Boxoffice Pro - April 2020

INDUSTRY UNIC
EUROPEAN
PERSPECTIVE
The Continent Continues to
be a Key Pillar of the Global
Cinema Industry
BY LAURA HOULGATTE ABBOTT
CEO, UNIC – The International
Union of Cinemas
Image courtesy UNIC
It’s with great pleasure that we’ve
touched down in Las Vegas for
CinemaCon 2020, a true highlight in the
industry calendar and one of our favorite
events of the year.
Huge congratulations must go to NATO
colleagues for once again putting together
an exciting program of seminars, presentations,
and screenings. As we look ahead to
a jam-packed week, we can do so safe in
the knowledge that 2019 represented yet
another year of success for cinemas across
UNIC territories.
Europe’s position as a key pillar of the
global, $42 billion industry was cemented
by stellar performances from cinemas
throughout the region, with over 1.25
billion visits to the cinema for the fifth
year running. As a matter of fact, 2019 saw
European Union territories achieving their
best admissions results since 2004.
Special mention must go to a number
of countries in particular. French cinemas,
consistently one of UNIC’s top-performing
member territories, welcomed over 213
million visits in 2019—representing the
second-best results in the last 50 years.
Congratulations are also in order for
Italian colleagues, who recorded double-digit
increases in both ticket sales and
box office revenues, thanks in no small
part to the launch of the highly successful
summer season.
Germany bounced back after a challenging
2018 and boosted both box office
and admissions, while Russia topped the
charts with an astonishing 220 million
cinema visits over the last 12 months.
2019 was also a fantastic year for cinemas
in Spain, who broke the symbolic 100
million admissions mark, and the Czech
Republic had its best results in a quarter of
a century.
And what a year it was in terms of
content! 2019’s slate certainly brought with
it a number of colossal performances, as
we saw titles such as Avengers: Endgame
and Joker dazzle audiences over the past 12
months. While ticket sales were driven by
these international titles, local productions
also put in great performances in a number
of markets. More on this can be found in
our recent update on cinemagoing in 2019.
2019 also saw a number of our initiatives
go from strength to strength, all
helping us get the word out as to the value
of the big-screen experience and ensure
that the economic, social, and cultural
contributions of cinemas are given the
recognition they thoroughly deserve. Last
year was particularly successful from an
advocacy standpoint as, following May’s
European elections and the entry into
office of the new European Commission,
UNIC’s outreach efforts have been
extremely well received—as made evident
during our recent conference at the European
Parliament this February.
On top of this, we’re delighted to report
that the UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership
Programme continues to inspire and
empower in its third edition. We can’t wait
to see our fantastic mentors and mentees
again at CineEurope this summer and look
forward to what the rest of the year holds.
Speaking of which, this year’s
CineEurope is shaping up to be the biggest
and best yet! Our annual convention,
organized each year in beautiful Barcelona,
provides a prime opportunity for
colleagues from across the region and
beyond to get together and discuss the
latest trends and cutting-edge developments
in cinema exhibition.
We’re currently putting the finishing
touches on a dynamic program in
collaboration with partners from across
the sector. Keep an eye on our website
for more details, and we hope you’ll be
able to join us June 22–25 to celebrate the
big-screen experience!
“2019 saw European Union
territories achieving their
best admissions results
since 2004.”
April 2020
43