Despite months of closure during the corona pandemic, there has been no big death in cinema in Germany so far. For the first half of 2021, 1,716 theaters were recorded nationwide – 18 cinemas fewer than in the same period of the previous year, as the Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA) announced on Monday in Berlin. “The much feared death in the cinema has not yet taken place,” wrote board member Peter Dinges.
Relatively unscathed by the closing time
“Of course, the cinemas are still far from over the mountain, but overall they seem to have come relatively unscathed by the last seven-month closure period in their entirety,” according to a report. This is also thanks to the aid programs of the federal government, the FFA and the state subsidies.
The cinemas had to close for a long time because of the pandemic. After a first lockdown in spring 2020, they closed again from November to summer 2021. Little by little, some cinemas reopened, and open-air and drive-in cinemas were also possible. Inside, however, many cinemas did not open until July. Ticket sales collapsed accordingly in the first half of the year.
Ticket sales down 97 percent
Around 800,000 tickets were issued nationwide in the first half of the year, as can be seen from the data. In the comparable period of the previous year there were 25.9 million cinema tickets. This corresponds to a decrease of 97 percent. Sales also collapsed accordingly, from 220.1 million euros to around 6.4 million euros.
The Filmförderungsanstalt continuously collects figures on the cinema industry in Germany. The location of the cinemas is recorded on the basis of various data. In addition to the number of venues, the number of screens is also recorded, i.e. the number of cinema halls. According to a half-year comparison, it fell by around 0.8 percent from 4929 to 4892. The number of locations fell from 947 to 940, that is by around 0.7 percent.
(tiw)
