Good news for theater operators: with 19 million admissions in April, attendance at dark theaters is back to pre-pandemic levels. A first since the reopening after the long months of covid restrictions. According to the latest figures from the National Cinematography Center (CNC), attendance is even 2.7% above the 2017-2019 average.
Another positive sign: in April there were fewer films – 59 openings this month compared to 65 last year – but more entries.
Mario and d’Artagnan in the lead
This April is even a banner month with an attendance increase of 38% compared to the same month last year. And operators can thank Mario: Released in early April, “Super Mario Bros.”, an animated adaptation of the adventures of the famous video game plumber, is a hit with close to 5 million viewers. The film produced by Nintendo, Universal and the Illumination studio even exceeds one billion dollars in box office revenue worldwide.
Behind Mario, it is “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan” who raises the tickets. The French film surpassed 2.7 million admissions in just four weeks of release, becoming the second most viewed film in April. “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Thieves” completes the podium.
A recovery to be confirmed
We also note that for the first four months of the year, US movies performed very well, with a 42% market share compared to 27% last year.
Whether this improvement will last remains to be seen. Through the first four months of this year, attendance is still 14% lower compared to pre-covid years.
Source: BFM TV
