Cinema attendance saw a slight drop last year

TALLINN - Cinema attendance in Estonia saw a slight decline in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to newly released statistics.

A total of 448 films were screened, selling 2,391,888 tickets, approximately 80,000 fewer than in 2024.

"A minor fluctuation in cinema attendance is entirely normal and expected in the current climate. While the number of moviegoers remains below pre-pandemic levels, the growing market share of Estonian films is noteworthy," said Eveli Raja, an analyst at the Estonian Film Institute.

Estonian films attracted 334,471 viewers, an increase of 10,000 from 2024. The biggest box office draw was Tõnis Pilli's debut film "Fränk," whose 112,104 admissions place it 12th on the list of most-watched Estonian films of this century.

"Fränk" was followed by Rain Rannu's "New Money" (Uus raha) with 40,376 viewers and Andres Maimik and Rain Tolk's "Jan Uuspõld Goes Home" (Jan Uuspõld läheb koju) with 34,868. It was a strong year for Estonian documentaries, with "The Rebel with a Bow Tie" (Kikilipsuga mässaja) attracting 25,012 viewers and "My Family and Other Clowns" (Minu pere ja muud klounid) drawing 11,275.

Estonian films accounted for 14 percent of the total attendance. Other European films captured 25.5 percent of the audience. The Latvian Oscar-winner "Along with the Stream" (Vooluga kaasa) achieved a powerful result, with its 90,498 viewers making it the third most-watched film of the year. American cinema continues to hold the largest market share, accounting for 51.4 percent of all tickets sold.

The average ticket price fell from 7.44 euros to 7.26 euros.

The ten most-watched films in Estonian cinemas in 2025:

"The Minecraft Movie" - 127,475 viewers

"Fränk" - 112,104 viewers

"Along with the Stream" - 90,498 viewers

"Zootropolis 2" - 87,739 viewers

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" - 65,762 viewers

"F1® FILM" - 60,154 viewers

"The Bad Guys 2" - 52,905 viewers

"How to Train Your Dragon" - 51,605 viewers

"Jurassic World: Rebirth" - 46,010 viewers

"Paddington in the Jungle" - 45,369 viewers

The ten most-watched Estonian films in 2025:

"Fränk" - 112,104 viewers

"New Money" - 40,376 viewers

"Jan Uuspõld Goes Home" - 34,868 viewers

"The Rebel with a Bow Tie" - 25,012 viewers

"Aurora" - 22,693 viewers

"Long Papers" - 13,886 viewers

"My Family and Other Clowns" - 11,275 viewers

"Little Peter's Christmas Robot" - 9,459 viewers

"One-Dimensional Man" - 5,536 viewers

"Kriimsilm, the Bear Cub and the Fox. Notes from the Forest" - 4,562 viewers