Global Cinema Admissions To Fall 3.8% In 2003
Global cinema admissions will fall by 3.8% in 2003 to 8.46 billion, according to a new report from Informa Media Group. This follows a strong year in 2002, after declines in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Simon Murray, publisher at Informa Media Group, said: “A stronger slate of film releases in the second half of the year is not expected to be enough to swing the whole year round to higher figures than 2002. Going forward, industry growth is likely to be muted as the multiplex building boom is over in many countries. In fact, several countries appear to be over-overextended the net screen count will fall in these territories.”
The UK is forecast to see a 4% decline in admissions and box office revenues this year, whilst the US will fall by around 5%. Looking ahead, global admissions are not expected to exceed 2002’s figures before 2010.
However, the 2002 box office figure will be topped in 2005 as higher ticket prices in multiplexes have a greater effect, says the report.
| Cinema Admissions By Continent (million) | ||||
| 1995 | 2002 | 2003 | 2010 | |
| Asia Pacific | 6,352 | 5,317 | 5,156 | 5,129 |
| Europe | 826 | 1,167 | 1,104 | 1,227 |
| Latin America | 163 | 385 | 370 | 429 |
| Middle East/Africa | 185 | 155 | 150 | 149 |
| North America | 1,364 | 1,770 | 1,682 | 1,803 |
| Total | 8,889 | 8,793 | 8,461 | 8,737 |
| Source: Informa Media Group, September 2003 | ||||
| Gross Box Office by Continent ($m) | ||||
| 1995 | 2002 | 2003 | 2010 | |
| Asia Pacific | 2,841 | 3,502 | 3,470 | 4,061 |
| Europe | 3,266 | 5,654 | 5,423 | 6,206 |
| Latin America | 308 | 1,087 | 1,065 | 1,416 |
| Middle East/Africa | 83 | 102 | 101 | 118 |
| North America | 5,934 | 10,282 | 10,025 | 11,126 |
| Total | 12,432 | 20,626 | 20,084 | 22,927 |
| Source: Informa Media Group, September 2003 | ||||
Despite the low admissions growth, global box office figures are expected to rise 14% between 2003 and 2010 to $23 billion – or nearly double the 1995 total. Much of this increase is due to multiplexes charging more for tickets than traditional cinemas.
Whilst Asia Pacific dominates the admissions figures, its low ticket prices result in a weak influence on gross box office revenues. The US will take 46% of global box office revenue in 2003 and this share will fall only slightly to 45% by 2010.