Cinema association: Around 78 million tickets sold so far
In the first year after the end of all coronavirus restrictions, cinemas in Germany are continuing to recover, according to an industry association. Around 78 million tickets had been sold by the beginning of November, according to the Berlin-based Hauptverband Deutscher Filmtheater (HDF Kino), citing the industry analysis service Comscore. By comparison, around 61 million tickets were sold in the same period in 2022.
"We have recovered from the pandemic better and faster than expected," said Christine Berg, CEO of HDF Kino. The communal experience of cinema has regained its social significance. "This makes us optimistic about the upcoming peak cinema season in autumn and winter, including for the full-year results," emphasized Berg. 2023 has been a good year for the cinema industry so far. This summer, the films "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" drew a particularly large number of people to the cinemas.
However, according to the association, the current figures have not yet reached the level of the pre-coronavirus year 2019: they are still 12.5 percent below the same period in the previous year. In 2019, around 89 million tickets had been sold by the beginning of November.
The success of recent blockbuster movies, such as "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," has contributed to the surge in cinema visits, with over 78 million tickets sold by November. To fully realize this trend, Christine Berg, the CEO of HDF Kino, is hopeful for an exciting cinematic season this autumn and winter, hoping to surpass the pre-pandemic ticket sales of 2019.
As cinemas continue to gain traction post-pandemic, with over 78 million tickets sold so far, Christine Berg anticipates a prosperous autumn and winter season in cinemas, aiming to outperform the pre-coronavirus era ticket sales of 2019 at the movie theaters.
Source: www.dpa.com
