Crisis jams Hollywood in Southern Europe

Hollywood may be buoyant in Germany and solid in France -- but it's doing harm to in southern Europe. Drawing an absolute north-south divide, twelve month 2011 figures for a lot of of Europe's Large Five nations raise a apparent question: Are U.S. 3d films, whose premium ticket pricing is driving box office hikes in northern the location, too pricey for the money-careful families inside the south? German B.O. elevated 3.8% this season to $1.17 billion, thanks largely to 3 dimensional perfs of "Harry Potter as well as the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" ($74.millions of) and "Pirates in the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"($57 million), plus German comedy hit "Kokowaah" ($39.3 million). Eight from Germany's top films were Hollywood fare. France smashed all-time records this season. Tix sales rose 4.2% to 216 million, repping around $1.9 billion. Goosed having a 2.5% rise in vat, 2011 U.K. B.O. is nearly 4% on 2010 around 1.1 billion ($1.7 billion). In France and U.K., local fare -- French comedies "Intouchables" ($138.7 million) and "Nothing to Declare" ($67 million) in Blighty "The Inbetweeners" ($73.4 million), "The King's Speech" ($71.7 million) and U.K.-U.S. hybrid "Hallows, Part 2" ($118.6 000 0000) -- largely explain B.O. spikes. "U.K. cinema has received a really buoyant year," mentioned Film Distributors' Assn. Boss Mark Batey. "Local product a year ago just completed from the skin. U.K. cinemagoing has shown being facing the current recession.Inch Italia and also the country hardly invite such optimism, with Hollywood losing significant traction. Italia is monitoring for just about any 10% drop on 2010's $947 million B.O. -- U.S. movie business has dropped from 60% to 48% while local photos showed up in an astonishing 40%. Clunkers in Italia this season incorporated 3d movies "Tintin" ($4.7 million) and "The Lion King" release ($5.millions of). Total The the spanish language language B.O. fell 2.7% a year ago as Hollywood perf walked. Three U.S. blockbusters made north of $26 million this season, none this season. Driven by 3d prices, average The the spanish language language tix prices have risen 35% since 2004 to $8.70. This attempts family film attendance, mentioned an origin at Spain's Acec cinema circuit. During Germany, Cinemaxx's Arne Schmidt mentioned, "Industry was already partly flooded with 3d. We'd 'The Smurfs,' 'Kung Fu Panda 2,' 'Cars 2' and 'Rio' very close together. It absolutely was an excessive amount of.Inch The lesson for 2012? 3d hasn't morphed from B.O. remedy to poison however it may be showing too pricey for a number of cash-strapped Males and ladies. Nick Vivarelli in Rome and Erection dysfunction Meza in Berlin brought with this article. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com