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BOX OFFICE Romania

Romanian domestic releases see drastic decrease in popularity

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- Admissions drop from 428,000 in 2016 to around 243,000 in 2017

Romanian domestic releases see drastic decrease in popularity
Octav by Serge Ioan Celibidachi

The total number of admissions for domestic releases in Romania this year shows that the record-breaking figures seen in 2016 were an exception in terms of the popularity of Romanian films, with an unmatched total of 428,000 admissions. 2017 comes with a 43% decrease in admissions, as only 243,000 tickets were sold for local releases.

Although last year’s numbers are better than those from 2015 (204,000 admissions) and 2014 (200,000) and similar to those of 2013 (243,000), there was a decrease in admissions in comparison to 2012 (288,000).

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The most popular Romanian film of 2017 was Serge Ioan Celibidachi’s Octav, with almost 56,000 admissions. Although panned by critics, the film benefited from one of the most expensive promotional campaigns in the recent history of Romanian cinema. According to data published by Romania’s most popular film website, Cinemagia.ro, Octav was followed by Iura Luncaşu’s independent comedy The Unlucky and Nae Caranfil’s comedy 6.9 on the Richter Scale [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nae Caranfil
film profile
]
, both receiving around 33,000 admissions, as well as Daniel Sandu’s One Step Behind the Seraphim [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniel Sandu
film profile
]
, with 31,000 admissions. Călin Peter Netzer’s Ana, Mon Amour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Călin Peter Netzer
film profile
]
was seen by 25,000 Romanians, and Jesus del Cerro’s Hawaii by 23,600.

Other films were much less popular: only 7,200 admissions for Iulia Rugină’s Breaking News [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iulia Rugină
film profile
]
and 5,200 for Dan Chişu’s The Anniversary [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
. Romania’s candidate for the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Film category, Adrian Sitaru’s The Fixer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adrian Sitaru
interview: Tudor Aaron Istodor
film profile
]
, completed its local cinema circuit with a total of 4,700 admissions.

Radu Jude's The Dead Nation [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
was the most popular documentary of 2017, with 5,100 admissions, followed by Andrei Dăscălescu’s Planet Petrila [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, with 4,700 admissions, and Alexandru Solomon’s Tarzan’s Testicles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandru Solomon
film profile
]
, with 2,100.

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