Argentina box office nearly trebled in 2021 but local market share dropped 93%

Overall box office in Argentina nearly trebled in 2021 although market share for local films dropped 93% as ticket sales of mostly Hollywood titles led by Spider-Man: No Way Home made big gains.

Latest data from Argentina’s film body INCAA revealed that while local box office fell 81% year-on-year from ARS 452.3m (USD $4.3m) to ARS 82.08m (approximately USD $785,000) and market share plunged from 23.14% in 2020 to 1.47% last year, box office for Hollywood, international and festival selections was a different story.

That number climbed 266% from ARS 1.49bn (USD $14.3m) in 2020 to ARS 5.49bn (USD $52.47m) last year.

And while producers and distributors of Argentinian films will not be happy with the local market share drop the outlook for exhibitors is promising as overall box office climbed 185% from ARS 1.95bn (USD $18.69m) in 2020 to ARS 5.58bn (USD $53.38m) in 2021.

National ticket sales fell 86% year-on-year from 2.18m to 299,514 as the comparable number for Hollywood, international and festival selections went up by 105% from 6.72m to 13.84m, while overall ticket sales climbed 58.5% from 8.9m in 2020 to 14.23m last year. Local share of the overall number fell 91% from 24.3% to 2.1%.

Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, released via UIP in Argentina, was the runaway champion of ticket sales in 2021 as Hollywood titles occupied the top 10 slate. It sold 2.43m tickets followed by UIP’s Fast & Furious 9 on 947,488 and Sony/UIP’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage on 850,843.

Cato led the Argentinian chart with 64,995 tickets sold, followed by I’m A Girl, I’m A Princess (Yo Nena Yo Princesa) on 42,488 and Bad Christmas (La Noche Magica) on 25,882.

2021 numbers remain some way off pre-pandemic 2019, when Toy Story 4 led overall ticket sales on 6.73m followed by Disney stablemates Avengers: Endgame on 3.9m and The Lion King on 3.69m.

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