White Paper: German Cinema Pricing Study

Pricing in the German cinema industry has matured over the last years. What’s more, various price surcharges and discounts give customers more choice in what they are willing to pay – however, not all techniques are beneficial to customers and exhibitors.

Recent pricing innovations that are likely to spread throughout the German market over the coming years are:

• Discounts for online purchases
• Bundling of ticket and concession sales,
• Installation of premium seats,
• Offering up to four price categories for the same should switching to true demand based dynamic pricing

2016 was a year with strong blockbusters like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Finding Dory which were filling the cinema halls. Even though it was not the best one in terms of attendance in Germany, exhibitors listed more than a billion Euro in annual revenue, which means a rise of 11.5% since 2010.
In this study, we review the development of attendance, ticket revenue and ticket prices over the last years. Furtermore, we examine the pricing models of the top German chains and look at the pricing innovations that may shape the next years.