The Barbenheimer phenomenon and Spider-Man helped boost European cinemagoing and box office in 2023.

“2023 proved to be a successful year for European cinemas thanks to smash-hit international titles including Barbie, Oppenheimer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Wonka, as well as a wide range of highly popular national releases,” the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) said on Wednesday, based on preliminary estimates.

With figures for several territories still to be confirmed, UNIC estimated that European admissions increased by 21 percent last year and that total box office for the year reached around €7.1 billion ($7.6 billion), a gain of 24 percent in Europe and 25 percent in the European Union compared with 2022. The latter would see the figure for the year come in just 8 percent below the pre-pandemic results for the 2017-2019 period.

UNIC, which represents European cinema operators and trade associations in 39 territories, said it would release final data for 2023 later in the spring. 

“The Netherlands, Croatia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro ended the year with box office revenues above their 2017-2019 average,” UNIC said. “Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia were on par with pre-pandemic box office results.”

The German box office hit €859 million ($920 million), up 24 percent from 2022, with admissions rising 19 percent to 87 million, according to the UNIC data. France reached 181 million admissions, a 19 percent increase, and the U.K. box office grew 8.5 percent to £978.5 million ($1.23 billion).

“The Italian box office earned €496 million ($531 million) and cinema admissions totaled 71 million, impressive increases of 62 percent and 59 percent, respectively, on 2022,” UNIC added. “In Spain, admissions increased by 22 percent to 75 million with box office of €489 million ($523 million).”

Disccusing the drivers, UNIC said: “The highlight of the year was undoubtedly the simultaneous release of two films that captivated audiences worldwide. Warner Bros.’ Barbie grossed an astounding $1.44 billion globally, topping the charts in the U.K. and Ireland (£96.0 million), Germany (€55.3 million), and many other European countries.”

Meanwhile, Universal Pictures’ Oppenheimer earned more than $952 million worldwide. “With many audiences embracing a double feature with Barbie, and often in premium formats, the phenomenon termed ‘Barbenheimer’ helped deliver an extraordinary summer in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, the U.K., Spain and Italy to name a few,” UNIC said.

The group also touted Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and how it set a new record for the highest global opening weekend for a concert film at $128 million. The release achieved the top spot in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Spain and Italy, UNIC noted.

The organization highlighted that local titles also played a key role in 2023, such as Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, Alibi.com 2 and The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan in France, C’è ancora domani in Italy, where it was the top-grossing film of the year with €32.9 million ($35.2 million).

“The impressive figures for 2023 show that the big screen has lost none of its allure for European audiences, with a mix of fantastic international films and superb national titles,” said UNIC CEO Laura Houlgatte. “The sheer diversity of programming and experience on offer means cinemas have something for every taste and every age group. This is an industry with an unparalleled record of innovation and which continues to deliver. Some challenges remain – the impact of the Hollywood strikes and increased operational costs among them – but 2023 is proof that cinemas are as popular as ever.”