Movie-goers on the rise in Quebec theatres

Attendance at movie theatres continued to rise for a third consecutive year after falling drastically in 2020, but it remains below pre-pandemic levels in Quebec.

Last year, cinemas attracted 14.6 million movie-goers, according to data from the Observatory of Culture and Communications of the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ), published Wednesday.

This represents a 29 per cent jump compared to 2022. However, compared to 2019, it’s a 22 per cent decline.

In a press release, the ISQ reported that the large gap could be explained by “the number of screenings, which has not returned to the pre-pandemic level (-13 per cent compared to 2019), the drop in the number of active cinemas between 2019 and 2023 (96 to 93) and film consumption habits have changed.”

The author of the report, Marc-Andy Lubin, noted that we should monitor the next few years to “see if the closure of theaters during the pandemic have left lasting effects on public attendance practices.”

In 2023, more than 827,000 screenings and 537 new releases were presented in Quebec movie theaters. These indicators are also up compared to 2022.

This “is partly explained by the opening of movie theaters throughout the year since 2019,” noted the ISQ.

Movie theater revenue totaled $146.9 million in 2023, up from $108.5 million the previous year.

Super Mario Bros attracted the greatest number of spectators in Quebec movie theaters surpassing the one million mark followed by Barbie, Avatar: The Way of Water, Oppenheimer and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

In terms of revenue, however, the top spot goes to Avatar with $10.7 million. Super Mario Bros came in a close second with $10.4 million.

James Cameron’s film was able to sneak into the lead thanks to the success of 3D screenings, which accounted for 69 per cent of the film’s admissions, according to the ISQ report.

It should be noted that 3D movie tickets are more expensive.

Quebec cinema increasing

“Le temps d’un été” by director Louise Archambault is the only Quebec feature film that made it into the top 20 most popular films of the year. It finished in 16th place with more than 220,000 admissions and $1.9 million in revenue.

Overall, Quebec cinema had a prolific 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic results. The number of admissions for films from Quebec reached nearly 1.8 million, accounting for 12 per cent of the audience. As for the box office, it made $15.4 million.

“The actors’ strike in Hollywood probably had an additional effect on the pandemic and thus favored a larger share of Quebec films in 2023,” reads the report.

Lubin pointed out that Quebec’s share of attendance in 2023 is the second highest since 2009, excluding 2020 and 2021 where “Quebec films benefited from the absence of their competitors.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews