German Box Office up 4 Percent Mid-Year Despite Soccer Slump

COLOGNE, Germany – Box office revenue in the first half of 2012 is up nearly 4 percent in Germany to $556 million (€445 million), according to figures released by Rentrak.

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German cinemas have taken a beating in the past three weeks as audiences turned to the Euro 2012 soccer championships, but revenue for the first half is still up 3.8 percent over the same period last year. Admissions were up 3.4 percent.

3D films continue to drive growth in the territory. Walt Disney’s release of Marvel’s The Avengers earned more than $30 million in Germany and Sony’s Men in Black 3, atop the German charts for the past five weeks, has earned some $22 million here so far.
But by far the most successful film in Germany this year was the 2D French comedy Intouchables, which brought in $75 million for independent distributor Senator.

Homegrown films have fared less well with local features taking just 16.6 percent of the total box office revenue.
Constantin's culture clash comedy Turkish For Beginners, has been, by far, the most successful German film of the year to date with earnings of $20.5 million. Warner Bros. is hoping Til Schweiger will prove he is still guaranteed box office gold here when they release his latest, the action drama Guardians, in September.