Cinema exhibitions in the European Union and the United Kingdom will increase their audience by 28% in 2021 over 2020, with a total audience of 383.2 million, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory (OAS) yesterday.
Based on statistics from member states and the United Kingdom, the Observatory underscores the “clear sign” of cinematic activity, with an increase in trips to theaters, taking into account the context of the Govt-19 epidemic.
In 2020, as a year of the epidemic’s strongest impact on economic and cultural activity, 299 million cinema tickets were issued, indicating a 70% drop compared to 2019.
Despite the increase in 2021, the number of visitors is 61.9% lower than what was recorded in 2019, a year that crossed the one billion audience barrier in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
OAS refers to the large disparity in the statistics between member states, with each country temporarily closing or reducing the capacity of rooms, depending on the measures enacted to control Covid-19.
For example, in Bulgaria there was a 90.1% increase in the number of audiences in the theater in 2021 compared to 2020, while in Sweden there was a 6.4% increase.
In Portugal, the increase was 43.8%, from 3.8 million viewers to 5.5 million.
In terms of total box office revenue, the Observatory did not disclose total data because not all member states provided them, but in part, the data varied greatly between countries with increased revenue (such as Bulgaria, Spain, or Romania), and others that lost revenue, such as Italy and Greece.
Data from the European Audiovisual Observatory has been released within the limits of the Berlin Film Festival, which runs until Sunday.
Henry Blackwell is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. He focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and useful information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. His work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism.