Box office Sales in Hungary Plunge Over 70% in 2020

Hungarian cinemas' ticket sales dropped by 72% to 4.3 million last year as pandemic restrictions weighed, data compiled by the Central Statistical Office (KSH) show.

Almost 2.2 million of total ticket sales were at cinemas in the capital, Budapest. Box office revenue declined by 71% to HUF 6.4 billion forints (EUR 18.5m). Cinemas in Hungary showed 208 new films last year, 130 fewer than in 2019 due to the pandemic, and the lowest number since 2014, KSH says.

Last year, 85 feature-length (over 60 minutes) Hungarian films were made, 16% fewer than in 2019. In 2020, the number of Hungarian films made for theatrical release was 28, 17 fewer than in 2019, so Hungarian film production slowed down significantly in 2020. In terms of genre categories, feature films and documentaries dominate in Hungary.

The market share of the three major film distributors in Hungary, InterCom Zrt, Forum Hungary Kft and UIP Duna Kft, in terms of ticket sales varied between 63% and 78% between 2014 and 2019, and in 2020, Freemann Entertaiment Company joined the ranks of the leading distributors. Last year, the three largest film distributors' market share by ticket revenue was 16 percentage points lower than the previous year at 62%, KSH reports.