Top Films in Germany Are Still Mostly Hollywood Hits

Key Takeaways

• Das Kanu des Manitu drew 5,048,825 cinema admissions in 2025. It became the first German film to top the annual chart since 2017.
• Eight of the ten most-attended films in German cinemas in 2025 came from Hollywood studios or other international productions.
• German films’ overall market share climbed to 27.4% in 2025. Their market share was 20.6% in 2024. Sequels, comedies, family films, and book-to-film adaptations drove that gain.
• Every one of Germany’s ten most-attended films in 2025 was a sequel, prequel, or adaptation. That held true for Hollywood blockbusters and Germany’s own hits alike.

Top 10 Films by Cinema Admissions in Germany

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Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Stay tuned!

Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Eight of Germany’s Top 10 Films in 2025 Came From Abroad

Eight of the ten most-attended films in German cinemas in 2025 came from Hollywood studios or other international productions:

• Ein Minecraft Film (A Minecraft Movie): 3.5 million
• Lilo & Stitch: 3.3 million
• Zoomania 2 (Zootopia 2): 3.0 million
• Avatar: Fire and Ash: 2.99 million
• Jurassic World: Die Wiedergeburt (Jurassic World: Rebirth): 2.5 million
• Paddington in Peru: 1.7 million
• Mufasa: Der König der Löwen: 1.62 million
• Conjuring 4: Das letzte Kapitel (The Conjuring: Last Rites): 1.5 million

Every one of the eight international films builds on an existing franchise. Ein Minecraft Film adapted the video game.

The remaining seven films continued earlier franchises as sequels, remakes, or prequels.

Only Two of Germany’s Top 10 Films in 2025 Were German

German films drew 24.3 million cinema admissions in 2025. That was up 37.2% from 2024. It was their highest total in five years.

Yet just two films ranked among the ten most-attended films in German cinemas in 2025.

Das Kanu des Manitu became the first German film to top the country’s annual chart since 2017. The comedy follows Apache chief Abahachi and his blood brother Ranger on a quest for a sacred canoe. It drew 5,048,825 cinema admissions in 2025.

Das Kanu des Manitu is a sequel to Der Schuh des Manitu (Manitou’s Shoe).

Der Schuh des Manitu remains the most-attended German film since 2000. It drew 11.7 million cinema admissions.

Die Schule der magischen Tiere 4 was the only other German film in Germany’s Top 10 in 2025. It placed 6th. It drew 2,878,491 cinema admissions.

Both films extended long-running German franchises. The eight international films did too, each built on its own franchise.

German films’ overall market share climbed to 27.4% in 2025. Their market share was 20.6% in 2024. Sequels, comedies, family films, and book-to-film adaptations drove that gain.

German Cinemas Sold 91.9 Million Tickets in 2025

Cinema admissions count tickets sold, not box office revenue in euros.

Total admissions across German cinemas reached 91.9 million tickets in 2025. This is an increase of 2.1% from 2024

German-film admissions rose by about 6.6 million in 2025. However, international-film admissions fell by about 4.8 million.

Box office revenue rose by 6.4% in 2025 and reached €924 million. This rise is a combination of increased admissions and higher cinema ticket prices.

The average cinema ticket in Germany cost €10.05 in 2025, which is a 4.3% increase from 2024.

Every film in Germany’s Top 10 for 2025 was a sequel, prequel, or adaptation. None was an original story. That held true for the eight international hits and the two German ones alike.