The catastrophic cinema year 2018, and the miserable Swiss Film

It has Olten Swiss Film-often as a problem child. You prescribed him the recipes, printed Manifestos, schräubelte of support measures. If you look back on the year 2018, you might think that has not changed the result much. The market share of Swiss Films is 6.5 percent (in 2017: 6,74 percent). But the Numbers deceive. The Swiss Film in this year except for "cloudburst" and "Papa Moll" was hardly close to the audience, the delivery was miserable. The balance sheet appears to be only passable, because the plants from other countries (mainly America) were also catastrophic. to recognize

To the extent of the tragedy became apparent early on, one must look at the absolute Numbers. In the first half of 2018, the cinema declined admissions in this country, a dramatic 18 per cent. The year-end result, but the projections show a bleak picture: According to the industry Association Procinema were compared to 2017, where 13.9 million admissions were counted, about 1.4 million Tickets (a minus 10.4 percent) less sold.

According to the newspaper "Le Temps", which included, in contrast to Procinema, the land of cinema, is the Minus even with 2.2 million admissions. This would correspond to a Minus of 16 percent. One way or the other: to such A low point there has been since the beginning of the statistical surveys of 1980.

To be a lot of Action from Hollywood

What is the cause of this crisis? In the industry, you hear The weather was beautiful, the leisure facilities to lush, the competition from streaming services to large, and in the summer, also held the football world Cup. All that is true, but the outer circumstances of assets to explain to the actual hangover, only partially.

the fact is, that the main stream compatible movies left something to be desired. Kitag-in-chief Philippe Täschler, one of the largest Swiss cinema operator, criticized already in the spring of that Hollywood schiele on the Asian market and too little for the European market produce. Thanks to the cinema boom in China and the partial market opening for foreign works in Hollywood on action movies, and other Genres. From Romantic Comedies, you don't like in Asia, in this country is almost nothing to see.

impact of the super hero

The time was quite different. In 1998, the English-American love story "Notting Hill shone" in Switzerland from place 1, the Film extruded even the Bond movie "The World is Not Enough". While Bond films in Switzerland are disproportionately popular, a Bond of the year was last automatically a strong year. 2018, the number one movie in "Bohemian Rhapsody means," but the Queen-biography has not reached even the half of the entry numbers of the "Notting Hill".

There's a fundamental Problem: surprise hits, which are based such as "Notting Hill" on the original ideas that today are almost extinct. Nine films in the current Swiss year-Top-10 are based on templates that are either sequels, and literary adaptations, Remakes or Spin-offs. The reason: The risk of Flops has become the Studios, to large.

Instead, more and more is produced of what is already known, or popular, in particular in relation to super heroes. In the USA, there was a real mania for this species. 1st place finished in 2018: "Black Panther". Many other superhero films ("Avengers: Infinity War", "Deadpool 2", "Ant-Man and the Wasp", "Aquaman") contributed to the American cinema market reached this year a spectacular best result.

For comparison: In Switzerland, the Black Panther ranks only on place 13. This does not mean that superhero films would go badly, but they are only conditional guarantees of success – and mass-compatible Alternative, there is simply too little. Nevertheless, the number of screens is increasing. In the next two years the country will be wide-opened over fifty new cinemas. This development can be found, paradoxically, it is more and more cut-throat competition.

and More diversity is needed

What are the Alternatives? With security written in next time for some recipes, and Manifestos written. Two points seem, however, particularly urgent.

first Of all, for Hollywood more Genre diversity. The demand for the Swiss cinema industry is not alone, of viewers loss also affects other European countries (Germany is at a Minus of 16 percent).

Secondly, From Switzerland, more entertainment. Films such as "cloudburst", "The divine order", "La vie de Courgette" or "a bell for Ursli" can work shown that domestic box-office hits in different ways.

Only: These films are from year to year the exception. Nearly eighty Swiss film premieres annually only one to two movies attract the masses to the cinema. How could it succeed, that there are four or five, stands on a still unwritten paper. (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 28.12.2018, 21:23 PM