Cinema attendance rebounds, especially in French-speaking Switzerland

By the end of week 21, cinemas across the country had recorded 4.68 million admissions – almost 890,000 more than in the same period in 2025. Keystone-SDA

Swiss cinemas are enjoying a strong comeback in 2026. Attendance surged by nearly a quarter in the first half of the year, with an even sharper rise of 30% in French-speaking Switzerland, driven by a string of box-office hits.

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By the end of week 21, cinemas across the country had recorded 4.68 million admissions – almost 890,000 more than in the same period in 2025 – according to provisional figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Thursday.

The rebound is most pronounced in French-speaking Switzerland (+30%), while German-speaking regions saw a 19% increase and canton Ticino an impressive 42% jump. “This growth is benefiting the country as a whole,” said the FSO. Despite these differences, it points out that the balance between the language regions remains broadly unchanged.

Several major releases helped draw crowds back to theatres. In French-speaking Switzerland, the Michael Jackson biopic Michael proved especially popular. In the German-speaking part of the country, audiences flocked to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, a new adventure by Nintendo’s famous plumber. In Ticino, The Devil Wears Prada 2, a sequel to the cult film about the ruthless behind-the-scenes world of fashion, drew large numbers. Together, these films brought tens of thousands of additional viewers to cinemas this spring.

Momentum built in mid-May. In week 20 alone, more than 360,000 people went to the cinema, compared with fewer than 100,000 a year earlier. Over one weekend, Michael attracted around 28,000 spectators in French-speaking Switzerland, while The Devil Wears Prada 2 drew more than 17,000.

The coming months could cement the recovery. Highly anticipated releases are on the horizon, including Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a star-studded retelling of the Ulysses epic, and the third instalment of Dune, directed by Denis Villeneuve, due in December.

Translated from French with AI/sb

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