Attendance at French cinemas: a global exception
With 181.3 million entries in cinemas in 2024, in increase of almost a million in entries compared to 2023 and down just 12.8% compared to before the crisis – and even only 2.7% if we consider the last eight months of the year – France is widening the gap with all other comparable countries.
Indeed, in 2024, all major European countries, but also the United States, are down compared to their 2023 attendance, from -1% in revenue for the United Kingdom to almost -7%. in entries for Spain. Above all, the gap between these same countries and their pre-crisis attendance (2017-2019 average) is in proportions much higher than that of the French situation. Thus, according to Comscore data, at the end of November 2024, Germany recorded attendance down 17% compared to the January-November 2017-2019 average, Italy -19% and Spain – 22%. As for the American market, it is lagging in revenue by 25% compared to the 2017–2019 period, the United Kingdom by 16% and South Korea by 45%.
Total attendance (millions of entries) | 2024 | 2023 | evolution 2024/2023 (%) |
January | 13,71 | 14,82 | -7,4 |
FEBRUARY | 15,08 | 18,03 | -16,4 |
Mars | 15,19 | 15,76 | -3,6 |
Avril | 11,90 | 18,61 | -36,1 |
May | 15,72 | 13,76 | +14,3 |
June | 14,15 | 10,22 | +38,4 |
July | 17,87 | 18,30 | -2,4 |
August | 14,15 | 15,42 | -8,3 |
September | 10,05 | 8,95 | +12,2 |
October | 15,30 | 14,01 | +9,2 |
November | 17,69 | 15,17 | +16,6 |
December | 20,46 | 17,34 | +18,0 |
Annual total | 181,27 | 180,39 | +0,5 |
* Data in red are estimates
A performance driven by French films: a high market share, eclectic successes and a remarkable presence in the “Top 5”
A market share at its highest
With 44.4% in 2024, the market share of French films rises to the best level recorded in fifteen years (45.5% in 2008, year of Welcome to the Ch’tis et Asterix at the Olympic Games), similar to that of 2014 (year of What are we doing to the good Lord, Superchondriac et Lucy) and well above the pre-crisis average of 37.2%.
Market shares (%) | French films | American films | Other films | |||
2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |
Year | 44,4 | 40,1 | 36,7 | 41,2 | 18,9 | 18,7 |
* Data in red are estimates
Eclectic successes
Today, French cinema knows how to do everything: all genres and all stories, for all audiences. It is the diversity and uniqueness of our works – historical drama, generational story, musical film, social comedy, documentary, animated film – that explain a rebound in overall attendance and an unrivaled market share for our national films. in the world.
Comparing these results with all those of comparable countries is the best proof of the artistic and industrial excellence of our model of cultural exception.
Olivier Henrard
President of the CNC (interim)
Indeed, French cinema in 2024 has demonstrated its vitality and eclecticism by accumulating more than 80 million admissions thanks to successes as different and, for some, unexpected, as A little something extra (more than 10M), Le Comte de Monte Cristo (more than 9M), Love phew (more than 4.7M), Mr Aznavour (2M), Cocorico (1.9M), Guarded Hunt (1.9M), A fanfare (1,5M), Retirement home 2 (1,5M), Segpas on skis (1,3M), Dog and Cat (1,1M) ; Emilia Perez et The last jaguar (1M each); The thread, Brothers, When autumn comes et Louise Violet (more than 600,000 each); Souleymane’s story (500 000) ; The second act (nearly 500,000); Golo & Ritchie et Twenty Gods! (more than 400,000 each).
The year 2024 was thus particularly rich for the emergence of young filmmakers who embody renewal and who have found their place in the halls or the biggest festivals in the world with, for example, such promising first films what Neither chains nor masters by Simon MoutairouTwenty Gods by Louise Courvoisier, The Kingdom by Julien Colonna, The ghosts by Jonathan Millet, The last of the Jews by Noé Debré or even Rough Diamond by Agathe Riedinger – not to mention A little something extrawhich achieves the highest score for a first French film since Emmanuelle in 1974 (8.89 million admissions) and which ranks in the Top 10 most viewed French films.
A remarkable presence in the Top 5
French films also stand out with the presence of three productions in the top 5, which achieved more than 25 million admissions alone: A little something extra, Le Comte de Monte Cristo et phew love. Such a figure has not been reached since 2011, year ofUntouchables and of Nothing to declare and it is twice as much as the total of the first three French films of 2023.
The top 10 films in French theaters in 2024
(figures as of 12/29/2024)
Titre | Nationality | Sortie | Entries (millions) |
A little something extra | France | 01/05/2024 | 10,31 |
Le Comte de Monte Cristo | France | 28/06/2024 | 9,13 |
Vice-Versa 2 | UNITED STATES | 19/06/2024 | 8,26 |
Vaiana 2 | UNITED STATES | 27/11/2024 | 6,43 |
Love phew | France | 16/10/2024 | 4,73 |
Despicable Me 4 | UNITED STATES | 10/07/2024 | 4,32 |
Dune: Part Two | UNITED STATES | 28/02/2024 | 4,13 |
Deadpool & Wolverine | UNITED STATES | 24/07/2024 | 3,69 |
Gladiator II | UNITED STATES | 13/11/2024 | 2,87 |
Planet of the Apes: The New Kingdom | UNITED STATES | 08/05/2024 | 2,50 |