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The figures in this press release are taken from the 2025 edition of FOCUS – World Film Market Trends, a report which is prepared each year for the Marché du Film. Journalists may request a PDF press copy from [email protected]. FOCUS is available as a free print copy to all Marché attendees from the Observatory’s stand (H1 in the Riviera/Marina section) It’s also free online for all Marché participants on the online platform. It can be purchased after the Marché from Council of Europe bookshop.
Cinema Attendance stabilised in Europe amid a small decline in 2024
In 2024, cinema attendance in Europe (Council of Europe member states excluding Azerbaijan) saw a slight contraction, declining by 1.7% year-on-year to reach 843 million admissions. This marks a plateau in recovery after the sharp rebound observed in 2023, when admissions had surged following pandemic-era lows. The EU27 recorded a steeper decline than wider Europe, with admissions falling by 2.5% to 642 million.
Despite this decrease in admissions, total box office revenues remained relatively stable due to slightly rising ticket prices and ongoing inflation. Cinemas across Europe generated EUR 6.66 billion in 2024, a marginal drop of 0.8% from EUR 6.72 billion in 2023. Within the EU27, revenues fell by 1.9% to EUR 4.99 billion.
Country-level results varied significantly across Europe in 2024. Fourteen markets recorded growth in admissions, with the most notable increases observed in Albania (+9.0%), Slovakia (+8.3%), and Lithuania (+5.6%). In contrast, the sharpest declines were seen in Cyprus (-19.9%), Luxembourg (-18.6%), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (-14.9%). Among major markets, Türkiye led with a 4.9% increase in admissions, followed by the United Kingdom (+2.4%), France (+0.6%) and Italy (+0.6%), while Germany (-5.8%) and Spain (-5.8%) saw a notable decline in their results.
Inside Out 2 took the lead in 2024 box office results as two French films broke into the top 20
According to preliminary data in 31 European markets, in 2024, 14 titles sold over 10 million tickets (14 in 2023, 20 in 2019), while 109 titles (113 titles in 2023, 149 in 2019), including 43 European productions (39 In 2023, 65 in 2019), surpassed 1 million, still far from pre-pandemic results. Together, the 20 most-watched titles drew 329 million admissions, accounting for 39% of total cinema attendance in Europe, a concentration level consistent with the previous year. Franchise films accounted for more than half of the top-20 titles. Inside Out 2, the follow-up to the popular 2015 animated film, was the most-watched film of the year and was the only title to exceed 50 million admissions in 2024. It was followed by Despicable Me 4 (31.7 million admissions) and Deadpool & Wolverine (29.5 million), both part of established franchises.
If U.S. productions dominated the top 20 with 18 titles and over 307 million combined admissions, two French films, Un p’tit truc en plus (11.7 million admissions, 92% were registered in France) and Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (10.6 million, 89% in France), also secured a spot among the year's biggest hits.
The top 20 European films by admissions were primarily composed of films from France and the United Kingdom. Eight were UK productions or co-productions, often with U.S. or French partners. Five originated in France, including a co-production with Canada. Additional strong performers came from Türkiye, Poland, Italy, and Germany. Notable European titles, apart from the two French films already mentioned, included Poor Things (GB inc / US / IE, 6.5 million), Paddington in Peru (GB, 5.2 million), and L’Amour Ouf (FR, 5.1 million).
Driven by national successes and weaker US results, European market shares grew to 32.8%, their highest level since 2020
European films saw their admissions increase by 19% in 2024, from 233 million admissions in 2023 to an estimated 276 million, while US film admissions fell by an estimated 16% (a decline of 60 million tickets sold). These shifts led to notable changes in market shares: European films captured 32.8% of total admissions, up from 27.2% the previous year, their highest share since 2014, excluding the pandemic period. Meanwhile, the market share of U.S. films dropped to 63%, falling by 6 pp compared to the 69% market shares in 2023. European "incoming investment" films (EUR inc) accounted for just 1.1% of market share, with Poor Things standing out as the sole major title in this category (6.5 million admissions).
Out of 32 markets with available data, 22 recorded an increase in national market share. Notable gains were observed in Bulgaria (+15.7 pp), Türkiye (+12.6 pp), Latvia (+11.4 pp), and Czechia (+10.1 pp). These gains were driven by local breakout titles: In Bulgaria, Gundi: Legend of Love became the country’s most successful theatrical release, with 709 432 admissions, surpassing both Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), the precedent highest grossing titles in Bulgaria. In Latvia, animated feature Flow was the top title of 2024 and is now the country’s third highest-grossing film of all time.
