Ticket sales in Germany way down

Hollywood may have had a record in their home country with $9.6 billion during last year, but Germany is struggling and saw a 5.7% drop in ticket sales in 2007. Cinemaxx, one of the leading chains in Germany, saw a 34% decrease in profits compared to 2006.

“The film industry, including Cinemaxx, cannot be satisfied with the development of the market in 2007. Despite a high number of high-profile films, the number of admissions remained below expectations,” the company said in a statement.

It’s true, last year had some big titles and they paid off in the US. A factor in all this may be the delayed release dates in Europe. While the Hollywood studios are doing more and more simultaneous releases, some movies are still coming out when the DVD hits the US shelves. That’s when the German audience can chose between a click on the internet or a ride to the theater.