Crisis jams Hollywood in Southern Europe

Hollywood might be buoyant in Germany and solid in France -- but it is harming in southern Europe. Drawing a definite north-south divide, twelve month 2011 figures for many of Europe's Large Five nations raise a obvious question: Are U.S. three dimensional films, whose premium ticket costs are driving box office hikes in northern the region, too pricey for money-careful families within the south? German B.O. increased 3.8% this year to $1.17 billion, thanks largely to three dimensional perfs of "Harry Potter and also the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" ($74.a million) and "Pirates from the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"($57 million), plus German comedy hit "Kokowaah" ($39.3 million). Eight from Germany's top ten films were Hollywood fare. France smashed all-time records this year. Tix sales rose 4.2% to 216 million, repping around $1.9 billion. Goosed with a 2.5% increase in vat, 2011 U.K. B.O. is almost 4% on 2010 around 1.1 billion ($1.7 billion). In France and U.K., local fare -- French comedies "Intouchables" ($138.7 million) and "Absolutely nothing to Declare" ($67 million) in Blighty "The Inbetweeners" ($73.4 million), "The King's Speech" ($71.7 million) and U.K.-U.S. hybrid "Hallows, Part 2" ($118.six million) -- largely explain B.O. spikes. "U.K. cinema has already established a very buoyant year," stated Film Distributors' Assn. Boss Mark Batey. "Local product this past year just carried out from its skin. U.K. cinemagoing has demonstrated to become up against the recession." Italia and The country hardly invite such optimism, with Hollywood losing significant traction. Italia is monitoring for any 10% drop on 2010's $947 million B.O. -- U.S. movie share of the market has dropped from 60% to 48% while local photos arrived at an astonishing 40%. Clunkers in Italia this year incorporated three dimensional movies "Tintin" ($4.7 million) and "The Lion King" release ($5.a million). Total The spanish language B.O. fell 2.7% this past year as Hollywood perf stepped. Three U.S. blockbusters made north of $26 million this year, none this year. Driven by three dimensional prices, average The spanish language tix prices have risen 35% since 2004 to $8.70. This attempts family film attendance, stated a resource at Spain's Acec cinema circuit. Even just in Germany, Cinemaxx's Arne Schmidt stated, "The marketplace has already been partially flooded with three dimensional. We'd 'The Smurfs,' 'Kung Fu Panda 2,' 'Cars 2' and 'Rio' very close together. It had been too much." The lesson for 2012? three dimensional has not morphed from B.O. cure all to poison however it might be showing too pricey for a lot of cash-strapped Men and women. Nick Vivarelli in Rome and Erectile dysfunction Meza in Berlin led for this article. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com