Cinema of the Czech Republic
| Cinema of the Czech Republic | |
|---|---|
Kino Světozor in Prague | |
| No. of screens | 606 (2022) |
| • Per capita | 5.8 per 100,000 (2022) |
| Main distributors | Falcon 34.0% CinemArt 26.0% Bontonfilm 17.1% Vertical 10.9% |
| Produced feature films (2024) | |
| Total | 41 |
| Number of admissions (2024) | |
| Total | 13,040,617 |
| • Per capita | 1.24 |
| National films | 3,615,027 (33.0%) |
| Gross box office (2024) | |
| Total | CZK 2.26 billion |
| National films | CZK 588 million (26.0%) |
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| Culture of the Czech Republic |
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| Czech Republic portal |
Czech cinema comprises the cinema of the Czech Republic as well as contributions to cinema by Czech people during the Austrian-Hungarian Empire period.
The earliest Czech cinema began in 1898 with Jan Kříženecký, later major contributions were made by interwar directors such as Karel Lamač and Martin Frič, with Barrandov Studios founded in 1933. During WWII, filmmakers like Otakar Vávra continued working despite Nazi occupation.
In the Post-war period, the industry was nationalized, with The Proud Princess (1952) becoming a record hit. Domestically, the most viewed Czech film ever, it was seen by 8 million people. The 1958 film The Fabulous World of Jules Verne is considered the most internationally successful Czech film ever made; soon after its release it was distributed to 72 countries and received widespread attention.
The 1960s saw the Czechoslovak New Wave emerge, featuring directors Miloš Forman and Jiří Menzel. The 1970s–80s focused on comedies and family films. In the 1990s, Marketa Lazarová was voted the all-time best Czech movie in a poll of Czech film critics and publicists.