3D good for Q1 at German boxoffice

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i539277d81ea4a9b1f88054b6f40bb59d

18% jump almost entirely due to 3D surcharge

By Scott Roxborough

March 31, 2010, 01:10 PM ET

 

COLOGNE, Germany -- The 3D delights of "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland," particularly the delightful surcharge for 3D screenings, helped boost German boxoffice in the first quarter.

Theatrical revenue was up 18% to €268.4 million ($364 million) in the first three months of 2010, a record for the first quarter here.

The jump was almost entirely due to extra revenue from 3D. Ticket sales were flat at 35.3 million sold in Q1.

"Avatar," still in the top five in Germany 14 weeks into its run, has sold 10.4 million tickets for a €105 million ($142 million) take. James Cameron's sci-fi spectacle is closing in on the high water mark set by his "Titanic," which earned €118 million in Germany in 1997, still the all-time record for the territory.

20th Century Fox was easily the top distributor in the first quarter, riding the "Avatar" wave to a 34% share of the total boxoffice. Concorde took pride of place as top indie distributor, with a 6% market share, thanks to Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island," which has earned €9.4 million ($13 million) in Germany.