Attendance at European cinemas has rebounded by about a third year on year in 2022, but remains well below pre-pandemic levels, according to provisional figures released Wednesday by the Unic professional organization.
“Compared to the record year of 2019, estimated admissions in 2022 in Europe fell by 40.3% and box office receipts by 34.4%,” the International Union of Cinemas said in a statement.
At issue: Covid-related restrictions that lasted until June 2022 in certain countries, the low number of film releases, and the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, compared to the nightmare year 2021, admissions increased by at least 36.5% and box office receipts increased by 55.6%.
“Slower” recovery in Spain and Italy
The rebound over the year was particularly strong in countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Slovenia, with major markets such as France, Germany and the UK “continuing to narrow the gap compared to pre-pandemic levels.” On the contrary, the recovery is “slower” in Spain or Italy.
If the rebound was driven by American blockbusters such as ‘Avatar: the path of water’ or ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, national cinema played “a key role in the success of the year 2022”, according to ‘Unique. This is particularly the case in France, with French cinema claiming 40% of the market and to a lesser extent in the Czech Republic (33%), Denmark (26%) and Finland (25%).
Source: BFM TV
