European cinema demonstrated remarkable resilience in 2024, with box office declines of just 0.3% despite Hollywood's strike-induced release drought. These findings come from data revealed in the preliminary reports by cinema trade-body UNIC and the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO). The numbers tell a story not of crisis, but of adaptation, as local films stepped up to fill the gap and several territories actually grew their admissions year-on-year. This is reflected in cinema operators across both Europe, North America and beyond continuing to invest in upgrades, new technologies and brand new cinema locations.
Cinema operators across cinema trade-body UNIC's 39 territories recorded 975.5 million admissions and box office exceeding €7.2 billion. While this represents a slight 1.4% drop in attendance, it masks significant bright spots and a strong recovery trend in the latter half of the year, particularly in key territories like France, the UK, and several Eastern European markets.
France maintained its position as Europe's cinema powerhouse, with admissions growing to 181.3 million, up nearly 1 million from 2023. This success was driven by an unprecedented performance of local films, with three domestic hits - "Un P'tit Truc En Plus," "Le Comte de Monte-Cristo" and "L'Amour Ouf" - collectively selling over 25 million tickets. The French market share for domestic films hit a remarkable 44.4%, one of its highest levels ever and one many neighbouring countries regard with awe and envy.
The most dramatic growth story came from Bulgaria, where box office jumped 10.8% and admisions rose 4.1%. The success was driven by "Gundi: Legend of Love," (above) a biopic about legendary footballer Georgi Asparuhov that helped propel national market share to a record-breaking 24.4% - triple the previous year's figure. Bulgaria and other countries in the Balkans have been helped by the opening of many brand new multiplexes in recent years, which in turn creates a market for local film makers.
The UK ended 2024 on a particularly high note, with November and December admissions surging 77% and 36% respectively year-on-year, with a slew of titles released (some cinemas even complained of a log-jam). Overall admissions grew 2.3% to reach 126.5 million, while box office topped £978 million. Meanwhile Finland achieved an unprecedented 31.3% national market share, with local films drawing over 2 million admissions - the highest level since 2017. Most notably, domestic drama "Myrskyluodon Maija" outperformed Disney's "Inside Out 2" to become the country's top-grossing film of the year.
Not all markets shared in the recovery. Cyprus saw box office drop 15.2%, while Austria experienced a 10.5% decline. Germany saw a distinct lack of local hits in 2024, though local family films was one bright spot. The Nordic region generally struggled, with Norway seeing a 12.7% drop in admissions and Sweden down 7.9%. While both drops were unwelcome, there had been fears that the decline could have been worse. However, these challenges were offset by the broader positive trends across the continent.
National Cinema Days proved particularly effective at driving attendance, with France's La Fête du Cinéma drawing 4.65 million attendees - up 50% from 2023 and the best turnout since the event's 1985 inception. As UNIC CEO Laura Houlgatte notes: "Both local hits and US blockbusters played a crucial role in 2024, while cinema operators across Europe continued to invest in the best experience for their audiences. These two ingredients – a great film and a great experience – are the key to cinematic success." While the reports from EAO and UNIC did not cover cinema screen numbers, we know from our own experience at CinemaNext and from talking to vendors that the catious appetite for investment and upgrades is growing stronger on the back of the success of box office numbers.
Early 2025 numbers suggest that this recovery is accelerating. "Captain America: Brave New World" has opened to $100 million domestically and $192 million globally despite a B- CinemaScore, while "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy" is performing strongly in international markets (and nobody seems to talk about franchise fatigue any more). There has also been strong numbers posted by more art-house focused films, competing for awards, with a German cinema operator telling me that these are more evenly spread between more titles than those early last year. The summer and fall blockbuster slate looks particularly robust, with "Mission: Impossible 8" set to continue Tom Cruise's theatrical hot streak and James Cameron's "Avatar 3" positioned as the year-end event film that could push global box office to new heights, without also forgetting the concluding part of “Wicked”.
Gower Street Analytics projects 2025 global box office will grow by $2.5 billion to $33 billion, with EMEA estimated to reach $9.1 billion. This forecast seem well-supported by both the quantity and quality of upcoming releases. Beyond the major franchise entries, a strong slate of European productions is also building, suggesting the momentum of local hits seen in 2024 could carry forward.
European Cinema Shows Resilience in 2024 as Local Films and Recovery Point to Strong 2025