Italian cinema returns to growth: +11.5 million in one year. Hollywood falls behind

Concorrenza fortissima dello streaming, scorie del blocco produttivo degli anni passati e una certa crisi creativa stanno pesando sull’appeal di un cinema Usa che da sempre la fa da padrone. Accanto a questo, per quanto riguarda l’Italia, da Ministero della Cultura e associazioni di settore sono state messe in campo idee e iniziative per aumentare l’afflusso del pubblico nelle sale. Con Cinema Revolution (13 giugno-20 settembre), iniziativa promossa dal Mic, tutti i film italiani ed europei in programmazione nelle sale aderenti hanno avuto un costo per gli spettatori di soli 3,50 euro (il resto del biglietto è stato coperto dal Mic). Cinema Revolution è stata preceduta e conclusa con le edizioni estiva e autunnale di Cinema in festa (8-12 giugno e 21-25 settembre), iniziativa proposta al pubblico da Anec (esercenti) e Anica (l’associazione di settore del cinema), con il supporto del Mic, durante le quali il biglietto scontato era valido per tutti i film (italiani, europei ed extraeuropei) nelle sale

Now from Mic, Anica and Anec comes "Happy Cinema Family", a new initiative aimed at families. From 26 September to 31 December, each family unit consisting of two adults and at least one child under the age of 12, for the viewing of Italian and European films (excluding British films) will receive a discount on each ticket of €2.50. The discount applies to the two adults and each child under the age of 12 and will be fully reimbursed by Mic, regardless of the pricing policy adopted.

Contrary to widespread perception, cinema tickets in France do not cost €10. Only a few cinemas charge those prices, while the majority remain below that threshold. According to the CNC, in 2022, 60% of tickets were sold for less than €7 and 42% for less than €6. The average price was €7.24. Over the last ten years, prices have risen by 11.5%, less than inflation (+12.8%).

France has developed one of the most dynamic pricing policies in the world: discounts for students, families, seniors, young people, season tickets and corporate tickets. The "full" price is now just one of many options. Going to the cinema remains the most accessible cultural activity. 181.5 million admissions, 744 exclusive releases and a national market share of 44.8% were recorded in 2024. A record for productions too: 309 films approved by the CNC.

In addition to the big cities, the French fabric relies on an extensive network of cinemas in small towns: 19% of facilities are located in sparsely populated areas, with around 12,000 screens. This is where realities such as Ciné Off (Indre-et-Loire) operate, which organises travelling screenings and keeps access to the big screen alive even where commercial cinemas do not arrive. These initiatives, often supported by volunteers and local funds, ensure that cinema remains part of community life, reinforcing the social as well as cultural role of cinemas.

Director Ada Solomon recalls that before 1989, cinemas were the only way to see the world, with tickets sold by the millions. Today, a big hit does not exceed 100,000 spectators. In 2024, cinemas welcomed 11 million admissions with an average ticket price of 26 lei. But only 14.5 per cent of Romanians go to the cinema at least once a year, against an EU average of 32 per cent.

In 2023, 13.3 million tickets were sold, or 1.2 million per person. Before Covid, the figure was more than 15-18 million. The country now has around 1,200 cinemas, up steadily from 701 in 2016, but far fewer than the 2,025 cinemas of 1989.

What is new is the opening of cinemas in small towns, often housed in multi-purpose spaces. In large cities, multiplexes in shopping malls have almost wiped out traditional cinemas: only arthouse and summer cinemas remain. Tickets now vary between 8 and 15 euros.

Cinema in Greece has not yet recovered to pre-Covid levels. 9.6 million tickets were sold in 2019, 7.6 million in 2024.

The market is dominated by American cinema (70-80% of sales). Only one domestic biopic, *Stelios*, was an exception with 850,000 spectators (11% of the total). The average ticket costs 7-8 euro, 5 in summer festivals. However, according to the Thessaloniki Festival, a proportion of young people are returning to the big screen over platforms.

In 2024, 318 films were screened, of which 250 were first releases and 40 domestic. Spectators dropped by 12% compared to 2023, but takings grew by 2% thanks to an average ticket increased to €4.33 (from €3.66). The audience share of Croatian films plummeted (-43%), while that of foreign titles increased. The Kino Mreža network connects 46 independent cinemas, but the average remains low: 0.9 visits per person per year.

* This article is part of theEuropean collaborative journalism project 'Pulse' and was contributed by Oana Dumbravă (Romania), Ștefania Gheorghe (HotNews, Romania), Petr Jedlička (Deník Referendum, Czech Republic), Lena Kyriakidi (EfSyn, Greece), Marina Kelava (H-Alter.org, Croatia), Lola García-Ajofrín (El Confidencial, France).