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 Despite soccer fever eating deep into June receipts, European box office in the first half of the year regained much of the ground lost in 2005, with France and Italy notably roaring back with double-digit growth. First-half receipts in 2005 were down 12%-19% in major territories, the only exception being the U.K., which was flat.
The single common factor, according to industry observers, was the strong lineup of films, with several Hollywood titles performing well across the region plus some strong local titles swelling numbers in individual territories.
Last year's downturn was cyclical and a one-off reaction to the films
"I think people have started to understand that last year's downturn was cyclical and a one-off reaction to the films. This year the films are better and audiences are flooding back," Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos said on a recent trip to Amsterdam exhibitor confab Cinexpo.
The blame for much of last year's disappointing box office in Europe was put down to the quality of the movies. "The films last year just weren't up to snuff, but this year is looking much better," one exhibitor said. "People just won't come if the films are rubbish."
The films last year just weren't up to snuff, but this year is looking much better
France looks set to show the strongest uptick across the Continent, with an estimated 103 million tickets sold in the first semester, up about 18%, according to preliminary figures from the National Federation of French Cinemas (FNCF). If confirmed, this would be the strongest half-year performance since 1982.
"It's a very good result but there's no reason to be triumphant. It's really just a catch-up on what we lost in terms of admissions last year," FNCF director Olivier Snanoudj said. The period was marked by the muscular performance of a string of homegrown comedies, notably "Les Bronzes 3" (Forever Friends), the top-drawing film with 10.3 million admissions, and "Camping" with 4.8 million. This helped push up market share for Gallic movies to 49% in the five months to the end of May, while U.S. fare was pushed down to just 41%, according to figures from the CNC. "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" slipped between the two Gallic titles to take the second spot with 6.5 million admissions.
Full receipts for territorries across Europe in the Hollywood Reporter
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