16/07/2002 - Movie attendance in France increased by 4.4% in the first 6 months of 2002, according to data made public by CNC

Movie crowds in French cinemas increased by 4.4% in the first 6 months of 2002, compared with last year's figures for the same period. The estimate, made public by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), showed a strong rise in attendance, particularly during the months of May and June. After a weak start in the early months of 2002, 29.1 million moviegoers filled cinemas in the past two months, an increase of more than 35% over the same period last year. The overwhelming success of the `Cinema Festival´ at the end of June, with 3.6 million attendees, undoubtedly contributed to these positive results and pushed the figures up to 190 million moviegoers in the recent film season. The increase in movie audiences over the last ten months was boosted by the American films released, which accounted for 45.5% of the market (an increase of 6.3% over the first six months of 2001). French films captured 41.4% of the market (a decrease of 8.55% from last years figures.)

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(Translated from French)