02-02-2017

Estonian viewers as top European cinemagoers appreciate domestic film

    Estonian film audiences, ascending to the top tier of European cinemagoers per capita, have year-by-year shown a steady rise in their interest towards domestic film according to the figures of 2016 that saw the crowd-pleasing hit-comedy Class Reunion as their highest-grossing film.

    Last year 3.29 million viewers visiting Estonian cinemas brought in 17.77 million euros in box office earnings, helping to drive the market's domestic film share in double digits for the second consecutive year in a row.

    "I'm pleased to say the yearly cinema visits per capita in tiny Estonia was 2.5 which makes Estonia one of the highest-attending countries in Europe," Head of Estonian Film Institute (EFI) Edith Sepp said. "Opinions regarding attendance and trends differ vastly in Europe. For example, in the "old Europe" countries people might go to cinema less than they used to and the younger generation is switching over to newer platforms, therefore there is a worry about the sustainability of cinemas. However, in many smaller and the "new Europe" countries, brand new cinemas are being built that see more attendance."

    According to Sepp this trend is well mirrored by Estonia's distribution figures of 2016 that show two Estonian films amongst several family films of major US studios in the top 10 highest grossing films, namely the top spot film Class Reunion which is also the most watched and highest grossing film in Estonian cinema distribution history, and The Days That Confused.

    Sepp added the EFI sees to it that European cinema is well distributed in Estonian cinemas. "The average market share of European films in various member states of the European Union is around 26 per cent. Recent years show the produce of other European countries makes up a stable trend of around 20 per cent of the market share in Estonian cinema distribution, which in itself is a great achievement. If the market share of Estonian films, also part of the label of European cinema, is factored in with its share above 10 per cent then the result for the second consecutive year in a row is remarkable."

    The average price of cinema ticket in Europe is seven euros and in 2016 the average ticket in Estonia cost 5.5 euros.

    "The rising price of ticket is definitely mirrored also in box office. For the first time we can talk about the box office of Estonian film which was close to 1.8 million euros," Sepp said. "Estonian viewers love going to cinema and are happy to watch Estonian films, even with the price of tickets rising."

    Additional information:

    Eda Koppel

    Head of Marketing
    Estonian Film Institute
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Published in Press releases
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