EUROPE’S DIGITAL
SCREENS CONTINUE TO GROW:
OVER 10,000 AT THE START OF 2011
Over 10,000 in Europe’s movie theatres:
this is the figure for digital projectors using DLP Cinema TM or SXRD
technology, according to the estimates elaborated by MEDIA Salles from
the first results at the start of 2011.
From the figures announced by Elisabetta Brunella, Secretary General of
MEDIA Salles, during Eurocinema Expo that took place in Cracow in February,
it is evident that the growth in digital installations recorded in 2009
and continuing in the first half of 2010 has not halted over the past
six months. On the contrary, the six leading European markets (respectively
France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain) count a total
of 6,907 digital screens with a 52% increase compared to 30 June 2010
(when there were 4,543) and 118% compared to 1st January 2010 (3,174).
Projections for the whole of Europe show that at 1st January 2011 there
were around 10,100 digital projectors, i.e. slightly less than 30% of
the world total, estimated at almost 36,000 units.
On the basis of these figures MEDIA Salles has updated the forecast for
the target of 50% digital screens out of the total 37,000 screens operating
in Europe. This threshold - which is considered crucial for distributors
to replace 35mm film with a digital format – should be reached between
the end of 2011 and the start of 2012, considerably in advance of the
estimates available up to the present.
