Cinema ticket sales in Cyprus decreased by 24,4% in 2013 compared to 2012, recording the largest decline in the EU-28, according to the first estimates of the European Audiovisual Observatory of the Council of Europe. The figures were given on the occasion of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.
It is estimated that in 2013, 600 thousand movie tickets were sold in Cyprus, compared to 800 thousand sold in 2012, ie 200 thousand less. Cyprus records the largest decline in ticket sales in the EU28 and the second largest compared to all Council of Europe countries, where the largest decline is recorded by FYROM with 61,8%.
The Observatory estimates that total movie ticket sales in the EU fell by 4.1% to 908 million, about 39 million less than in 2012 (947 million). This is the second lowest percentage of ticket sales in the EU since the beginning of the century.
More than two-thirds of EU markets saw a drop in ticket sales, while sales rose in only 8 of the 26 EU countries for which provisional data were available.
The significant decline in the EU is a result of the significant decline in four of the five largest EU markets: Spain (-15,2 million -16%), France (-10,8 million -5.3%), the United Kingdom ( - 7 million -4%) and in Germany (-5,4 million -4%). In Italy alone, the trend is up 6,6% to 106,7 million tickets.
The largest increase is forecast in Bulgaria (+ 16,7%), Romania (+ 13,8%) and Lithuania (+ 6,8%).
Significant growth was achieved only outside the EU. With sales increasing by 10,5% to 173,5 million tickets in 2013, Russia ranks second after France and surpasses the United Kingdom this year. Turkey also had the highest rate in recent decades, with movie attendance rising 14,8% to 50.4 million.
Source: CITIZEN