After the Covid-19 pandemic affected the film industry adversely in spring and summer, film viewers have again returned to the cinemas this fall, thanks to vaccination and lifting of restrictions.
Box office earnings during the third quarter of the current Iranian year (Sept. 23-Dec. 21) reached 710.46 billion rials ($2.35 million).
A total of 3,175,491 people went to movie theaters and 115,867 screenings took place in fall, the Persian daily Etemad reported.
Revenues generated from ticket sales stood at 60 billion rials ($198,807) in the month ending Oct. 22, 197 billion rials ($625,750) in the month ending Nov. 21 and 448 billion rials ($1.48 million) in the month ending Dec. 21.
A total of 36.6 billion rials ($121,272) and 151.68 billion rials ($50,258) were generated at the box office during the first (March 21-June 21) and second (June 22-Sept. 22) quarters of the current year. The number of moviegoers stood at 165,488 in Q1 and 706,781 in Q2.
Movies that made more money during fall were Guidance Patrol 3, which was released on Nov. 27, with 255.39 billion rials ($846,222), Dynamite, which was released on July 1, with 207.19 billion rials ($686,514) and A Hero, which was released on Oct. 27, with 101.99 billion rials ($337,939). A total of 1,165,079 people watched Guidance Patrol 3 at movie theaters in fall compared with 928,497 people who watched Dynamite and 425,473 who went to cinemas for A Hero.
Atabai, which was released on Nov. 24, generated 33.8 billion rials ($111,994) in ticket sales in Q3; Mansour, released on Nov. 10, grossed 27.72 billion rials ($91,848); Toman, released on Nov. 2, earned 1.26 billion rials ($4,174); Romanticism of Emad and Tooba, released on Nov. 24, generated 1.51 billion rials ($5,003); City of Cats, released on Nov. 24, earned 23.13 billion rials ($76,640); Without Everything, released on Dec. 15, grossed 9.39 billion rials ($31,113); Apache, released on Nov. 17, generated 4.03 billion rials ($13,353); The Appeal Verdict, released on Nov. 17, earned 2.62 billion rials; Careless Crime, released on Dec. 8, generated 1.14 billion rials ($3,777); Black Cat, released on Dec. 15, generated 3.99 billion rials ($13,220); Bandar Band, released on Dec. 1, earned 674.84 million rials ($2,236) and Automobile, released on Dec. 15, generated 171.35 million rials (567.76) in ticket sales in Q3.
In 2020, the global pandemic impacted the theatrical and home/mobile entertainment, as movie theaters and production studios temporarily closed. As millions quarantined, viewers were forced to stay home for their video entertainment.
According to Forbes, in 2020, the entire global theatrical and home/mobile entertainment market totaled $80.8 billion, the lowest figure since 2016 and a decline of 18% from 2019. The sharpest decline was in theatrical revenue that dropped from $42.3 billion in 2019 to $12 billion in 2020. Theatrical entertainment accounted for only 15% of the total global entertainment revenue, compared to 43% in 2019.
With shutdowns occurring throughout the globe, consumers relied on digital (video-on-demand, streaming video and electronic sell through) for entertainment. The trend toward digital entertainment was accelerated in 2020, as revenue climbed to $61.8 billion, an increase of 31%. Digital media had accounted for over three-quarters of total theatrical, home/mobile entertainment revenue. There are now 1.1 billion online video subscribers worldwide, up 26% from 2019.
Conversely, physical (Blu-ray, DVD and rentals) entertainment revenue continued to decline. In 2020, digital entertainment totaled only $7 billion, less than half of the $14.9 billion in 2016. Globally, physical entertainment accounted for 9% of total revenue.
