French market
The cinema market in France
Cinemas are where films are shown. In fact, after production and distribution, a film's exploitation comes down to its screening in cinemas in front of an audience. There are several types of exhibitor, distinguished according to different criteria:
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Cinemas are where films are shown. In fact, after production and distribution, a film's exploitation comes down to its screening in cinemas in front of an audience. There are several types of exhibitor, distinguished according to different criteria:
small-scale or industrial : this criterion depends above all on the number of screens, which creates the difference between single-screen cinemas, miniplexes (several screens) and multiplexes (more than eight screens);
independent or salaried operator: salaried operators are dependent on the major national and international groups that dominate the market (Gaumont Pathé, UGC, MK2, etc.).
Driven by the production of American blockbusters, but also by Bollywood's high productivity, the global cinema market expanded rapidly until the health crisis of 2020. After reaching a record value of $42.3 billion in 2019, market sales fell by over 72% in 2020. By 2022, this figure had risen to $25.9 billion. The Asia-Pacific region has the largest market share (at 37%), followed by North America (29%). Despite the rise of streaming and video-on-demand platforms, the industry still manages to attract a sizeable audience thanks to innovations that enable an ever more immersive experience. As a result, the number of tickets sold has been rising sharply since 2019 (+87% between 2022 and 2020).
In France, Europe's largest market, cinema has had a strong cultural importance since its beginnings, as evidenced by the number of French pioneers (Étienne-Jules Marey, Émile Reynaud, Louis Lumière among many others). This tradition has endured to the present day, and France is home to one of the world's greatest film festivals: the Cannes Film Festival.
Cinema attendance is still reeling from the health crisis, although the number of screenings has caught up with 2019. The cinema-going population, which refers to the population of people aged three and over who have been to the cinema at least once in the year, is also growing, on the verge of catching up with the average near Covid-19, fluctuating between 65% and 69%. In recent years, French films have been answering the call from American films, which have long been the most widely screened films in France.
Although the number of establishments has remained relatively constant for over a decade, the number of screens is growing strongly, due to the rise of multiplexes, which offer more attractive business models than single-screens and miniplexes. The French landscape is thus experiencing a period of upheaval worthy of the best American movie scripts.
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