Swiss cinema without domestic advantage
A long-term study of the cinema market
03.12.2024
How has the European film market evolved? Who in Europe watches Swiss films? A recently published study by the European audiovisual observatory provides factual information and shows that Swiss films are exporting well, but that they are finding it harder to gain a foothold on the domestic market in comparison with the rest of Europe.
This long-term study analyses the distribution of European films in European cinemas from 2014 to 2023. It paints a picture of an overheated European film market, with a growing number of European films competing for a steadily declining audience.
European film market
The number of European films screened in European cinemas is rising steadily. In 2023, there were 3,349 productions - a record number. However, these films are reaching a steadily declining audience. In 2023, there were still 239 million admissions. This is around 32% less than in the years preceding the pandemic (see chart above). The number of European blockbusters is also falling. While there were still 73 European blockbusters in 2019, there will only be 41 titles with over a million admissions in 2023. These blockbusters include many family films, often animated. The most important European production countries are France, Germany and Italy. The main European film markets are France (28.8%), Germany (12%), followed by Turkey (11.2%), Italy (9.7%) and Spain (7.9%). The Swiss film market is in 12th position, accounting for 1.3% of all admissions for European films.
Swiss cinema: Good exports but no bonuses at home?
The long-term study also shows that the major film nations prefer to watch their own films. In France, for every 100 European admissions, 87 go to a French production and barely 13 to a European production. The situation is reversed in the Swiss film market, where European films are watched more than national works in percentage terms. Out of every 100 European admissions, 20 go to a Swiss film and 80 to a European one. Swiss productions have a tough time of it in the Swiss film market. Only Austria and Montenegro consume even fewer national films in percentage term.
The situation is different if we look at the export performance of the Swiss films. Between 2014 and 2023, 51% of admissions for Swiss films were achieved on the domestic market, but no less than 49% were generated abroad (slide 40). In terms of the number of European film titles exported, this puts Switzerland in the top 8 of European exporting nations, ahead of Denmark and Italy. Between 2014 and 2023, Swiss titles accounted for around 3% of all European exports. However, they accounted for less than 1% of all admissions for European films (chart 38).
These data and charts are taken from the report “Theatrical distribution of European films across the globe 2014 - 2023” by the European Audiovisual Observatory. Author: Manuel Fioroni