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Raking it in at the Box Office

November 30, 2001

Come Christmas time, the punters come in droves. And the film industry is doing it’s bit to live up to expectations. This Christmas, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are vying for blockbuster-of-the-year status.

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Grey skies have pulling power when it comes to getting bums on seats. And the stress of Christmas itself draws the people to the silver screen. The film industry is booming while the times are set to get harder.

Harry Potter recently opened in Germany in 1226 cinemas simultaneously – more than any other film before it. And the Lord of the Rings will come out on December 22. Plans to serialise the film are in the pipeline. It is already expected to overshadow the hype that surrounded Star Wars.

Making hay while the sun doesn’t shine

Winter is the high season in the film industry. December usually accounts for ten percent of annual takings. Last year, 15 million tickets were sold in Germany, according to the Federal Film Board.

This year, Harry Potter the film is expected to attract that many cinema goers by itself in December.

They may have overdone it a bit on the hype, however. The Confederation of German Cinemas has pleaded to stop overselling the Potter phenomenon. Because of media reports of sold out shows, people are put off the idea of going to see the film, because of long queues and sold out venues, they say.