Estonian feature film 'Class Reunion' breaks multiple records in 2016
According to information released by "Statistics Estonia" on Monday morning, the most popular film in Estonian movie theaters in 2016 was the Estonian comedy "Class Reunion," whose box office numbers came second only to James Cameron's "Avatar" (2009).
In attendance rankings since the restoration of Estonia's independence in 1991, "Class Reunion" saw a total attendance of approximately 189,100 people, falling just 5,000 short of the record set by "Avatar" but nonetheless becoming the best performing Estonian film since the restoration of independence.
"Class Reunion" also became the first film to gross over €1 million on the Estonian market — no Hollywood movie has yet reached this milestone.
Despite the success of "Class Reunion," only 21 Estonian movies were screened last year, one third of the total in 2015. A total of 199 movies from other European countries and 138 films from the U.S. were screened in Estonian movie theaters last year, and moviegoers had their choice of 377 movies in all. "Ice Age: Collision Course" (approximate attendance: 133,200) and "The Secret Life of Pets" (approximate attendance: 121,600) followed "Class Reunion" in Estonian box office rankings.
2016 also saw a record number of movie theater visits — a total of nearly 3.3 million visits were made to Estonian movie theaters last year, up 200,000 from the year before. Although more than one third of movies screened in 2016 were produced in the U.S., U.S. movies still hda nearly twice as many viewers as movies from other countries in total. While the ticket price for Estonian and other European movies averaged €5.10, moviegoers had to pay an average of 40 cents more to see an American movie.
In 2016, a total of 27 feature-length films were produced in Estonia, including 13 feature films and 14 documentaries. 19 short feature films, 74 short documentaries and 21 short animated films were likewise produced. No feature-length animated films have been produced in Estonia in the last four years.
Editor: Aili Vahtla