Country Focus: France

188.8m admissions and 45.7% market share for French film

by Fabien Lemercier

19/01/2009 - According to estimations published by the National Film Centre (CNC), 2008 was an excellent year for audience figures in France, with a total of 188.82m admissions, representing an increase of 6.2% compared to 2007.

This score is the second highest in the past 24 years, behind the 2004 record of 195.53m viewers. In 2008, French theatres amassed an estimated €1.12bn in takings (for an average admission price of €5.95 according to the FNCF.

Moreover, as in 2006 and for the second time since 1986, the market share for French films (45.7% in 2008 compared to 36.5% in 2007) exceeded that of US features, which dropped from 49% to 44.5%. This high-powered duel eclipsed other world cinemas, whose market share fell from 14.4% in 2007 to 9.9% in 2008.

This outstanding year for French film owes a lot to the 20.4m admissions garnered by Welcome to the Sticks [trailer] and the 6.8m viewers of Asterix at the Olympic Games [trailer]. Three other films surpassed the 2m admissions mark: Disco (2.4m), Public Enemy Number One (Part 1) [trailer] (2.2m) and A Widow at Last [trailer] (2.2m).

Eleven other domestic features attracted between 1-2m viewers: Paris [trailer], The Class [trailer, film focus], Public Enemy Number One (Part 2) [trailer], Largo Winch [trailer], Paris 36 [trailer], The First Day of the Rest of Your Life [trailer], Le crime est notre affaire [trailer] (“Crime is Our Business”), Agathe Cléry [trailer], Ca$h [trailer], Love Me No More [trailer] and Let It Rain [trailer].

The 2008 season ended on a positive note with December seeing a slight upturn of 1.6% compared to the same period in 2007. Indeed, the last four months of the year saw increases with respect to 2007, after four consecutive months of decline (from May-August).

See the report:
Audience figures France 2008