Own cinema in Europe: where do local films get top box offices?

On September 18 at KYIV MEDIA WEEK 2018 international media forum, head of analytical department at Media Resources Management Artyom Vakalyuk presented a report about nationally produced films’ successes in European countries. As it turned out, nowhere at major five film distribution markets on the European continent (France, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy) locally produced films topped the biggest box offices according to results of 2017.   

Germany and Spain got the closest to the coveted first place: German comedy Fack ju Göhte 3 (Suck me Shakespeer 3), having collected USD 62.5 million total, found itself second in German film distribution chart for the previous year. The second place in Spain is occupied by Spanish-Italian co-produced comedyPerfectos desconocidos (Perfect Strangers)with the box office of USD 25.8 million. In France, science fiction action movie Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planetsco-produced by France, China, Germany, Belgium, USA and UAE with the box office of USD 36.8 million could only reach the third position in the film distribution ranking. The same result (third place) in total box office for 2017 is observed in the UK; Dunkirkmilitary drama co-produced with the USA, France and Germany collected USD 80.0 million. As for Italy, locally produced films didn’t even make it to the top ten box office results for the year.  

Last year, the ranking of the most successful countries from the point of box offices collected by nationally produced films was headedby Turkey; in this country local films took the first four positions in film distribution chart for 2017 (the most successful was Recep Ivedik 5, a comedy earning USD 24.4 million).

In Lithuania, local films occupied the first three positions in the ranking of top box offices of the year. The leader was Trys milijonai eurų (Three Million Euros), a comedy which collected USD 1.69 million. 

In Poland and Slovakia, locally produced films occupied the first and the second positions in the chart. In Poland, a sure box office leader was Listy Do M. 3 (Letters to Santa 3), a romantic Christmas comedy with the box office of USD 17.7 million. In Slovakia, the first place of the ranking was taken by Slovakian-Ukrainian co-production: Ciara (The Line)criminal thriller collected USD 2.03 million in the country’s cinemas.  

European countries where locally produced films became distribution leaders for the previous year also include Finland and Norway. In Finland, Tuntematon sotilas(The Unknown Soldier)military drama co-produced by Finland, Iceland and Belgium was able to collect USD 15.6 million. And in Norway, Den 12. mann(The Twelfth Man)historical drama earned USD 9.6 million.