Is going to the cinema still a common activity in Europe? Attendance is stabilizing, but the pandemic has brought about significant changes

Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Gazeta Wyborcza

Cinema attendance post-pandemic shows varied recovery across Europe, with some nations lagging behind pre-2019 levels.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

Cinema attendance is recovering post-pandemic but remains short of pre-pandemic levels across Europe. In Poland, cinema attendance reached 49.7 million viewers in 2023 and slightly decreased to 49.5 million ticket sales in 2024, with 535 permanent cinemas operating. European attendance in 2024 was similar to 2023 but lower than the record year of 2019. France saw stable attendance at 181.5 million viewers in 2024, largely supported by domestic productions. In Czechia, ticket sales stabilized around 13.3 million in 2023, though still below pre-pandemic figures. Greece faces challenges due to the rise of streaming services, with ticket sales dropping significantly from 2019 levels. Regarding audience participation rates, Denmark leads Europe at 52.4%, while Romania ranks near the bottom. Ireland shows strong attendance among adults, but most tickets are for foreign films. Spain also saw a decline in ticket sales compared to 2023. External factors like strikes and potential trade policies are noted as influencing cinema attendance trends.

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