Movie attendance in the big 5 European Union markets increased 3.8 percent during the first half of 2009 compared to 2008, the European Audiovisual Observatory said today (Friday). The U.K. led the way with an increase of 14.5 percent, while France reported a decrease of 4.4 percent. The decline was attributed to the enormous success of last year's comedy Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis , the most successful feature in French film history. The EAO also reported strong ticket-sales growth in other European countries, including a whopping 27-percent increase in Sweden, 16 percent in Poland, and 12 percent in the Netherlands. It particularly noted that the increases occurred "despite the difficult economic environment."

11/09/2009