The CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée) and Unifrance have published their annual reports on the export of French films around the world. The figures for 2015 reveal excellent performances by French productions in markets outside France.
- 111 million admissions registered by French films in foreign theaters
- 10 French films attracted over 1 million spectators abroad
- €216 million in revenues from French film exports in 2015
With €216 million garnered by sales companies, 2015 shows not only a significant rise in revenues (+11.3% over 2014), but also an all-time high in French film sales abroad since the CNC first began compiling these reports in 2003.
More specifically, proceeds from the export of recent French films (films produced after January 1, 2012) account for close to €190 million, representing an increase of more than 10% over 2014. The sale of French "catalogue" films rose by almost 16% to reach €28 million.
Increased market diversity
- In a ten-year period, French film export revenues have risen by almost 30%.
"Thanks to the efforts made by sales agents to explore new markets, foreign audiences now benefit from greater access to French films", explains Frédérique Bredin, president of the CNC.
Ten years ago, European markets accounted for 44% of total export revenue for French films. By 2015, this percentage had dropped back to 34%, despite the fact that overall revenues from film exports has increased in almost all geographic areas: North America +12%, Western Europe+8%, Asia +27%, Middle East +52%, Latin America +5%.
Over 110 million admissions registered by French films abroad
In terms of attendance figures, 2015 has emerged as the third most successful year of the decade, with 111.4 million admissions recorded in theaters outside France (after 2014 with 120 million and 2012 with 144 million admissions). Thus, for the second consecutive year, French films attracted more spectators in foreign theaters than they did in the home market.
These good results can be primarily credited to the international success of a number of hit titles, including Taken 3 (44 million admissions in markets abroad), The Little Prince (over 15 million), The Transporter Legacy (just under 13 million), and The Bélier Family (3.6 million).
As pointed out by UniFrance president Jean-Paul Salomé, "French animated films enjoyed great success in 2015. These productions accounted for 19.4% of all admissions to French films abroad. The figures also show a record high in attendance to French films in Latin America, with 22.6 million spectators registered. And for the first time, Asia has become the leading market for French film exports, generating close to 30 million admissions."
Frédérique Bredin was delighted to add that "French films achieved success across the globe. The combined attendance figures for French films in France and abroad show a total of over 183 million admissions."
Click here to download the report
NB: The differences between data obtained by the CNC and that obtained by UniFrance can be explained by the use of different perimeters of analysis: UniFrance calculated revenues generated by French films in foreign theaters in 2015, while the CNC took into account net revenues registered by sales agents in 2015, including all exhibition rights, for films released in theaters in, or prior to, 2015.
