Cinema halls in Romania have reported a record income of about EUR 63 million in 2025, up 16% (in U.S. dollar terms) from 2024 and about 10% above the pre-pandemic average, while consumers, affected by economic pressures, reduce spending on goods.
According to an analysis by Colliers, the evolution confirms the change in consumer behaviour that, in difficult economic times, reduce high expenses and redirect themselves towards more accessible relaxation experiences, increasing traffic at retail shopping centres.
Specialists show that, although the current context is not comparable to past recessionary periods, the recent economic developments, with cost pressure and a decrease in purchasing power, has been enough to influence people's consumption behaviour.
The year 2025 brought the first more important signs of a slowdown in the labour market, after almost ten years of positive developments: the number of employees decreased slightly, by just over 1% between March and the end of the year, and wages stopped keeping up with the prices increases from the middle of the year, affecting purchasing power.
"In more difficult times, people reduce spending on products such as clothes or jewellery, save more and look for more affordable ways to relax. This phenomenon is not only specific to Romania, being observed in other markets in similar periods of economic uncertainty. But the local economy is showing signs of resilience and, although there are occasional difficulties, the labour market remains relatively stable, mitigating the effects on consumption that could lead to a comparable recession," says Silviu Pop, director of Romania Research at Colliers.
Going to the pictures remains one of the handiest forms of relaxation. However, price increased have not spared this segment either: cinema tickets are, on average, more than 60% more expensive than before the pandemic, which has supported part of the growth in revenues at the industry level, along with people's higher interest in such accessible activities.
From the same range, restaurants and bars are witnessing slight drops in revenues even among rising prices. According to data with the National Institute of Statistics, while the volume of activity - respectively the volume of products sold - decreased by more than 10% last year, the turnover decreased only slightly, by about 2%, a sign that people go out less often, and operators compensated by price increases. In the long term, this model based on higher prices and lower consumption may become difficult to sustain, especially in an uncertain economic context.
"For the owners of shopping centres, these changes in behaviour translate into a need to adapt the mix of tenants, including the accessible relaxation area. The entertainment and leisure component - cinemas, restaurants or other experience formats - returns to the top of the anchors for attracting and maintaining traffic, as traditional retail is more volatile and more sensitive to economic developments", says Colliers Romania Retail Agency Director Liana Dumitru.
With annual revenues of nearly USD 5.5 billion, a team of 24,000 professionals and USD108 billion in assets under management, Colliers is one of the global leaders in real estate advisory and investment management services.
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