TEHRAN – Iran enjoyed over 40 percent growth in the number of filmgoers over the first month of the Iranian calendar year compared to the same period in the previous year, the Screening Council announced on Monday. 

Meanwhile, the country observed a 50-percent rise in ticket prices at the beginning of the month (March 21 to April 20, 2018).

About 4.7 million people went movie theaters during the period, earning Iran’s box office over 455 billion rials (over $10 million).

The Iranian movie theaters recorded slightly over 3.3 million tickets sold, grossing about 308 billion rials (over $6.8 million) during same period in the previous year.

Seven Iranian films, including Hadi Mohammadian’s animated movie “The Elephant King”, Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian’s drama “Lottery”, Alireza Davudnejad’s “Ferrari”, Ebrahim Hatamikia’s “Damascus Time” and Mehran Ahmadi’s directorial debut “Confiscation”, premiered at Iranian theaters ahead of the Iranian New Year celebration, Noruz.

Photo: This file photo shows people in a queue to get into a theater in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. (ISNA/Darya Nazeri)

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