2013 Drop In Box Office Revenues Revealed

2013 saw a "moderate drop" in box office revenues, according to the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC).
UNIC territories saw a total box office fall of 3% and a drop in admissions of 2.2%, figures released by the group have revealed.
France, the UK and Germany were among the regions that experienced negative performance across admissions and box office, when compared to the previous year.
Box office revenues dropped 1.6% in the UK and 7.9% in Germany, while admissions fell 5.3%, 4% and 12.3% in France, the UK and Germany respectively.
Some territories, such as the Netherlands, Italy and Israel, experienced a moderate increase at the box office of 1.8%, 1.5% and 1.5% respectively, while Lithuania and the Czech Republic grew 12.6% and 11.6% respectively.
In Russia, admissions in 2013 grew by as much as 12%, but the overall average across all territories suffered as a result of negative results such as -15.4%, -14% and -12.3% in Spain, Switzerland and Germany, respectively.
The average annual number of cinema visits decreased marginally by 0.1 to 1.6 visits per capita across UNIC territories.
In Israel (1.7), Italy (1.6), Russia (1.3) and Turkey (0.7) cinema-going increased, while Ireland enjoyed the highest number of cinema visits at 3.2. Admissions per capita remained stable in Denmark (2.5) and the Netherlands (1.8).
Across UNIC territories, several productions from the US performed remarkably well at the box office; namely The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Frozen, Despicable Me 2, Fast & Furious 6, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Iron Man 3.
The market share of national films in UNIC territories remained stable from 2012 to 2013. Turkey led with a share of 47%, while France saw a drop compared to 2012 but still accounted for 33.3% of admissions for French films.
Local films dominated in Scandanavian countries, topping charts in Norway, Denmark and Finland. Denmark stood out in particular, with four Danish films amongst the top five, led by The Keeper of Lost Causes and The Hunt.
Digitisation across all UNIC territories in 2013 reached 85%, with the number of countries that are either fully digitised or in the final stages of completing the process growing steadily. Belgium, Denmark and Finland are 100% digitised. Austria, France, Germany, the UK, Israel and Switzerland are expected to follow soon, having crossed the 90% mark in 2013. Apart from Italy, where significant progress was made in recent months, digitisation remains a challenge for most Southern European territories, with Spain and Turkey lagging significantly behind.
Photo: Sébastien Normand
www.unic-cinemas.org
(IT/JP)