The Slovak film industry experienced a significant upswing in 2023, marking a year of recovery and robust growth. With a total of 5,017,476 theatre-goers, the Slovak box office saw a 15.74% increase in attendance compared to 2022 (see the news), according to the Union of Film Distributors of Slovakia. However, it's important to note that despite this positive trend, attendance still lagged 23.15% behind the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (see the news), hinting at the long-lasting impact of COVID-19 on cinemagoing habits.

Financially speaking, the industry thrived, with total revenues reaching €34,602,369 across 200,627 screenings. In terms of film preferences, US blockbusters were the main draw. The local habit of attending family fare was disrupted by the two big hits: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie led the charge as the most-visited film, with 231,710 viewers, generating €1,643,989 in revenue. It was closely followed by Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], which, despite drawing in fewer viewers, amassed higher revenues of €1,674,322. The local black retro action-comedy Invalid by Jonáš Karásek not only secured the third spot, with 208,164 admissions, but also became the top-grossing Slovak film of the year, earning €1,439,017. The movie retained its domestic reign as it rose to box-office prominence in the middle of the year (see the news).

Animated and family-friendly titles like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Super Mario Bros. Movie were the usual bread and butter of Slovak cinemas. Meanwhile, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water continued to attract audiences, further underscoring its surprising longevity at the post-pandemic box office. The top Slovak films of 2023 reveal a vibrant national cinema scene, including Braňo Mišík’s rom-com Never Say Never, Juraj Jakubisko’s last film, Perinbaba: Two Realms (see the news), Michal Kunes Kováč’s period dramedy Réveillon and Natálie Císařovská’s biopic drama Her Body [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Natálie Císařovská
scheda film].

Local productions have already started their assault on domestic turf this year. As expected, the latest action-drama drawing its inspiration from recent history, Rudolf Biermann’s directorial debut, War of the Police (see the news), rose to the weekly number one of the most-attended theatrical releases, with the Czech-Slovak comedy We're Going to Team Building by Zuzana Marianková occupying the second spot. Another hit tailor-made for the local market, Peter Bebjak’s mystery-thriller The Storm, the follow-up to the 2019 smash The Rift [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] (see the news), will hit Slovak theatres in April. Jakub Kroner’s mob drama following the War of the Police blueprint, Miki (see the news), is expected to take the local box office by storm in August, and then this will be followed by the same director’s Lóve 2, the sequel to his 2011 city romance Lóve, in October.