Cinema industry trends
admissions and key events, 1975 to present
Select the thumbnail to go to the main diagram
| |
Year |
Admissions (m)1 |
Population (m) |
Admissions per capita |
| In 1975, colour television was introduced and by 1978 two-thirds of households in Sydney and Melbourne had colour sets. The new allure of colour television together with economic recession are cited as the primary causes of the 35 per cent drop in national cinema grosses in 1976 (Collins 1987, 264–265). |
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In 1976-77, there were 884 cinemas in Australia, of which 280
were drive-ins and 219 were ‘hard tops’ (conventional cinema buildings)
in the major cities. A UK-based journalist for Sight and Sound reported
that cinema tickets at the top end were priced around £1.30 (sterling),
approximately A$1.90–A$2.00. A letter to the editor from an Australian
claimed that the average first-run ticket price was closer to $3.50 and
by 1977 had increased to $4.00 (Sight and Sound, Winter 1976–77: 32;
Sight and Sound, Winter 1977–78: 197). Video began to make its mark in Australia in the late 1970s. Since 1976, admissions numbers and gross box office have been compiled by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA), see Box office: Admissions and gross box office. |
1976 |
28.9 |
14.0 |
2.1 |
| 1977 |
24.1 |
14.2 |
1.7 |
| 1978 |
34.1 |
14.4 |
2.4 |
| 1979 |
33.6 |
14.5 |
2.3 |
| 1980 |
38.6 |
14.7 |
2.6 |
| 1981 |
38.7 |
14.9 |
2.6 |
| 1982 |
42.0 |
15.2 |
2.8 |
| 1983 |
37.1 |
15.4 |
2.4 |
| By 1984, 26 per cent of Australian households had a video machine and this growth was to have a negative effect on cinema attendances in the mid to late 1980s (Collins 1987, 265; ACNielsen). See In the archive: Archive: Video equipment: Ownership of VCR and DVD players. |
1984 |
28.9 |
15.6 |
1.9 |
| 1985 |
29.7 |
15.8 |
1.9 |
| 1986 |
35.5 |
16.0 |
2.2 |
| 1987 |
30.8 |
16.3 |
1.9 |
| |
1988 |
37.4 |
16.5 |
2.3 |
| |
1989 |
39.0 |
16.8 |
2.3 |
| |
1990 |
43.0 |
17.1 |
2.5 |
| |
1991 |
46.9 |
17.3 |
2.7 |
| |
1992 |
47.2 |
17.5 |
2.7 |
| |
1993 |
55.6 |
17.7 |
3.1 |
| |
1994 |
68.1 |
17.8 |
3.8 |
| |
1995 |
69.9 |
18.0 |
3.9 |
| |
1996 |
74.0 |
18.3 |
4.1 |
| |
1997 |
76.0 |
18.5 |
4.1 |
| |
1998 |
80.0 |
18.7 |
4.3 |
| |
1999 |
88.0 |
18.9 |
4.6 |
| |
2000 |
82.0 |
19.2 |
4.3 |
| |
2001 |
92.5 |
19.5 |
4.7 |
| |
2002 |
92.5 |
19.8 |
4.7 |
| |
2003 |
90.0 |
20.1 |
4.5 |
| |
2004 |
91.5 |
20.2 |
4.5 |
| |
2005 |
82.2 |
20.5 |
4.0 |
| |
2006 |
83.6 |
20.8 |
4.0 |
| |
2007 |
84.7 |
21.2 |
4.0 |
| |
2008 |
84.6 |
21.4 |
4.0 |
| |
2009 |
90.7 |
21.9 |
4.1 |
| |
2010 |
92.0 |
22.3 |
4.1 |
| |
2011 |
85.0 |
22.6 |
3.8 |
| |
2012 |
85.9 |
22.9 |
3.8 |
| |
2013 |
82.0 |
23.1 |
3.5 |
| |
2014 |
78.6 |
23.7 |
3.3 |
| |
2015 |
90.3 |
24.0 |
3.8 |
Source: Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA). Population data from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). See About the data.
Notes:
1. Admissions are based on annual data released the following January; they do not reflect subsequent updates by the MPDAA.
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