A new study by the European Audiovisual Observatory — an organization of the Council of Europe — sheds light on the global footprint of European cinema over the past decade. Examining the period from 2015 to 2024, the report maps how films from the continent travelled across major international markets, identifies the most active producing countries, tracks the evolution of dominant genres and highlights the European titles that made a mark at the box office.
Since 2015, the number of European films released has steadily increased, reaching 3,400 in 2024 — up 2% from 2023 and 14% compared with the pre-pandemic period (2017–2019). Within Europe, these films accounted for 50% of all titles destined for commercial release in 2024, while American productions represented just 18%. European films sold a total of 311 million tickets in 2024, a 24% rise compared with 2023 and the highest level recorded since 2019. Much of this growth is attributed to the success of two French blockbusters: “Un P’tit Truc en Plus” by Artus, which sold 12 million tickets, and “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, with 11 million.
Even so, overall admissions remained 16% below the pre-pandemic average of 2017–2019. In 2024, European films captured 9% of the global box office — a share that has fluctuated between 5% and 10% over the past decade. American films, by contrast, held 54% (reaching as high as 68% in some years), while Chinese productions took 12% (peaking at 26%) and Japanese films 6%. Another telling indicator of European cinema’s downward trajectory is that even the strongest box-office performers have yet to return to pre-Covid levels: in 2024, only 47 films sold more than 1 million tickets, a drop of 35%. Together these films accounted for 143 million admissions — 47% of Europe’s box office — a figure still 15% lower than in the years before the pandemic.
French audiences remain the continent’s most devoted cinephiles: admissions in France represented 29.3% of all tickets sold for European films. Germany followed with 11.6% and Turkey with 10.8%. Greece ranked mid-table among EU countries, with a 0.7% share.
Crossing Borders
The international circulation of European films has become more outward-looking. Between 2015 and 2023, the number of European titles distributed abroad increased, stabilising at 1,566 films in 2024 — meaning that nearly 50% of all European productions found release outside their home market. An estimated 71% of 2024’s new titles were available in only one foreign market, up 11 percentage points from pre-pandemic averages. About 26% reached between two and five markets, while 13% travelled to six or more.
Exports surged in 2024, with admissions for European films abroad climbing to 118 million — a 40% increase compared with 2023. This dramatic rise is largely due to the strong international performance of UK productions such as “Paddington in Peru”, “Back to Black”, “Conclave” and “One Life”, which together generated 51 million admissions — triple the previous year. British films accounted for 43% of all European export earnings, followed by French films with 20% and 23 million tickets.
A Turkish Surprise
One of the study’s most striking findings concerns Turkey, where audiences showed exceptional preference for European films: 59% of all titles screened in Turkish cinemas were European, compared with just 39% American — the highest European share worldwide. France followed with 51% European vs. 45% American, and the Czech Republic with 43% vs. 54%. In Greece, European titles accounted for 26% of the market and American ones 64%.
Despite slight improvements in Europe’s global performance, most exports remain within the continent. Notable losses were recorded in North America and across Asia, where European film exports dropped significantly.
