Early estimates from the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO), published at the start of this year’s Berlinale (13-23 February), indicate that cinema attendance across wider Europe stood at 841 million admissions in 2024, marking a 2% decline compared to the previous year. In the European Union, admissions were estimated at 640 million, reflecting a slight 3% decrease from 2023.

In line with this trend, box-office revenues are estimated to have reached €6.6 billion, with €5 billion generated in the European Union alone. With figures stabilising near 2023 levels, cinema attendance appears to have settled at around 24% below pre-pandemic levels (2017-2019), suggesting that the post-pandemic rebound has run its course and that the market may have reached a new equilibrium.

In 2024, the European theatrical sector continued to feel the impact of strikes in the North American film industry, which disrupted production and delayed releases, having a consequent impact on box-office results. At the same time, however, national productions saw remarkable success in several European markets, making up for the shortfall of Hollywood titles.

Among the standout local films that reached the top of the charts in their national markets are Artus’s comedy A Little Something Extra, the most successful film in France in 2024 with over 10 million admissions (see the news); Dimitar Dimitrov’s sports biopic Gundi: Legend of Love, the all-time highest-grossing film in Bulgaria; and Tiina Lymi’s period drama Stormskerry Maja [+leggi anche:
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Growth rates varied significantly across Europe. Early estimates show that admissions ranged from a 13% decline in Norway to an 8% increase in Slovakia. In terms of absolute numbers, France remained the leading country in terms of theatrical attendance, with 181 million tickets sold, followed by the UK (127 million), Germany (90 million) and Italy (73 million).

Similar to 2023, Turkey and France recorded the highest shares of national film admissions, at 57% and 44%, respectively. Other notable national market shares were recorded in the Czech Republic (31%), Finland (31%) and Serbia (26%). Although a full breakdown by film origin is still pending, early data suggest that Hollywood franchise films continued to dominate European box offices. US commercial titles as Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, Moana 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine were among the continent’s highest-grossing films.

On the European front, in addition to local breakout successes, the French title The Count of Monte-Cristo [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] stood out as a major hit across borders (see the news), racking up over 9 million admissions in France and more than 3 million export admissions across 54 different markets.