flo Rida - Good Feeling
The new entries & other important positions 
13. Andreas Bourani - Nur in meinem Kopf (neu)
26. Coldplay - Paradise (up from #48)
27. Tim Bendzko - Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären (up from #51)
29. Bon Jovi - Hallelujah (neu) *
33. Lady Gaga - Marry The Night (neu)
45. Natasha Bedingfield - Shake Up Christmas 2011 (neu) *
46. Gotye ft. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used To Know (neu)
68. Christina Perry - Jar Of Hearts (neu)
74. OneRepublic - Christmas Without You (neu) *

* - Still to enter the German charts
** - pure Austrian stuff
 

The Playlist - Issue Date 26.12 (10)

The Playlist 

The Hits

Foster The People - Call It What You Want (8w)
Katy Perry - The One That Got Away (7w)
Alexandra Stan - Get Back (ASAP) (5w)
Lady Gaga - Marry The Night (4w)
Avicii - Levels (4w)
Jason DeRulo - Fight for You (4w)
Beyonce - Dance For You (4w)
Adele - Set Fire To The Rain (Live at Royal Albert Hall) (4w) 
Will.I.Am - T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever) (2w)
Pitbull ft. Chris Brown - International Love (2w)
P!nk - Bridge Of Light (AUDIO) (2w)
David Guetta ft. Sia - Titanium (NEW) 
Rihanna - You Da One (NEW) 

The other hits

Nightwish - Storytime (5w)
The Naked and Famous - No Way (5w)
Florence + The Machine - No Light No Light (5w) 
Gotye - Someone That I Used To Know (5w)
Melanie C - Let There Be Love (5w)
Gypsy & The Cat - Time To Wonder (5w) 
Cee Lo Green - Anyway (4w) 
Patrick Wolf - Together (4w)
Michel Telo - Ai Se Eu Te Pego (3w)
The Killers - The Cowboy's Christmas Ball (3w)
Mando Diao - Christmas Could Have Been Good (3w)
Kelly Rowland - Lay It On Me (3w) 
Kid Rock ft. T.I. & Angaleena Presley - Care (2w) 
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die (2w)  
Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans (NEW)
Taylor Swift - Ours (2w)  
Heather Nova - Higher Ground (NEW)    
 
The UK charts

The Wanted - Warzone (7w)
The Vaccines - Wetsuit (6w)
Jack Beats - End Of Love (6w)
Joker ft. William Cartwright - On My Mind (5w) 
Twin Atlantic - Free (re-release) (5w)
Olly Murs - Dance With Me Tonight (5w)
Delilah - Love You So (4w)
Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again (4w)
Rizzle Kicks - Mama Do The Hump (4w)
Dot Rotten - Keep It On A Low (4w)
Military Wives with Gareth Malone - Wherever You Are (3w)
Smoove & Turrell - Gabriel (3w)
Bombay Bicycle Club - Leave It (3w)
Frank Turner - Wessex Boy (3w)
JLS - Do You Feel What I Feel? (3w)   
Miss 600 - Typically Me (2w)
Westlife - Beautiful World (2w)   
Black Veil Brides - Fallen Angels (2w) 
Skepta - Hold On (2w)
The Big Pink - Hit The Ground (Superman) (2w)
Various Cruelties - Great Unknown (2w)
Flux Pavilion & Doctor P - Superbad (2w)
Nero - Reaching Out (2w)
The Maccabees - Pelican (2w)
Noah And The Whale - Give It All Back (2w)    
Little Mix - Cannonball (NEW)
Jamie Hartman - Happy New Year (NEW)
Carole King - New Year's Day (NEW)      
Leona Lewis - Hurt (Live) (NEW) 
    
