In 2012 attendance for EU (European Union) films grew by 12% year on year,
amounting to around 313 million admissions, boosted by Skyfall, the latest
installment of the James Bond franchise. The British secret agent’s latest outing, a
majority UK co-production, brought the market share of European films within the EU
to 33.6%, the highest level of the century.
For many years now EU box office has struggled to break the 30% market share
threshold. 2012 saw European films getting 33.6% of total admissions, more than a
third of which were for non-national European films and an increase of 5.6% in
comparison with 2011, corresponding exactly to Skyfall’s market share. In a sense, as
a British hero with US support, James Bond has occupied the space left empty by the
vanishing of Harry Potter.
Aggregate figures for the EU represented, more than ever, a mathematical artefact,
as there were remarkable differences among European countries. Attendance fell by
2.2% within the Union, down to 933.3 million admissions. Countries like Finland
(19.7% growth) or Romania (+15.4%) bucked the downward trend. As for the larger
markets, the UK remained stable and Germany grew by 4.3% on the previous year.
Although France sold the highest number of tickets in the EU (203.4 million),
attendance fell by 6.3%.
This drop in admissions did not prevent GBO (gross box office)from reaching, for the
second year running, a record high of EUR 6.47bn. This was achieved thanks to the
hike of ticket prices (2012 average was EUR 6.9) due to 3D releases.
Skyfall, a British film with solid support from a US major studio, was the undisputed
king of the world box office with 44 million admissions throughout the European Union
and 36 million in North America. It becomes the highest-grossing Bond installment of
all times. It was followed at a distance by American blockbusters such as Ice Age:
Continental Drift, The Dark Night Rises and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part
2. This confirms the trends of franchise success, with 10 of the films within the BO
top 25 being sequels.
With 22 American films within the EU box office top 25, the 62.8% US share of the
European market by admissions was slightly superior to last year (61.8%). The main
category that decreased on 2011 was that of films produced in Europe with American
incoming investment (EUR inc/US), down from 8.1% to 2.1% year on year. Non-EU
non-American films represented 1.4% of the total admissions against 1.8% in the
2011.
