EU gross box office topped EUR 7 billion in 2017 for third year running

Based on provisional data, cumulative GBO in the EU Member States topped the EUR 7 billion benchmark once again, reaching an estimated EUR 7.02 billion in 2017. While dropping 0.3% on the previous year, this still represents – not adjusted for inflation – the third highest level ever recorded. With the pan-European average ticket price stable at an estimated EUR 7.1, the decrease in GBO was mainly driven by a slight decline in cinema attendance, as admissions dropped 0.8% to a total of 984 million (-7.6 million tickets sold), still marking the third highest level in the EU since 2004. (source - EUROPEAN AUDIOVISUAL OBSERVATORY)

Measured in local currencies, GBO grew in an uneven manner across the EU, as it increased in 19 and decreased in 6 of the 25 EU markets for which provisional data were available. Geographically speaking, GBO growth was strong in Central and Eastern Europe, recording a solid upturn in the Slovak Republic (+EUR 5.5 million, +18.9%), Lithuania (+EUR 2.7 million, +15.2%), Poland (+PLN 104.9 million, +10.8%) and Romania (+RON 25.0 million, +10.3%). Out of the five major EU markets, a moderate rise in the GBO was registered in Germany (+EUR 33.1 million, +3.2%) and the UK (+GBP 50.7 million, +4.1%), while revenues remained relatively stable in France and Spain.

“In turn, Italy showed a significant dip in GBO (-EUR 82.6 million, -11.9%), driven by a sizeable downturn in admissions, primarily to national films. GBO revenues also dropped slightly in Denmark (-DKK 39.9 million, -3.6%) and Austria (-EUR 2.6 million, -1.9%).”

Outside the EU, Russian GBO soared by 9.5% to RUB 53 283.8 million, boosted by an unprecedented increase in cinema attendance (+10.0% to 212.2 million tickets sold), and this made Russia the biggest European market in terms of admissions last year. In Turkey, GBO takings increased 25.9%, rising to a record-breaking TRY 871.0 million, driven by an exceptional growth in ticket sales (+22.1%).

As in previous years, US studio titles dominated the EU box office chart, representing 19 out of the top 20 films in 2017. The litst was topped by the franchise animation film Despicable Me 3 (32.3 million admissions), followed by Disney’s live action reboot of Beauty and the Beast (29.8 million) and Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (28.8 million). Interestingly, Despicable Me 3 was the only title to cross the benchmark of 30 million admissions, while no film had touched this threshold in 2016.

Family animation features continued to perform well, accounting for six out of the top 20 titles, including The Boss Baby (18.6 million admissions), Sing (15.2 million), Cars 3(11.3 million) and Coco (9.8 million). Confirming another well-established trend, franchise titles dominated the EU charts in 2017, as 15 titles out of the top 20 (and 8 titles out of the top 10) are reboots, sequels or spin-offs, such as The Fate of the Furious (21.7 million admissions), Fifty Shades Darker (20.3 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (19.7 million) and It (17.9 million).

GB inc war drama Dunkirk was the only non-US film to rank in the top 20, with 17.2 million tickets sold. Excluding European films financed with incoming US investment (EUR inc), no European title reached 10 million admissions in the EU with the top performing European film, UK family comedy Paddington 2 generating 9.1 million admissions.

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