Cinema attendance figures in Argentina dropped by an estimated 1.6% in 2006.

The period saw 35.4 million admissions as opposed to 36 million in 2005.

However, total box office gross was 20% up from last year because of continued rise in the average ticket price from $ 2.3 to 3.1.

Hollywood blockbusters took a 79.3% share of the market (79.8% in 2004), local productions logged 11.3% (from last year's 12.5%), while European, Asian and other Latin American films recorded a 9.4% (7.7% a year ago).

The fall in attendances particularly affected Argentinian films. The 74 titles (co-productions included) released during 2006 saw sales drop to 4 million from 4.5 million in 2005.

Only six American and two Argentinian films have attracted over one million viewers, a list led by Ice Age: The Meltdown with 2.540.000 admissions.

Woody Allen's Match Point (460.000 tickets sold) and Pedro Almodovar's Volver (330.000 admissions) were the most successful European productions of the year.

Top 10 films in 2006 (admissions)

1- Ice Age: The Meltdown 2.5m
2- Chronicles of Narnia 2.1m
3- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 1.62m
4- The Da Vinci Code 1.6m
5- Cars 1.25m
6- Bathers 3: Superpowers (Arg) 1.16m
7- Little Tooth Mouth (Arg) 1.02m
8-Over the Hedge 1.01m
9- X-Men: The Last Stand 0.79m
10- Superman Returns 0.55m

Local top 10 (admissions)<1- Bathers 3: Superpowers 1.16m
2- Little Tooth Mouth 1.02m
3- Patoruzito 2 0.35m
4- The Hands 0.25m
5- Chronicle of an Escape 0.21m
6- Family Law 0.2m
7- The Method 0.14m
8- Air Force Inc. 0.12m
9- El Custodio 0.06m
10- Cheese Face 0.05m