Turkish cinemas face sharpest decline in a decade

Fulya Soybaş – ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s cinema industry is facing its toughest slump in a decade, with audience numbers in the first half of 2025 hitting just 15.44 million — the lowest in 10 years, down 28.2 percent from last year and 172 percent from 2015.

Yet, this figure reflects ticket sales, not unique viewers. “One person may have bought three or four tickets. The real audience count is even lower,” cinema critic Ali Ulvi Uyanık told daily Hürriyet.

He attributes the decline to post-pandemic viewing habits shifting towards digital platforms. While there are no official subscription figures, sector estimates put Türkiye’s total at around 13 million, compared to 1.7 billion globally in 2024.

“Sound and image technology at home improved, so audiences turned to streaming,” Uyanık noted. But even those who still want to go to the cinema are deterred by soaring costs.

Box office revenue rose about 7 percent despite fewer tickets sold, indicating record-high ticket prices when adjusted for inflation — with concession stands just as costly.

This year’s biggest box-office draws have been children’s titles like “Rafadan Tayfa: Kapadokya,” “Minecraft” and “Sonic the Hedgehog,” rather than mainstream hits for adult audiences.

Many Turkish studios that once produced successful local blockbusters have shifted to digital projects, leading to a shortage of quality domestic films.

“Content is the real problem,” producer Muzaffer Yıldırım said. “In the U.S., France and East Asia, 80 percent of lost audiences returned after the Covid-19 pandemic. Here, without big Turkish films from major names, people won’t come back. But when there’s a must-see movie, audiences show up — like they did for ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Barbie’.”

Critic Uğur Vardan agrees, citing economic pressures and changing habits. “For a family, going to the cinema is an expensive outing. Platforms, with their strong series line-ups, give people the feeling they don’t need to go to the theater.”

Until affordable pricing and compelling local productions return, the country’s cinemas may continue playing to half-empty halls.