“Young people and cinema”, state of play! It’s a coveted audience, but sometimes difficult to pin down. The National Center for Cinematography unveils a vast study full of lessons. Here are some of the key points.
While Un P’tit truc en plus is the hit of this spring, a real phenomenon at the French box office, a new study looks at a part of the public particularly coveted by the cinema industry: young people, precisely here the 15 -24 years old! These spectators in fact represent the future of cinemas and it is therefore essential to know what motivates them to want to see a film or not, to go to cinemas.
A fascinating study from the National Center for Cinematography (CNC) has just been unveiled, reviewing many topics concerning the report
“This study made it possible to question the practices but also the representations of young people aged 15-24 about cinema and to identify the motivations, obstacles and expectations. It highlighted the existence of six profiles within the young public, with a relationship to cinema and different levers to activate: Cinévores, Eclectics, Enthusiastic Neophytes, Constrained, Large Occasionals and Non-Spectators“, explains the CNC in the preamble.
- Read the full study “Young people and cinema”
The study is very dense and addresses many questions. One aspect in particular attracts our attention, in this case linked to the opposition between American cinema and French cinema. The latter still suffering from preconceptions.
A very significant American culture that anchors the imagination around cinema
The CNC indicates in its study that there is “a very significant American culture which anchors the imagination around cinema”, and thus breaks down the subject:
– A caricatured vision of French cinema (= comedy) vs. American cinema (= action), in the speeches and not necessarily in the uses
– French films which suffer, in perception, from comparison with the US standard (strong cultural pressure)
– French know-how in comedy which remains popular, despite sometimes a certain weariness
– A diversity and quality of French cinema often unknown, even negative preconceptions, and a later discovery of other genres which is accompanied by the feeling of risk-taking (vs. American films with well-identified promise)
The study shows that cinema remains a “still popular” activity, despite “more occasional” attendance at the theaters.
Strong complementarity between platforms and cinema
The CNC develops the following three points:
– An ever-widening competitive universe and all-out consumption of content
– But in representations and uses, a strong complementarity between platforms and cinema
– Cinema outings which always arouse overall pleasure and satisfaction, with the vast majority wanting to return
Let’s point out this last figure, encouraging to say the least after the Covid period: 85% of 15-24 year olds went to the cinema at least once during the year in 2023. The CNC emphasizes that this is “a rate penetration well above the French average (64%) and the highest in all age groups combined.
