More people go to theaters, as number of cinemagoers drop

The number of people going to theaters increased, while the number of cinemagoers took a nosedive when compared to the previous year in Turkey, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) showing statistics for 2019 released yesterday showed.

The number of moviegoers in the country decreased by 12.8 percent compared to 2018, a drop to around 56.5 million during the year. 

The number of audiences watching national productions slumped by 17.5 percent, declining to around 32 million, while the number of foreign productions' audiences also fell by 5.6 percent, dropping to some 24 million.  

There was also a slight decline in the number of cinemas and the number of national movies screened. 

When compared to 2018, the number of cinemas decreased by 1.1 percent. 

"The number of movies shown increased by 4.4 percent and reached 68,386, whereas the number of the domestic productions' movies shown fell by 3.6 percent to 29,064," TÜİK said. 

Number of theatergoers increase

Against this backdrop of a fall in the number of people going to cinemas, there was an increase in the number of people going to see a play at a theater. 

In addition, when compared to the previous year, the number of theater halls increased 4.1 percent and the seating capacity surged by 12.8 percent. 

"The number of the theater halls was 766 and the seating capacity reached 354,688," TÜİK said. 

The number of theater audiences made a slight jump by 0.7 percent and reached 7.9 million in the year. 

The number of performances in theater halls surged by 4.5 percent and reached 9,796.
 
TÜİK added that the number of plays for adults increased by 6 percent and the number of plays for children rose by...