German Box Office Sees Minimal Growth in First Half of 2025
The German box office has experienced a minimal increase in revenue during the first six months of 2025, with a mere 0.1% rise to €371.1 million compared to the same period in 2024. According to ComScore/Rentrak Germany, this slight growth is largely attributed to an increase in the average ticket price, which rose from €9.80 to €10.14.
Ticket Sales and Revenue
Despite the increase in ticket prices, the number of tickets sold decreased by 3.3% from 37.8 million to 36.6 million. This decline in ticket sales has resulted in the German box office falling short of its pre-pandemic heights. In the first six months of 2019, the box office revenue was €430.7 million, with 49.1 million tickets sold.
Records and Lows
Walt Disney led the market with a 26% share, thanks to the success of its top release, Lilo & Stitch, which became the second-largest film of the first half. The top film of the period was Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft film, which earned over €34 million and became the only title to receive the Golden Screen Award from the exhibitor association HDF for exceeding the three million admission mark.
Surprising Successes and Disappointments
The Steve Coogan comedy film, The Penguin Lessons, released by Tobis Film, was a surprise success, earning €4.1 million and becoming the highest-grossing film in all territories worldwide. On the other hand, several films failed to meet expectations, including Warner’s vampire film, Sinner, which earned only €3.2 million, and Universal’s How to Train Your Kite, which earned around €9 million, compared to over $18.9 million in the UK.
Local German Films Struggle
Local German films had a difficult time attracting audiences, with only a few titles making it to the top 20 box office list. The market share of German films in the first half of 2025 was 15.8%, the lowest in the past six years, except for 2022, when cinemas were still recovering from pandemic-related closures.
Hopes for the Second Half
The industry is now looking to the second half of 2025 to boost box office performance and reach the total of 90 million admissions recorded in 2024. July has started promisingly, with Jurassic World: Return earning over €12.8 million in the first two weeks. Other potential blockbusters include Walt Disney’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Konstantin Film’s The True Cane Manite, and the continuation of Michael Bully Herbig’s western parody, The Manitu’s Shoe.
Top 10 Films at the German Box Office
- A Minecraft film (Warner), €34.7 million
- Lilo & Stitch (Disney), €26.5 million
- Mufasa – The Lion King (Disney), €16.7 million
- Mission Impossible – The Final Billing (Sony/Paramount), €15.9 million
- Paddington in Peru (StudioCanal), €13.3 million
- Beautiful (Warner), €13.2 million
- Moana (Disney), €10.5 million
- The Three ??? and the Carpathian Dog (Sony), €9.4 million
- Captain America: Brave New World (Disney), €9.2 million
- Thunderbolts (Disney), €7.8 million
Source: Comscore/Rentrak Germany, January 22, 2025