The German charts

Bosse - Metropole (6w)
Sido - Geboren um frei zu sein (5w)
Frida Gold - Gold (5w)
DJ Antoine - Ma Cherie (4w) (new video)
R.I.O. - Animal (4w) 
The Bosshoss & Nena - L.O.V.E. (4w)
Zaz - Le Long De La Route (4w)
F.R. - Einfach mal...machen (4w)
23 ft. Peter Maffay - Erwachsen sein (3w)
Beatsteaks - House On Fire (3w)
Casper - Auf und davon (3w)   
Dick Brave & The Backbeats - Just The Way You Are (2w)
Johannes Strate - Ich Mach Meinen Frieden Mit Mir (2w)  
Raffaela Wais - Heaven Only Knows (2w)
Basto - Again and Again (2w)
Mike Candys & Evelyn ft. David Deen - Around The World (2w)
Basslovers United - Basket Case (2w)
Jaques Raupé - 3 Haselnüsse (2w)
David Pfeffer - I'm Here (2w)
Scooter feat. Vicky Leandros - C'est Bleu (2w)
DJ Ötzi - Ring The Bell (2w)
RJ Feat PITBULL - U Know It Ain't Love (2w)
The BossHoss - Don't Gimme That (3w)    
Nica & Joe - Build A Palace (2w)
DJ Sammy - Look For Love (NEW)
Tom Novy - Thelma & Louise (NEW)
Tomcraft - Tell Mummy (NEW)

The US charts

Grouplove - Tongue Tied (3w) 
J. Cole - Can't Get Enough (3w) 
Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup (5w)  
Jake Owen - Alone With You (2w)
Edens Edge - Amen (2w)
Lee Brice - Woman Like You (NEW)
Gym Class Heroes - Ass Back Home (NEW)
 
Out:
Taio Cruz - Troublemaker (5w)
The Black Keys - Lonely Boy (6w)
Korn - Narcissistic Cannibal (4w)  
Justin Bieber - All I Want For Christmas (3w) 
Mick Hucknall - Happy This Christmas (2w)
Soehne Mannheims - Fuer dich (4w) 
Menowin - Waiting For Christmas (3w)
Redd ft. Akon & Snoop Dogg - I'm Day Dreaming (3w)  
Matthias Reim - Letzte Weihnacht (Last Christmas) (2w)
Blake Shelton - Footloose (5w)
The Fray - Heartbeat (4w)
Bryan Adams - Merry Christmas (1w)
  

German Chart Comments - Issue Date 23.12

It's a third consecutive week for Lana Del Rey and her "Video Games" atop the German singles chart. At #2, perhaps her biggest challenger currently, Belgian-Australian singer Gotye, moves up four with his increasingly catchy "Somebody That I Used To Know". Taio Cruz' "Hangover" slips one to #3 and rounds up the top three this week. 

In a relatively slow week, some movements worth mentioning inside the top 20 are the 13-11 rise of David Guetta's "Titanium", which finally has a video in what is the song's 19th week in the top 100. Christina Perri's "Jar Of Hearts" storms the top 20 as "Jar Of Hearts" deservingly soars 22-13. At the same time Coldplay's "Paradise" finds a new wind under its wings and rises 23-14. 

At #31 we have a re-entry by Andreas Bourani's "Nur in meinem Kopf". Perhaps he sang the single (peak #16) on TV? 

The biggest new entry of the week could be found at #42 as Casper, one of the most successful newcomers for 2011 on the German music scene, arrives with his second single "Auf und davon". The song is taken from Casper's #1 album "XOXO". 

At #46 Gypsy & The Cat follow their top 30 single "Jona Vark" with "Time To Wander", while the somewhat rushed release of Taio Cruz' next single "Troublemaker" has to deal with the 51 position. Perhaps more alcohol-themed songs would have served the star better. 

The extremely active Nena and The Bosshoss (blame Voice of Germany for that) bring their take on Nat King Cole's "L.O.V.E" at #76. The song features on the soundtrack of local comedy "Rubbeldiekatz".

T-Pain has never been popular in Germany, so there should be no surprised as the rapper's "5 O'Clock" stumbles at #91. (It is actually his first appearance as a lead singer in the countdown.) The same could not be said for Söhne Mannheims, whose "Für dich" enters at #98, cementing the current oblivion status of one of the most popular German bands over the last few years. 
Video  - T-Pain

The Album Chart

Once again Udo Lindenberg reclaims the top position in the album chart as last week's champion Rammstein slide to #4. Adele's "21" is at #2 and Michael Bublé's extremely successful "Christmas" rises to #3. The highest new entry belongs to X Factor winner David Pfeffer and his debut album "I Mind" at #20. I just wonder how Germans manage to record the albums so fast, here in Bulgaria we have to wait at least three months for our winner to release anything....

