Box office takings at Romanian cinemas shot up in 2012 by 28 percent on the previous year. The results come against a backdrop of falling regional and European cinema attendance, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory.

Bosnia – Herzegovina registered the biggest increase in Gross Box Office takings last year, up 46 percent, while Slovenia registered Europe's largest decline, down by 8.3 percent. Overall European admissions decreased by 0.9 percent, with the decline higher in the EU – down by 2.4 percent.

The Nordic countries also saw gains, but the top four EU states for numbers of cinema-goers – France, UK, Germany and Italy – registered a 2.8 percent decline in admissions on average in 2012. Reductions in France and Italy outweighed gains in the UK and Germany.

The European Audiovisual Observatory described summer cinema attendance across the continent as somewhat weak. But 2012 finished strongly, with films such as Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 and Life of Pi getting people out to cinemas across Europe.

editor@romania-insider.com

photo source: sxc.hu