Early estimates from the European Audiovisual Observatory indicate that the downturn in cinema attendance across Europe continued and intensified in 2025, with admissions falling by 5.5% from 843 million (against -1.7% last year), to 796 million admissions. This compares to a 1.7% decrease in 2024 and marks the lowest admissions level since 2022, when admissions totalled 724 million.
Whereas gross box office revenues in Europe remained comparatively stable in 2025, reaching an estimated EUR 6.36 billion, only -0.6% down from EUR 6.40 in 2024. As in the previous year, the drop in attendance was mostly offset by an increase in average ticket prices, which rose from €7.6 to an estimated €8.1 (+6.6%)
KEY CINEMA DATA IN EUROPE
CINEMA ATTENDANCE IN EUROPE
Around two-thirds of European countries experienced declines in admissions in 2025, although the extent of these losses varied significantly. Three countries accounted for 72% of the total drop in admissions between 2024 and 2025: France (-24 million admissions, representing 47% of the total drop in Europe), Spain (-8 million), and Türkiye (-5 million). Increases in other markets, led by Germany (+1.8 million), Poland (+1.3 million), and Austria (+0.9 million), were not sufficient to offset these declines. Despite these evolutions, France remained the leading country in cinema attendance (156 m admissions), followed by the United Kingdom (123 m) and Germany (91 m).
The continued decline of cinema attendance in Europe seemed to be primarily driven by a comparatively difficult year for US films and the absence of pan-European blockbusters. However, despite their poor performance, preliminary data indicate that Hollywood productions are likely to remain at the top of European box office rankings. Zootopia 2, Avatar: Fire and Ashes (both released at the end of the year), Minecraft, Lilo & Stitch, and Mufasa were among the highest-grossing films of the year in Europe.
France, which experienced the most significant drop in cinema admissions in 2025, suffered both from the challenges associated with US releases and from a lack of strong domestic productions. In contrast, several other European countries benefited from robust national productions that performed well in their local markets. Notable local successes topping national charts included Das Kanu des Manitu (Corrected from previous version which incorrectly mentioned Der Schuh des Manitu) (Germany), Černák (Slovakia), Buen Camino (Italy), Stelios (Greece, already one of the leading films in 2024), and Yan Yana (Türkiye). The latter achieved twice as many admissions as Zootopia 2, the largest US title released in Türkiye in 2025. Consequently, national market shares continued to grow in 17 European markets, most notably in Poland (+9 pp), Italy (+8 pp), and Germany (+6 pp).
Türkiye (55%, -2 pp)), the United Kingdom (41%, +2 pp), France (38%, -7 pp) continued to report the highest national market shares, with Denmark (37%, up 13 pp from 2024), Italy (33%, up 7 pp), and Finland (30%, down 1 pp) close behind.
COUNTRY-BY-COUNTRY TABLE
Our updated cinema figures will be released just before the Cannes Marché du Film in May 2026.
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