France and Spain posted galvanised Box Office figures at the end of 2021, with ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ providing a major boost.
Compared to 2020, Box Office figures have increased by 47.2% in France and 45% in Spain, respectively.
In France in 2021, 96 million tickets were sold for cinema admissions compared to 65.2 million in 2020. Spain’s Box Office posted 41 million cinema ticket sales in 2021, grossing €251m (£209.6m/$283.9m) for the year.
Despite the insurgence, cinema admissions are still lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019 – France posted 213.2 million admissions and 201.2 million in 2018. Spain was still down 58% in 2021 compared to its average admissions between 2015 and 2019.
Multiple factors have prevented cinemas from returning to pre-pandemic levels of success – France’s cinemas were closed until mid-May last year while only 59% of cinemas operated in Spain during the first half of the year.
France’s top Box Office hits included ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, ‘No Time To Die’ which was British actor Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond, and ‘Dune’. In Spain, cinema-goers also rushed to see ‘Spider-Man’ as well as ‘Fast & Furious 9’ and ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’.
The latest instalment in the ‘Spider-Man’ series provided a boost to Box Offices across the globe towards the end of 2021, posting the second-biggest total for its North American debut in regional cinema history.
Image: Krists Luhaers on Unsplash