Astana (TDI): Cinema attendance in Kazakhstan surged by 11 percent in 2024, reaching a record 23 million viewers, according to the Bureau of National Statistics.
This surpasses the record 21 million figure in 2023, reflecting a continued recovery and growth in the country’s film industry.
Of the total visits, foreign movies accounted for 53 percent, nearly 12.2 million admissions, while domestic films drew 43 percent of the audience. Co-produced movies made up the remaining 4 percent.
Revenues from cinema screenings also hit a new high, earning $84.1 million in 2024, up from $71.5 million the previous year.
Domestic productions earned $34.1 million, marking a 19.3 percent increase from 2023.
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That year, revenue from Kazakhstani movies surged by an impressive 58.5 percent compared to 2022.
Foreign movies earned $46.3 million, showing a 17.8 percent increase over the previous year.
Kazakhstan currently has 113 cinemas, where Almaty leads with 22, Astana has 11 and Shymkent has 7 cinemas.
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These cities also top audience numbers, with Almaty registering 7.8 million visits, Astana four million and Shymkent 1.9 million.
Last year, the Kazakh film industry produced 514 movies, 127 more than the previous year.
215 documentaries, 175 feature films, 83 animated movies, and 41 newsreel-style chronicles were released in 2024. Feature-length movies accounted for 18 percent of this output, with the rest being short films.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
