Italian cinema on the big screen in German-speaking Europe: co-productions win here too
by Elisabetta Brunella

Over one hundred million people in Europe speak German as their first language, concentrated primarily in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In Switzerland in particular - where French, Italian, and Romansh are also official languages - German speakers represent approximately two-thirds of the population.

In terms of cinema-going, the three regions - which together account for approximately 13% of admissions in Europe (i.e., the 37 countries analyzed by MEDIA Salles) - have somewhat similar characteristics, for example in terms of annual per capita frequency, which in 2024 stood at just over one ticket, with Switzerland performing slightly better (almost 1.2 tickets).

Among the similarities, we can also mention the trend in admissions in the first half of 2025, which shows a decrease compared to the same period in 2024. This is just a slight reduction in Austria and Germany (-1% and -3%), with a more pronounced decline in Switzerland (-11%).
The difference between the three countries is quite marked when considering the drop in attendance compared to 2019, the last year before the pandemic: while in Switzerland the number of spectators missing in 2024 was 17 out of 100, in Germany it was 24, and in Austria it was as high as 27, compared to a European average of 25.

The average ticket price is quite different, reaching 9.6 euros in Germany in 2024, 10.7 in Austria, and a staggering 16.7 in Switzerland, albeit a very slight decrease compared to 2023 (-1.1% in local currency, i. e. regardless of variations of the exchange rate between the Swiss franc and the euro). Although different, these prices are among the highest in Europe, surpassed only by those in Scandinavia.
The German-speaking market is therefore an attractive one for films from other countries for several reasons.

In this scenario, how much space did Italian films and co-productions have in 2024?

As in other territories, in Germany and Austria, co-productions in particular took on a prominent role. Among Italian titles or those with Italian participation, “Autumn and the black jaguar/Emma e il giaguaro nero” ranked first in both Germany and Austria, and second in Switzerland.

However, the similarities between the three territories end there. Indeed, while the rankings placed “Woodwalkers” and “Challengers” in second and third place in Germany and third and second in Austria, in Switzerland the bronze medal went to “Ferrari”, which ranked thirty-seventh in terms of admissions among films from all nationalities released in Swiss movie theatres.

“Ferrari”, however, does not appear at all in the German and Austrian rankings. The biopic about the legendary Formula One automobile manufacturer – released in Switzerland on December 14, 2023 – has instead bypassed theaters in Germany and Austria, in a decision that understandably caused a stir among industry insiders, to be released directly on Amazon.

Switzerland also saw the gratifying success of a 100% Italian film, “There's still tomorrow/C’è ancora domani”, which topped the rankings of "made in Italy" films and co-productions and ranked twenty-fifth among all titles released in Switzerland in 2024. It was a good success in the German and French-speaking regions, and even extraordinary in Italian-speaking Ticino: here, the total admissions for all films screened that year represented approximately 3% of the entire country, but Cortellesi's directorial debut garnered over 20% of its tickets.

Furthermore, the Italian "female" dramedy was also appreciated in Germany and Austria: in the former market, it ranked fourth among Italian productions, and eighth in Austria.

Some previews for 2025

It's obviously not yet possible to make a comprehensive assessment of Italian film production on screens in German-speaking territories in 2025, but among the numerous titles released in the first half of the year are Sorrentino's “Parthenope”, Genovese's “Madly/FolleMente”, Soldini's “The tasters/Le assaggiatrici”, and Özpetek's “Diamonds/Diamanti”.

Expected releases in the latter part of the year include Moretti's “A brighter tomorrow/Il sol dell’avvenire”, Virzì's “Five seconds/Cinque secondi”, and Paolo Cognetti's directorial debut, “A flower of mine/Fiore mio”. Will this documentary, dedicated to Monte Rosa, emulate the success achieved in 2023 in German-speaking markets by “The eight mountains/Le otto montagne”, the co-production based on the writer-mountaineer's bestseller?

This article was published in the October issue of Cinema & Video Int'l, the MEDIA Salles media partner.

The cinema market in Austria

* admissions of all domestic titles screened during the year
Source: WKO -Fachverband der Kino-, Kultur- und Vergnügungsbetriebe
Source for data on population: Eurostat

The cinema market in Germany

* admissions of all domestic titles screened during the year
** including co-productions
Source: FFA - Filmförderungsanstalt
Source for data on population: Eurostat

The cinema market in Switzerland

* Only main country Switzerland (without co-productions)
Source: ProCinema.ch
Source for data on population: BFS/OFS 2024

The top ten Italian films (including co-productions) by admissions in 2024