In the annus horribilis of cinema, Swiss films save themselves

Swiss cinemas suffered greatly during the pandemic: screenings halved and admissions reduced by a third, but local productions dominated the scene

Compared to the previous year, in 2020 there were huge contractions in practically all areas of the Swiss film scene: the supply of new films (-43 percent), the number of screenings (-49 percent) and admissions (-65 percent) as well as income from ticket sales (-65 percent).
A reassuring factor for the Swiss film industry, however, is the good performance of indigenous works in 2020, both in relative and absolute figures.

The Seventh Art analyzed in depth between 2014 and 2019

In addition to this selection of final results of the 2020 film and cinema statistics carried out by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the publication (in French and German) dedicated to film festivals, cinema and home cinema 2014-2019 is also coming out, illustrating the degree of popularity of the different channels for watching films among various population groups.

Filmfestivals, Kinos und Heimkino 2014-2019 (German)
Festivals de films, cinémas et home cinema 2014-2019 (French)

In 2020, 4.3 million admissions were counted and 67 million francs in ticket sales were generated, which is about one third of the admissions and revenues of the previous year (2019: 12.5 million admissions, 193 million francs in revenues).
The decline in cinema admissions was enormous in all language regions: in German-speaking Switzerland it was -62 percent, in French and Italian even around -70 percent.

Fewer films in theaters, particularly American films

With 283 new films in theaters in 2020, theatrical premieres marked a 43 percent decline from the previous year. The sharpest decline, at 56 percent, was in films from the United States.
Last year, Swiss productions, of which 51 films were released in theatres, fell by half as much as American films (28 per cent). In the same period, the number of European film premieres fell by 43 percent to 148 films.

Swiss films do well: great success for “Platzspitzbaby”

In 2020, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the market share of Swiss films reached a record 14 percent. The lack of attractive American productions is one reason for this high market share of domestic productions, but not the only one.
With around 600,000 admissions, in fact, Swiss films also performed very well in absolute figures. The lion’s share of this success was achieved by the film “Platzspitzbaby”, with over 320,000 admissions.
The film, which was released in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland back in January, made a major contribution to the high market share (17%) of Swiss films in this language region.

Screening businesses trudge through tough environment

Despite significant declines in film offerings and admissions, the number of cinemas and theaters decreased only slightly in 2020.
Overall, there were 263 cinemas (-6) in operation last year with a total of 601 theaters (-4). Compared to the previous year, however, cinemas were only able to hold about half as many screenings in 2020 (about 315 000).

Premio d’onore del cinema svizzero 2021 a “Lilo Pulver”

In 2020, the number of theaters enabled to show 3D films remained stable at 313 (-1), but in practice 3D films and screenings had no impact, as only five 3D films were released in theaters last year.

Video-on-Demand catching up with classic channels

As the new publication dedicated to film festivals, cinema and home cinema, and, in particular, audiences and developments in Switzerland 2014-2019 (available in French and German) shows, the popularity of video-on-demand (VoD) has continued to grow.
In 2019, this type of service was used to watch films by 36 percent of the population (2014: 28 percent) and 57 percent of those under 30 (2014: 42 percent).

Film- und Kinostatistik Schweiz Methoden – Definitionen und Glossar (German)
Statistique suisse du film et du cinéma – Méthodes, définitions et glossaire (French)

However, VoD was far from the most popular means of watching movies in 2019: 87 percent of the population actually watched movies from the TV schedule (2014: 91 percent), and often many people also opted for DVDs/Blu-ray (50 percent), albeit with a clear downward trend (2014: 66 percent).
The enjoyment of films at the cinema is also very widespread (67 percent; 2014: 66 percent), including among young people: in both 2014 and 2019, around 90 percent of those under 30 went to the cinema at least once, although a decrease in the frequency of cinema admissions in this age group is observed.
How the popularity of different channels for watching movies evolves among different population groups during and after the COVID-19 pandemic will be apparent during the next survey of cultural activities in Switzerland in 2023.