петък, 23 декември 2011 г.

In Bulgarian Cinemas from 23 December 2011

Шерлок Холмс: Игра на сенки / Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows - Question? Which franchise of Mr. Downey Jr. is the better one - Iron Man or Sherlock Holmes? Answer - the British-infused one of course. Two years after bringing to the world, their XXI-century incarnation of the most renowned British detective out there, Guy Ritchie and his leading actor are back with a bang. The second instalment offers a broader scope, terrific action and most of all - a great villain. Yes, Professor James Moriarty is revealed as the film starts but his maliciousness is displayed as early as "that" scene in the restaurant. Moriarty, in the role the excellent Jared Harris, and his schemes are not only a match for the skills of Holmes but also challenge him in an entertaining way, which is transferred immediately to the audience. Speaking of Holmes, Downey Jr. continues to relish in the leading role, supported with ease by Jude Law as Doctor Watson. The chemistry between the two actors is just perfect, boosted by the ever sharp dialogue. This time around, the detective adventures are joined by Noomi Rapace in her first major role after the Millennium trilogy made her a global star. She, together with Stephen Fry (as the other Holmes) suit immaculately to the story. In addition, the direction is more-or-less flawless, while the sets are astonishing (the Opera scene / The wood chase / The Swiss chalet are among the most remarkable for the year). At the same time, the music of Hans Zimmer elevates the movie with a star or two. If Tintin and Indiana Jones are your cup of Christmas punch, this game of shadows is definitely worth the play! (Alexandra) **** 1/2

Котаракът в чизми / Puss in Boots - Indisputably, Puss is among the best characters that the Shrek universe has delivered to the world and therefore a film about the cutest and simultaneously the most dangerous cat is always welcome. Thus, though not perfect, the latest Dreamworks animation succeeds in presenting an enjoyable origin story for the Banderas character. Speaking of Banderas, the most significant disadvantage for all Bulgarians is the fact that we are deprived of his voice, which is a major crime against cinema. Anyway, putting that aside (the motives behind dubbing the film are obvious), Puss continues to be an ace and he could easily rank among the coolest characters out there - just pay attention to how he drinks his milk and courts the female cats. At the same time, Kitty Softpaws, as his partner in crime, is interesting but needs more focus, while Humpty Alexander Dumpty is curious but may be too odd for younger viewers. The biggest flaw, however, can be found in the story and the quest for the magic beans, which just shows that the authors failed to let their imaginations fly. The detailed animation, the richness of the backgrounds, so typical for Pixar and even Disney are just lacking. Still, a second instalment has the chance to put Puss in an adventure worthy of his magnitude. Bring it on! (Forum Film) *** 1/2

 
The ratings:
***** Perfect
**** Unmissable
*** Fine (just give it a try)
** So-so (for genre aficionados only)
* Stay away

сряда, 21 декември 2011 г.

Austrian Economic News - Week 12-18 Dec

Monday

Austrian Atrium European Real Estate Limited has taken over a retail centre in Poland. The company paid EUR 55m for the shopping mall in Stettin.
*
Erste Group said Monday it had raised its shareholding in Romanian BCR to 82%. The move was implemented via the buy of 4.74% from SIF Transilvania against the issue of new shares in Erste. Furthermore, the Austrian bank paid around EUR 44.6m for shares owned by SIF Muntenia and SIF Moldova.
*
Andreas Karsten, the newly-appointed CEO of Vienna International Hotelmanagement, said the company will seek IPO but not in the next three years. For now, the hotel manager will focus on its expansion.

