The shuttering of Villaggio pending the fire investigation has directed a lot of foot traffic to Doha’s other malls, especially Landmark and City Center, local media and netizens are reporting.

It’s too early to tell what the economic fallout for Villaggio will be, nor the windfall effect on other shopping centers here.

But anecdotally, at least, Monday’s deadly fire does not appear to have put a damper on Qatar residents’ favorite summer past time.

The Peninsula reports:

The 14-screen multiplex at the City Centre Doha yesterday witnessed a rush of movie fans to watch blockbuster movies such as MIB 3 and The Avengers, but others say it was too early to say it was an after-effect of the fire that struck Villaggio which caused the closure of the mall’s Cineco multiplex…

The East food court was also filled with people since the food court on the other end is still undergoing renovation after it was closed months ago because of a fire.

Mall managers are also reporting that an increasing number of people are asking about the location of the fire exits.

Credit: Photo by Ben