BOX OFFICE
Gross box office in the European Union (EU) and the U.K. grew by 70% in 2022 compared with 2021 – from €3 billion ($3.27 billion) to €5.1 billion ($5.57 billion), down by 28% on pre-pandemic levels. The numbers were revealed in the 2023 edition of Focus – World Film Market Trends, a report which is prepared each year for the Cannes film market.
Three U.S. films, “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru” topped the European charts in 2022, selling 34.4 million, 30.6 and 30.2 million tickets throughout the calendar year respectively. Cinema attendance in the EU and the U.K. increased by 63% from 403 million tickets sold in 2021 to an estimated 657 million in 2022, representing 67% of the average pre-pandemic admission level registered between 2017 and 2019.
European films also performed well and market share for European films increased year-on-year from 26.8% to 28.4% in 2022, the report recorded. It also notes that film production in the EU and the U.K. continued to grow and reached their second highest level in recent history.
The number of cinema screens continued to remain relatively stable, decreasing by some 300 screens from 32,833 screens in 2019, to 32,526 screens operational in the EU and the U.K. in 2022.
VIRTUAL VOICES
ITV Studios and The Virtual Brand Group have launched “The Voice Studios,” an immersive free virtual experience that takes fans on a musical journey to find their voice, just like the contestants on the Emmy-winning series “The Voice.” “The Voice Studios” will be available in 148 different versions around the world, offering fans a chance to create their own music, show off their dancing skills, compete in battle rounds, test their musical knowledge and audition for an upcoming season of the hit show.
In addition, fans can audition in an NBC metaverse fan zone, where they can win limited edition virtual clothing that is exactly like what celebrity coaches Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, Niall Horan and Blake Shelton gift to their teams on the primetime show. The initiative is timed to debut in the final weeks of NBC’s 23rd season of “The Voice.”