Tuesday
Austrian firefighting vehicle maker Rosenbauer said it had secured an order worth EUR 19.7m for the delivery of 18 vehicles to New Doha International Airport in Qatar.
*
Standard & Poor's (S&P) has reduced its credit rating for insurer Uniqa to A- from A. The outlook was set as "stable".
*
Austrian Airlines (AUA) said it will raise as of December 15 the fuel surcharge by EUR 3 on short-haul flights and by EUR 10 on long-distance ones. The move was triggered by the increase in kerosene prices.
*
Regional utility EVN has invested EUR 3.6m in the construction of a district heating grid and biomass-powered heating plant in the industrial region of Hagenbrunn. The move is part of EVN's strategy to boost the energy produced by renewables in its portfolio. 

Wednesday

Office furniture maker Bene said its operating loss was reduced to EUR 2.2m for the first three quarters of fiscal 2011/12, from EUR 8.7m a year earlier. The net loss fell to EUR 4.01m from EUR 11.36m. The company attributed the positive development to strong growth in sales, the sharpening of the product range and the focus on margin-strong projects. Bene aims to close the year with a positive operating result.
*
Austrian Airlines (AUA) will have to approve a new savings package in order to be able to return in the black in 2012, Christoph Franz, CEO of parent Lufthansa, said. It is still be decided on the concrete measures.
*
IT services provider S&T expects to be able to return to profit in 2012 with a result of around EUR2m. Revenues are seen at EUR 220m. The company has started a three-phase restructuring programme, its recently appointed management said.
*
OMV Gas GmbH will be renamed into Gas Connect Austria, OMV said on Wednesday. The move is part of the company's decision to separate more distinctly the production and trade business with the grid activities. 

Thursday

Austria's regional utility EVN said its net profit fell 8.4% to EUR 189.7m in fiscal 2010/11. EBIT, however, rose 16.8% to EUR 218.7m. Sales went down 0.8% to EUR 2.729bn. The company plans to raise its dividend to EUR 0.41 per share from EUR 0.40 a year ago.
*
Austria's annual inflation rate grew to 3.6% in November, compared to 3.4% in October. The increase was driven once again by food and mineral oil product prices. The euro-zone harmonised index came in at 3.8%.
*
The Vienna stock exchange operator announced that as of December 19 the shares of collapsed game developer JoWooD will be finally delisted from the market.
*
Bank Austria and Erste Group said Thursday their US clients continue to be of importance despite the stricter disclosure rules approved by the US authorities.
*
Steel specialist Voestalpine confirmed that it had received an order from Deutsche Bahn. The total order, placed to a group of companies, is worth EUR 300m.
*
Austrian troubled bank OeVAG plans to sell its entire non-core business, which would mean the cutting of every fifth job by 2013. 

Friday

Austrian lingerie producer Wolford said on Friday its net profit halved to EUR 1m in the first half of fiscal 2011/12. EBIT fell by 15% to EUR 2.7m and sales went down by 0.6% to EUR 73.6m. The company said it was burdened by the reserved customer behaviour and lowered investment activities. However, Wolford still expects a slight earnings and sales increase for the full fiscal year.
*
Austrian fire fighting vehicles maker Rosenbauer received a large-scale order for 1,125 vehicles in Saudi Arabia. The EUR 245.3m order is the biggest in the company's history and will utilise the firm's capacity for the next two years.
*
Quanmax and grosso Holding GmbH own almost 75% in IT services provider S&T, the latter said in a statement.
*
Telekom Austria announced a cut of its planned dividend payment to EUR 0.38 from EUR 0.76 for 2011 and 2012. The company, however, confirmed its outlook for 2011. The reduction in dividend was attributed to tough economic conditions and the volatile foreign currency markets.

New on DVD/Blu-ray in Bulgaria in November 2011

Movie of the month 1
Sunny Film Video / Sony
Агент Солт / Salt - Jolie kicking ass! What's not to like? Perhaps the plot? ***

2012 / 2012 - Roland Emmerich - the destroyer not only of Earth but of good movies too **

Ченгета в резерв / The Other Guys - Wahlberg and Ferrell team up. The latter is god, you know? ****

Безпощадно / Faster - Faster to the Fast and Furious 5 **

Карате Кид / Karate Kid - A retro guilty pleasure. Watch it just to make comparisons with the recent remake **** (only on BD)

Карате Кид 2 / Karate Kid 2 - We could have done it without this sequel though ** (only on BD)

Железен план / Armored - Better arm yourself with booze before trying to sit through this **

