The National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC) has just published its annual report on theater attendance in France for the year 20241. Good news: the figures are increasing, especially for French films.
Posted at 2:04 p.m.
The CNC, an administration responsible for the cinema sector, but also for audiovisual and video games, is delighted to see French people returning in large numbers, in 2024, to cinemas. And largely to watch films made in France.
In its report, the CNC states that with more than 181 million admissions, cinema attendance in France was “an exception in the world cinema landscape” last year. “France is experiencing the best post-COVID-19 recovery of all comparable countries, including the United States. Although attendance remains below the pre-COVID-19 average, the box office has increased by almost a million compared to 2023,” we write among others.
Three French films in the top 5
In addition, the market share of French films is also increasing. It rises to 44.4% in 2024, ahead of American films which achieve a score of 36.7%. This success can be summed up in three titles: A little something extra d’Artus (10.3 million admissions); Le Comte de Monte Cristo by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, with Pierre Niney in the title role (9.1 million admissions); And FinallyLove phew, by Gilles Lellouche. This film, which has just been released in Quebec, attracted 4.7 million admissions in France; which earned it fifth place in the box office rankings. Please note, these three French feature films have totaled more than 25 million admissions!
With 44.4% in 2024, the market share of French films reaches its best level recorded in 15 years. In 2008, the year of release of popular comedies, such as Welcome to the Ch’tis et Asterix at the Olympic Games, it was 45.5%. The pre-pandemic average was 37.2%.
Still according to the CNC report, all major European countries (and also the United States) are down compared to their 2023 attendance. Thus, according to Comscore data, dating from the end of November 2024, the Germany recorded attendance down 17%, Italy -19% and Spain -22%. As for the American market, it lags behind in revenue by 25% compared to the 2017-2019 period, the United Kingdom by 16% and South Korea by 45%.
1. Read the 2024 report from the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC)