European cinema admissions increased by 4.5 per cent in 2019, with over 1.34 billion visits across the region, figures released today confirm.

In a statistical bulletin issued by the International Union for Cinemas (UNIC) – the European cinema trade body – it was confirmed that total 2019 box office in Europe passed the €8.5 billion mark compared to €8.0 billion in 2018.  For those territories in the EU, estimates indicate that box office reached over €7.1 billion compared to €6.8 billion in the previous year.

As in previous years, box office was mainly driven by international titles including, but not limited to, The Lion King, Avengers: Endgame, Joker, Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4. But a host of local titles attracted huge interest in their home territories and beyond, including Qu’est-ce qu’on a encore fait au Bon Dieu ? (FR), Das perfekte Geheimnis (DE), Jagtsæson (DK), Tõde ja õigus (EE) and Ženy v běhu (CZ).

With a record 216.3 million admissions. Russia managed once again (as in 2017) to become the leading territory in terms of cinema admissions in Europe, just in front of France, which recorded an astonishing 213.3 million visits to the cinema – its second-best performance since 1966. The UK, the third biggest European cinema market in terms of admissions, grossed over £1.25 billion at the box office – equating to a European-high €1.48 billion – following a record-breaking 2018.