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.
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