Admissions fall, but Swiss cinema climbs!

by Mathieu Loewer

24/01/2006 - The receipts for tickets sold in Switzerland last year were 140 million euros against 163 million in 2004. A catastrophic drop of 14 %, which the Swiss association of exhibitors and film distributors ProCinema attribute to the quality of American films that came out in 2005.

But although admissions are down, local cinema is looking up. At 3rd place in the Swiss box-office for 2005 with more than 500'000 admissions, Mein Name ist Eugen [trailer] (Kontraproduktion, Zurich) raised the Swiss market share to 5,9 %. the success of the film by Michael Steiner, who has just won the Swiss Cinema Award for best fiction feature, allowed local production to regain territory lost in 2004 (2,6 %). It is back then to the market share of 2003, which was also due to a single film, the comedy A vos marques, prêt, Charlie!. Awarded Siss Cinema’s best actor in a principal role – to Shooting Star Carlos Leal – Snow White [trailer, film focus] by Samir (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion, Zurich) also had an honourable result with 85'000 entrées.

(Translated from French)