The biggest exhibitor, Cineplexx, reported 5,431 admissions for the top five domestic titles, a significant drop compared to 18,257 admissions in 2023. Similarly, 3D Cinema Bitola registered only 1,423 admissions for the top five domestic films, which is over 50% less than in 2023.
The blockbuster success of the domestic comedy Te Dua, I Swear / Te dua, zimimene by Marjan Gavrilovski, released by Constantin Film, played a significant role in boosting numbers in 2023. In 2024, despite several domestic film releases, none managed to achieve a similar level of audience engagement.
International releases also faced challenges, with Cineplexx seeing a noticeable decrease in admissions for the top 10 titles, dropping from 116,702 in 2023 to 73,337 in 2024.
“Last year we had Oppenheimer and Barbie, which together had around 45,000 admissions. This year, aside from a lack of high-profile releases, we faced challenges such as elections in April and May, overlapping with the first spring school break, Easter, and the May Day holiday. Additionally, in September 2024, we renovated the cinema and operated at reduced capacity for the entire month”, Biljana Jankulovska, marketing manager at Cineplexx, told FNE.
On the other hand, despite the decrease in domestic film admissions, 3D Cinema Bitola experienced a small increase in overall admissions for the top 10 most-watched titles, reaching 13,278 admissions compared to 10,500 in 2023.
As the official statistics by the North Macedonia Film Agency are not ready yet, the estimates show that in 2024 the general admissions chart was topped by Deadpool & Wolverine, distributed by Blitz Film and Video Distribution, with approximately 18,000 admissions, Inside Out 2 (Blitz Film and Video Distribution) with around 14,000 admissions, Serbian film Lilacs / Jorgovani directed by Siniša Cvetić and produced by Košutnjak Film, and Gladiator II (both distributed by Constantin Film MKD) with approximately 13,500 and 13,000 admissions, respectively, and Dune: Part Two (Blitz Film and Video Distribution) with approximately 12,500 admissions.