Отстреляй бившата / Bounty Hunter - Go eat a bounty instead of watching this pile of sh.. *

Легион / Legion - Don't let it invade your home! *1/2

This Is It! - This is definitely not it, Michael would have disapproved. ** (only on BD)

Как да разбера / How Do You Know - Or how an overcomplicated plot has reached to the screens. **1/2

Жена на заем / Bring It On - Adam Sandler to the max, it's stupid and all the fun for it. ***


Film of the month 2
A+ / Disney, Fox, Universal & Independent

Монте Карло / Monte Carlo - Selena Gomez taking the Hilary Duff way. Hilary who? I hear you say... *1/2

Невероятното приключение на Шарпей / Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure - Yes, the best from HSM has its own adventure! Avoid *

Пингвините на Мр. Попър / Mr. Popper's Penguins - Jim Carrey doesn't have it anymore, but the film is okay ***
Мечо пух / Winnie the Pooh - Surprising sweet, as quality honey ***1/2

Warner

Хари Потър и Даровете на смъртта: Част 2 / Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 - The magic is all around us *****
Поредният ергенски запой / The Hangover 2 - The same as part one - what's not to like? ****
The ratings:
***** Perfect
**** Unmissable
*** Fine (just give it a try)
** So-so (for genre aficionados only)
* Stay away

вторник, 20 декември 2011 г.

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 16-18 December

The risk has really paid off...
Expectedly, the latest part of Mission Impossible stormed the cinema charts in Bulgaria and with the sublime BGN 162,290, or BGN 172,797, including a day of previews, removed The New Year's Eve from the summit. As Ghost Protocol fits perfectly in the taste of Bulgarians - a well-known brand, an action and masculine movie, its success is not surprising. We should also add the fact that the film is generally liked by cinema goers (unlike some too pretentious Bulgarian "critics" who compare it to Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean because of its ....increditability). The third mission ended its entire run in Bulgaria with the poor USD 121,066, which has already been passed by the fourth instalment as you're reading this.

At #2, Arthur Christmas once again shows a fantastic hold and slips by just 23%, having BGN 299,363 in total. Even the forthcoming holidays couldn't stop the aforementioned New Year's Eve from taking the down road quickly, as it falls by 42% to #3 and has BGN 136,659 so far.

For a change, a poor children movie is struggling to have strong legs in the country, as in its third week Happy Feet 2 goes down with 47% and BGN 160,953 in total. By the looks of it, the much superior Arthur will at the end beat the dance-obsessed penguins. 

Albeit with a decrease of 51%, The Immortals retains its strong performance and with BGN 843,385 sits pretty at #5. It is followed by The Twilight saga, with a fall of 60% and BGN 524,789 so far. Operaciq Shmenti Kapeli is still in the top ten, slipping 54% and BGN 1,091,578 so far. At #8 Jack and Jill goes down with the not-so-welcome 59%. The movie has earned BGN 112,927 in its run.

The second new entry of the week enters as low as #9. Bulgarian title Something More About Love manages to collect the dismal BGN 7,319 over the weekend. This is one of the worst opening results for a Bulgarian movie in the last few years, paling even compared to "flops" such as Sbogom Mamo and The Island. Putting the negative reviews aside (yes, there are one or two on the net, the remaining "film journalists" rather praised or just, typically, didn't give any opinion at all), it seems that superstar Kalin Vrachanski couldn't attract any viewers in the cinema halls...

The top ten is rounded up by Machine Gun Preacher, which falls 67% and has made BGN 74,921 so far.

The top ten is left by In Time and The Son Of No One. The surprising sci-fi Justin Timberlake hit has made the excellent BGN 552,024 so far, while The Son Of No One underperformed with BGN 79,347, which for a film with Al Pacino is really bad.

Compared to my last week projections, Mission Impossible came somewhat higher than my BGN 130,000 forecast, while Something More About Love drew exactly half of my BGN 15,000 prediction. 

Next weekend's projections:

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows - BGN 150,000, including previews
Puss in Boots - BGN 130,000, including previews

(BGN 1 = USD 0.69/EUR 0.51)