Sprechen Sie Deutsch? German Film Sales More than Double Over 2024

The global box office for movies made in Germany soared last year, with official figures from national promotion body German Films recording a 115 percent jump to nearly $300 million (€249.8 million) in 2025. More than 33 million tickets were sold outside Germany for majority German productions and German-international co-productions, the group said, compared to 15.8 million a year earlier.

More than a sudden cultural revival of German movies, the figures reflect Germany’s strength as a co-production partner for mid-budget studio films. The two most successful German productions of 2025 were Regretting You (global box office $90 million), a Colleen Hoover adaptation starring Allison Williams and Dave Franco, which Paramount Pictures produced together with Germany’s Constantin Film; and Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme ($40.5 million worldwide), which Focus Features co-financed with Germany’s Studio Babelsberg.

There were a few home-grown success stories, though, including animated feature Stitch Head, which got a substantial Halloween release in the U.S. via Briarcliff Entertainment and grossed more than $7 million internationally; and Constantin’s Oscar-nominated true-life thriller September 5, which earned $8.2 million worldwide.

Unsurprisingly, the top country for German film exports was neighboring Austria, with €21.7 million ($26 million) in ticket sales for German productions last year, followed by France with $18.5 million and the U.S. with $13 million.

Manitou’s Canoe, a sequel to a beloved, if somewhat politically-incorrect spoof western comedy, was a major hit in Austria, which accounted for most of the film’s $11.5 million international gross. The only majority German production to top it at the global box office was Angelina Jolie-starrer Maria, an English-language feature from Berlin’s Komplizen Film, which earned $20 million outside Germany.