The fifth and final season of the hit series “Kramel” is coming to an end. Before the television broadcast, the final episodes screened in cinemas across Israel during a special weekend release. Despite Home Front Command restrictions limiting each auditorium to 50 people, the screenings sold out.
The popular children’s series “Kramel,” produced for Kan Educational, is leaving the screen, but not before setting new records. For the first time in Israel, the concluding episodes of the fifth and final season were distributed to cinemas during the special weekend release ahead of their official broadcast on Kan Educational and Kan BOX.
The initiative, first announced in mid-January, was a major success despite the war and tense security situation. The producers and cinema chains worked together to offer children a chance to exchange time in a protected room for a few hours of escapism, watching the episodes consecutively on a large screen with high-quality sound.
The numbers behind the success
The screenings were held under strict Home Front Command guidelines, allowing gatherings of no more than 50 people in each auditorium. Despite the restrictions, demand was unprecedented:
- A total of 40,387 tickets were sold.
- 1,057 screenings were held across Israel, the vast majority marked as sold out.
- The fifth season has accumulated 19 million views across digital platforms.
- All seasons have generated more than 200 million views on Kan Educational platforms.
The ticket rush
High demand was recorded across every cinema chain and cinematheque taking part:
- HOT Cinema led sales with 28,255 tickets across 734 screenings nationwide. The chain also held dedicated screenings for families with special needs in cooperation with the Shaveh Pituach initiative.
- Movieland sold 9,468 tickets across 271 screenings at its branches.
- Cinematheques sold 2,664 tickets across 52 screenings. Demand led to unusual situations: the Herzliya Cinematheque reported that its website crashed under buyer traffic; the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, which was closed along with many cinemas, opened especially for fans over the weekend; and the Sderot Cinematheque originally planned one screening but expanded to three because of demand.
Farewell to an award-winning series
“Kramel” has become a genuine cultural phenomenon in recent years. Based on the bestselling book series by author Meira Barnea-Goldberg, it has won 11 Israeli Academy of Film and Television awards, including Best Children’s Drama Series for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024.
- Creators and screenwriters: Shirili Deshe and Roy Segev
- Director: Roy Segev
- Production company: July August Productions.
- Leading cast members: Yonatan Bar-Or, Omri Lakis, Lir Issa, Efrat Boimold, Lirit Balaban, Yuval Segal, Anat Magen-Shabo and many others.
