- The Corona measures have long since been lifted, but the cinemas are still lacking visitors.
- The latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) from January to the end of May 2022 show that cinema admissions are still well below the pre-Corona level.
- And this despite the fact that there have been no corona-related restrictions for more than four months.
It’s actually like before Corona again. You can comfortably go to the cinema, equipped with popcorn and a drink. Certificate, mask, eating and drinking ban: everything is passé. Nevertheless, the halls are rarely as full as they were before Corona.
The gap to the situation before the pandemic is still very large in terms of cinema admissions.
Erdem Karademir from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) confirms the impression made by many cinema-goers. Compared to 2019, cinemas would generate around a third fewer admissions this year.
“That is twice as good a result as we had in the first year of the pandemic. And there is also a slight increase compared to last year. But the gap to the situation before the pandemic is still very large,” explains Karademir.
Less and less cinemas
The number of active cinemas in Switzerland is also continuing to decline. The FSO currently has around 10 to 15 fewer cinemas than in 2019. “At the same time, our survey also shows that the number of cinemas or screens remains constant.” That actually means: There is a shift from individual cinemas to more cinema complexes.
The number of cinema halls or screens has remained constant.
Blue Cinema, the largest cinema operator in German-speaking Switzerland, also confirms the trend towards multiplex cinemas. At the request of SRF, the cinema operator – which belongs to Swisscom – announced that a new multiplex cinema with nine screens would open in Chur in autumn. The cinema operator continues to believe in multiplex cinemas and even wants to invest in entertainment houses if possible.
Such an entertainment center already exists in Winterthur. In addition to cinema films, there is also a bowling alley, a bar and a game zone. So Blue Cinema doesn’t seem to focus solely on cinema anymore. No one wants to communicate whether and how much cinema admissions have collapsed at the industry leader.
Will the industry ever recover?
The corona crisis has changed people’s needs and behavior – at least temporarily – says Edna Epelbaum, President of the Swiss Cinema Association. “First and foremost, we need a lot of patience. It would be an illusion to believe that just because the masks are gone, the crisis is over.”
The boys would have turned away, says Epelbaum. There is a younger generation who, after two years of the pandemic, would increasingly like to go outside again. “And we have an older generation that still doesn’t leave home without fear,” says Epelbaum.