Romanians spent EUR 63 million in cinemas last year, a figure 25% higher compared with 2022, as ticket prices also recorded an 8.2% year-over-year increase, according to data from the Romanian Film Center analyzed by the real estate consultancy company Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

The total number of tickets sold reached 13.02 million in 2023, 16% more than in 2022 and only slightly below the 2019 level.

According to the analysis, in terms of box office, cinema operators reported a 25% increase compared with 2022, to RON 308.8 million (some EUR 63 million). This also represents an increase compared with 2019, when the previous record level of RON 265 million (about EUR 56 million) was recorded. It must also be mentioned that the average ticket price surged from RON 20 to RON 23.7 in the 2019-2023 period.

Romania had 103 cinemas at the end of last year, compared with 95 in 2022.

The data includes both single-screen cinemas and multiplexes, with the latter accounting for over 96% of the box office and 94% of the total attendance.

The largest cinematographic markets in Romania are Bucharest (4,132,145 spectators in 2023), Cluj-Napoca (857,806), Timisoara (811,978), Constanta (736,424), and Brasov (625,608), cities which have a combined attendance share of 55% at the national level.

Dana Radoveneanu, Head of Retail Agency, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, commented: “The evolution of the Romanian cinematographic market is highly impressive considering that 2023 was marked by record inflation, which had a clear impact on the Romanians’ purchasing power and which had softened the retailers and shopping centers’ revenue growth rates. The shrinking inflation, already visible in the retail sales’ dynamics, but also the increase of the multiplex supply through the development of new shopping centers or the expansion of existing ones, will all contribute towards creating a positive momentum for the film market in the coming period.”

The number of cinema visits per capita also grew in 2023 vs 2022, from 0.59 to 0.68, reaching the level registered in 2019. Brasov (2.37 visits per capita in 2023), Bucharest (1.82), Braila (1.54), Cluj (1.26), Timis (1.24), Iasi (1.21), and Constanta (0.93) took the top spots.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Leoraduga/Dreamstime.com)