German cinema attendance rose 12% to 74.7 million admissions in the first half of 2000 according to the German Federal Film Board, the FFA, compared to 66.7 million during the first half of 1999.

At the same time, a rise in average ticket prices in Germany from $5.10 (DM10.58) last year to $5.15 (DM10.69) in 2000 pushed box office take up 13% to $384.9m (DM798.8m) compared to $340.2m (DM706.2m) the previous year.

Attendance was also up on the first half of 1998 when Titanic pushed ticket sales to 73.6 million. However box office was slightly down from the $386.5m (DM802.2m) racked up during January-June 1998 when Titanic's popularity and above average running time inflated ticket prices.

German films' share of the market rose slightly from 15.1% to 15.3% in the first half of 2000 with six German films racking up more than one million admissions.

The FFA released the figures during the annual exhibitor conference Kino 2000 in Berlin during which distributors showcased their upcoming releases. Exhibitors gave a standing ovation to the trailer for 20th Century Fox's remake of Bedazzled, starring Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, despite the fact that the 1967 original is relatively unknown in Germany.