Cinema ticket gross sales fell 8.8 p.c worldwide in 2024 from the earlier 12 months, marking the primary annual drop because the Covid pandemic, the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) mentioned in Cannes on Friday.
The decline comes after years of restoration for the business because the collapse triggered by pandemic restrictions in 2020.
“In 2024, a total of 4.8 billion cinema tickets were sold worldwide, generating estimated revenues of 28 billion euros,” Martin Kanzler, a movie analyst on the EAO, mentioned in a press convention on the sidelines of annual movie competition. “That is 500 million fewer tickets than in 2023.”
Since 2020 — a disastrous 12 months for cinemas as a consequence of well being restrictions — cinema attendance worldwide had been rising.
“Perhaps we have reached a new plateau,” Kanzler mentioned.
Cinema attendance is now at 68 p.c of 2019 ranges, the final 12 months earlier than the pandemic, in contrast with greater than 70 p.c in 2023.
In this sluggish atmosphere, Europe is faring higher than different areas of the world, with cinema attendance at 75 p.c of 2019 ranges, and the decline in ticket gross sales was simply 1.7 p.c in 2024.
By distinction, in China — the world’s largest market with a 21 p.c share — attendance plunged by 22 p.c.
In Europe, two nations stand out for his or her density of cinemas per capita and a excessive common attendance price — France and Ireland.
Regarding productions, 81 p.c are linked to movies produced in three nations — the United States, China and India, mentioned Manuel Fioroni, an analyst on the EAO.
Unlike Chinese and Indian productions, that are offered nearly solely to their home markets, American movies are exported and “cross borders easily thanks to their distribution network but also their international audience”.
“Transnational distribution across macro regions remain difficult for theatrical films, with the exception of Hollywood movies, that can travel easily across borders through their distribution network, but also to international audiences,” Fioroni mentioned.
In Europe, 63 p.c of cinemagoers noticed an American movie in 2024.
However, European productions are catching up and recorded a 33 p.c market share.
“And this is the best result in four years, even 10 if we exclude somehow the typical year that was 2020 in the middle of the pandemic,” Fioroni mentioned.
Of the 20 largest field workplace hits in Europe, 18 are American movies.
“Inside Out 2”, “Despicable Me 4” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” took the highest three spots.
The two European productions within the high 20 are each French: “Un p’tit truc en plus” and “Le comte de Monte-Cristo”.
© 2025 AFP