The German Federal Film Board (FFA) is predicting an upswing at the box office this year after a disappointing 5.7% drop in ticket sales to E767.9 million in 2007.
"The mood is good, the figures were unfortunately bad," said FFA topper Peter Dinges.
The FFA's annual report, released Wednesday, forecasts an improvement at the box office, saying "all signs point to an early recovery and a trend reversal in the exhibition market."
Total admissions were down by 11.3 million, or 8%, to 125.4 million.
Dinges partially attributed the drop to the poor performance of German films, which accounted for an 18.9% share compared to 25.8% in 2006.
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" led the German box office last year, conjuring up E45.7 million, followed by "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" with E43.5 million and "Ratatouille" (E33.7 million).
Despite the disappointing numbers, Dinges remained buoyant: "I see optimism in the industry -- film studios working at full capacity, high budgets and, in contrast to the very bad year of 2005, no crisis in the exhibition sector."
The FFA also underscored the success of the E60 million ($87 million) German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), which launched last year and helped finance 99 productions in 2007, including high-profile U.S. films such as Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" and the Wachowskis' "Speed Racer."
Contact Ed Meza at
ed.meza@mannaa.de