The recent upward trend in the German exhibition sector has continued in the first half of 2002, according to statistics issued by the German Federal Film Board (FFA).

While the number of cinema-goers increased year-on-year from 79.7m to 80.7m - equivalent to growth of 1.3% -, box-office revenues expanded by 7.8% from Euros442.1m in the first six months of 2001 to Euros476.4m this year.

FFA's board member Rolf Baehr said the increase in revenues was due to supplements charged by cinemas for blockbuster films with exceptional running times such as Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter, not the conversion to Euro, which has been blamed for rising prices across much of Europe.

There was also good news for the domestic film industry with 11 million tickets sold up to the end of June for German films and their market share rising year-on-year from 13% to 13.9%.

Top 10 German films (including co-productions) Jan-June 2002

1 Nowhere In Africa (Constantin) 1,052,988
2 Knallharte Jungs (Constantin) 978,507
3 Resident Evil (Constantin) 922,960
4 Feuer, Eis Und Dosenbier (Warner Bros.) 750,906
5 Migratory Birds (Kinowelt) 689,760
6 Was Nicht Passt, Wird Passend Gemacht (Senator) 637,627
7 Der Schuh Des Manitu (Constantin) 600,460
8 666 - Trau Keinem Mit Dem Du Schlaefst (Constantin) 576,128
9 Amelie From Montmartre (Prokino) 442,352
10 Heaven (X-Verleih) 424,790