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15-01-2009

Estonia announces 2008 box office results

By Martin Aadamsoo
    Estonia witnessed a stable year at the box office in 2008, with two domestic films in top 10 and the total number of admissions staying on par with the preceding year.

    Admissions reached 1.6 million, or 1.2 admissions per capita, which made for a total box office revenue of €7.2 million.

    There were no exceptional hits in 2008, and the front runner, Horton, with its 61,000 tickets sold, would have placed only 5th in 2007. The top 10 included the usual suspects, with major animations dubbed into Estonian predictably sharing the top spots with safe sequels from the Bond, Indiana Jones and Batman franchises. Two domestic features, December Heat by Asko Kase and I was here by Rene Vilbre made 2008 the 6th consequtive year with local films in the top 10.

    Although admissions declined, the box office revenue grew by 1% year-on-year, a result of slowly but steadily rising ticket prices averaging €4.5 in 2008. The number of admissions might have been declined significantly were it not for a new five-screen midiplex that opened its doors at the end of August in Tartu, the second largest city in the country. A total of 168 films premiered theatrically in Estonia in 2008.


    Estonian box office by admissions, TOP10

    1. Horton, 61,185
    2. Mamma Mia!, 56,335
    3. Kung Fu Panda, 53,095
    4. 007: A Quantum of Solace, 52,205
    5. WALL-E, 52,046
    6. Sex and the City, 51,381
    7. December Heat (Estonia), 50,369
    8. I was here (Estonia), 46,561
    9. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystial Skull, 36,911
    10. The Dark Knight, 36,411

    Source: Postimees