Cultural Confidence: French Audiences Still Chose Theatres in 2024

France is "the only country where more people went to the cinema in 2024 than in the previous year," and the growth in admissions was "driven by domestic films." Olivier Henrard, the acting chairman of the French National Center for Cinema (CNC) excitedly announced this "dual exception" in the CNC's annual report released on New Year's Day this year.

Indeed, in the context of a global decline in cinema attendance, as the birthplace of cinema, France has achieved something of a miracle. In 2024, total cinema admissions reached 181.3 million, a year-on-year increase of 0.5%, with box office revenues totaling €1.36 billion. Domestic films accounted for 44.4% of the market share. However, declaring France the "only country" to have experienced growth in admissions may be somewhat premature or overly definitive. After all, many countries and regions around the world have not released their annual reports as promptly as the CNC did on January 1. It remains to be seen whether France retains this title once countries like India and Egypt—where going to the cinema is a daily habit for many and local box office revenues have historically outperformed Hollywood—publish their figures. For this reason, industry media such as Screen Daily opted for a more cautious phrasing in their reporting, stating: "France was one of the few markets to see admissions increase year-on-year in 2024[.]"

In fact, since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, France's domestic cinema market has experienced modest but steady growth in admissions: 152 million in 2022, 180.4 million in 2023, and 181.3 million in 2024. However, according to data from the global media measurement and analytics firm Comscore, the latest figure still represents a 12.8% decline compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Even so, compared to other European countries—Germany, Italy, and Spain saw declines of 17%, 19%, and 21%, respectively—France undoubtedly has the healthiest cinema market in Europe.

Looking at other major global markets, North America sold approximately 800 million movie tickets in 2024, a nearly 40% decline from the average 1.3 billion admissions per year pre-pandemic. Similarly, in China, the world's second-largest box office market, admissions fell by 22% year-on-year.

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Movie theatre in France

Among the top five films at the 2024 French box office, three were domestic productions, collectively attracting 25 million admissions. Notably, none of these films fit the typical profile of a blockbuster in terms of genre or subject matter. The year's box office champion, "A Little Something Extra," is a heartwarming comedy featuring a cast of non-professional actors with disabilities. The runner-up, "The Count of Monte-Cristo"—not to be confused with Bille August's TV adaptation released the same year—is a close-to-three-hour epic adventure based on Alexandre Dumas's classic novel. These two French films outperformed Disney's animated sequel, "Inside Out 2," which ranked third. The third French film in the top five is "Beating Hearts," a class-crossing crime romance that premiered in the main competition at last year's Cannes Film Festival.

Box office analysts have highlighted a striking difference between 2024 and 2014. Back then, the top-grossing French productions included mainstream comedies like "Serial (Bad) Weddings" and "Supercondriaque," alongside Luc Besson's sci-fi thriller "Lucy" starring Scarlett Johansson. In contrast, a decade later, local audiences flocked to theaters to watch a film featuring actors with disabilities, a nearly three-hour period drama, as well as a romantic crime story with a similar runtime.

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Top 10 films at the French box office in 2024

I haven't yet had the chance to see "A Little Something Extra," so I can't comment on whether it's akin to "Welcome to the Sticks" in having a strong local appeal that limits its success to French audiences. However, I was fortunate enough to watch the other two films .

The movie adaptation of "The Count of Monte-Cristo" is a clear and polished production with impressive sets and steady storytelling. Whether or not you're familiar with the original novel, it's hard not to be drawn into the journey of Edmond Dantès, from his wrongful imprisonment to his daring escape and eventual revenge. That said, the 178-minute runtime inevitably drags at points, with plenty of filler scenes that could have been trimmed. Perhaps in an age when people around the world are glued to short-form videos on their smartphones, only the French would still be willing to spend almost three hours in a theater.

As for "Beating Hearts," it was my personal worst film at Cannes 2024. It's the kind of over-the-top, irrationally passionate love-hate drama that some might argue captures the essence of youthful recklessness. If you insist that's what youth is all about, fine—you win. I won't bother arguing. That said, the film's leads, François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos, have undeniably cemented their status as two of France's hottest young stars. While they may not yet have international pull, they're more than enough to satisfy the domestic market.

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Still of "Beating Hearts"

France, undoubtedly, is a land with a strong national identity and cultural confidence. The successful hosting of the 2024 Olympics, particularly the "chaotic yet beautiful" opening ceremony, has further strengthened this confidence, which, to some extent, seems to have influenced French audiences to actively choose domestic films. According to CNC statistics, in 2024, compared to the 44.4% cinema market share that French films occupied, American films only held 36.7%. Beyond France's cultural confidence, this disproportionate percentage may also be attributed to the reduction in American film releases caused by the Hollywood strikes of 2023.

In China, the micro-drama industry reached a staggering €6.65 billion in 2024, surpassing the €6.2 billion generated by films. Sad but true, I believe that sooner or later, there'll be greater desertion of cinemas by audiences across more countries and regions as they turn to their smartphones instead. Despite that, I still hope that French audiences will continue to choose cinemas and films to prevent both the art of cinema and the theaters that house it from becoming historical relics too soon.

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Lian H.
Very good article, I liked your analysis and writing, very realistic, and you hit the nail on the head with the movie. Could you check out my profile and give me your approval on Enough, and if you want, give me a like?
07:21 10 January, 2025
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