Cinema admissions in Switzerland reach lowest level in 50 years

Heading to the cinema to watch the latest release is becoming less popular in Switzerland. The number of cinema admissions in 2025 reached its lowest level in 50 years, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

Swiss cinema admissions drop below 10 million

The number of people taking a trip to the cinema in Switzerland has reached its lowest level in 50 years (excluding the COVID-19 pandemic). According to the latest data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), fewer than 10 million admissions were recorded at Swiss cinemas in 2025.

At 9,47 million cinema admissions, this is the first time the number of cinema visits has fallen below 10 million since 1980 and is an 8 percent decline compared to 2024. Interestingly, the drop in numbers was largest in French-speaking Switzerland at 16 percent, followed by Italian-speaking Switzerland at 13 percent and German-speaking Switzerland at 3 percent.

When overall numbers are compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, the number of admissions has dropped by 24 percent. 

Swiss and European films increase in popularity

Despite fewer and fewer people visiting the cinema in the alpine nation, the FSO reports that European films are increasingly making up a larger share of the market. European films now take up 30 percent of the market compared to 26 percent in 2024. 

Movies from France, Germany and the UK were particularly popular in 2025, according to the FSO. Swiss films remained roughly the same in terms of popularity, taking 9,1 percent of the market share in 2025 compared to 8,9 percent in 2024.