Türkiye maintained its position as the leader in national market share at 57.0%, followed by France (41.2%). The United Kingdom came next with 38.6% with inward investment films like Wicked accounting for 32.7% of the market shares, and GB independent films accounting for 6.9% of the market shares. Czechia (32.6%) and Finland (31.5%) also achieved market shares above 30%. In Finland, five of the year’s top ten films were local productions, with Stormskärs Maja (FI) leading at 469 334 admissions.
Film production in Europe progressed and reached record high in 2024
Film production continued to grow across Europe for the fourth consecutive year. In 2024, 2 514 feature films were produced in 36 European markets with available data, the highest output recorded to date, exceeding the 2019 peak. This included 1 533 fiction films (+87 from 2023) and 957 documentaries (+28 from 2023).
Excluding minority co-productions from the total number of films produced per country, this increase has been led principally by Türkiye (+76 titles, +52% compared to 2023) and the United Kingdom (+53 titles, +22%), followed by Poland (+ 15 titles, +34%), Czechia (+13 titles, +24%) and Belgium (+12 titles, +41%). However, not all countries followed the trend. Spain produced 21 fewer films than in 2023 (-7%), followed by Germany (-12 titles, -7%) and Austria (-10 titles, -28%).
Italy retained its position as the largest producer, with 350 films in 2024. Spain and the UK followed with respectively 303 and 294 titles. Then France with 231 titles, and Türkiye with 223 titles. At the lower end of the scale, Malta produced just two films, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cyprus produced three each.
More detailed information on European as well as international theatrical markets can be found in FOCUS 2025 World Film Market Trends prepared by the European Audiovisual Observatory for the Cannes Film Market.
- Data have been collected with the collaboration of the EFARN (European Film Agency Research Network) and the support of UNIC and Comscore.
- All 2024 figures are provisional.
The European Audiovisual Observatory, Council of Europe
Set up in December 1992, the European Audiovisual Observatory's mission is to gather and distribute information on the audiovisual industry in Europe. The Observatory is a European public service body comprised of 40 member states and the European Union, represented by the European Commission. It operates within the legal framework of the Council of Europe and works alongside a number of partner and professional organisations from within the industry and with a network of correspondents. In addition to contributions to conferences, other major activities are the publication of a Yearbook, newsletters and reports, the compilation and management of databases and the provision of information through the Observatory's Internet site.
European admissions rankings (Tables 2 and 3)
The pan-European film rankings shown in tables 2 and 3 are based on data from all European countries for which results have been stored in the LUMIERE database as of 2nd of May 2025. This database, containing admission figures for films released across Europe, is freely accessible online and is the outcome of collaborative efforts between the European Audiovisual Observatory and various specialized national entities, primarily national film funds, along with support from the MEDIA Programme of the European Union. LUMIERE provides detailed country-specific admission data for over 69 000 titles distributed in Europe since 1996, with 2024 data now available for 31 European markets.
Market shares (Table 4)
The market shares are determined through an analysis of film results in Europe, using admissions data for individual films provided to the European Audiovisual Observatory. Establishing such market shares necessitates assigning a single "country of origin" to each film, which can be challenging for international co-productions. In such instances, the Observatory aims to designate the country of origin based on the primary source of financial input and/or creative control. Since 2005, the Observatory has specifically identified films produced in one or more European countries (or elsewhere) with US investment by tagging them as "inc" (incoming investment) in the country of origin attribution. It's important to note that while the LUMIERE database attributes a country of origin to each film, this may occasionally change over time due reassessments or differ from information provided by national sources.
Number of feature films produced in Europe (CoE) (Table 5)
Estimating the total production volume of feature films in Europe remains challenging, primarily due to the risk of double counting co-productions and variations in national data collection methodologies. The European totals include feature-length films intended for theatrical release, excluding minority co-productions and inward investment films in the United Kingdom. For some countries, separate data for feature fiction and feature documentary films may not be available.
Contact at the European Audiovisual Observatory:
Alison Hindhaugh (Press Officer)
[email protected] - tel.: +33 (0) 684352743
+ 33 (0) 3 90 21 60 10 (direct)
