French films at the international box office - June 2022

Pil climbed to the top of the monthly charts after attracting 168,000 foreign spectators.

#	Title	Admissions	B. O. Revenues (€)	No. of Prints	No. of Countries	Total Admissions	Total Revenues
1	Pil	168,625	731,564	650	17	772,286	3,483,489
2	Little Nicholas' Treasure	52,663	328,381	447	3	612,040	2,531,255
3	Beautiful Minds	47,965	392,381	247	8	147,631	1,307,052
4	Serial (Bad) Weddings 3	39,575	291,809	127	6	313,691	2,657,764
5	Hear Me Out	37,496	283,483	281	3	45,218	355,512
6	Yakari, A Spectacular Journey	35,724	128,151	342	7	416,016	2,680,750
7	Eiffel	25,002	219,602	385	6	409,062	2,968,410
8	Maigret	22,173	192,107	96	2	118,407	833,575
9	The Kitchen Brigade	21,758	154,631	143	5	41,824	337,894
10	Lost Illusions	21,708	173,506	89	6	200,326	1,384,650
11	Bergman Island	20,360	178,111	94	6	99,334	692,137
12	Paris, 13th District	19,766	93,929	164	12	200,110	1,457,961
13	Blast	19,060	54,088	88	3	19,060	54,088
14	Madeleine Collins	18,390	88,025	156	4	36,984	251,728
15	Délicieux	18,294	156,771	66	8	386,343	2,730,572
16	An Officer and a Spy	17,498	154,464	56	2	1,465,881	9,314,254
17	Husband, Wife, Kids... And Lovers	15,535	62,551	94	2	22,910	119,902
18	Spoiled Brats	14,927	109,202	212	2	125,741	962,951
19	Ténor	12,939	84,921	68	3	17,497	135,987
20	Kandisha	12,388	30,433	48	3	90,422	233,121

Box office for French films relatively stable in international theaters

French films garnered 1.27 million admissions in theaters outside France in June, generating €8 million in ticket sales. If we compare these results to those of the previous months, June's figures are lower in spectator numbers than those registered since December 2021 (1.19 million admissions) and a far cry from the results of February (3.61 million), March (2.74 million), and April (2.93 million). The early months of 2022 were marked by the arrival of a number of highly-anticipated titles with strong commercial potential that were released in numerous markets in the space of just a few weeks: the minority-French productions The Worst Person in the World, Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness and Fireheart each charmed more than 1 million movie-goers outside France, while The Wolf and the Lion continued its excellent international run, clocking up an additional 970,000 admissions in this period. These outstanding results in a concentrated period of time can also explain the disparity between these months and the results of May and June.

Paris, 13th DistrictNonetheless, one observation must be underscored: with over 240 different titles already showing in theaters and over 160 new titles launched across the five continents in June, French cinema clearly retains its strong position on the international scene thanks to a diverse offer of film content, a rich cultural heritage, and a solid network of professionals in the sector. As is the case for all other national film industries, we are faced with a sector that is still deeply affected by the effects of the pandemic, as well as by attendance figures that, while slowly increasing, are still far from the levels recorded prior to 2020, and by the huge popularity of Hollywood blockbusters, which monopolize audiences more than they did previously. But the French film industry also knows how to adapt to the market context: animations and family films have proved highly popular in the first months of the year, appealing notably to very young audiences, who are the social segment that has had the most active reconnection with the movies theater, and have also rekindled interest in markets that are traditionally less attracted to French fare (such as Latin America, and Turkey, among others). In addition, auteur cinema remains a sure bet with international audiences, posting encouraging results in a number of markets—including Petite Maman in North America (90,000 admissions and $830,000) and the United Kingdom (41,000); and Paris, 13th District, which attracted more spectators abroad (200,000) than in France (195 000). In the first six months of 2022, French films registered 14 million admissions outside France. While the drop in the figures compared to the same period in 2019 is extreme (-50%), it remains aligned with the average global market trends. It would not lake a great deal of sense to compare these figures with 2020 (when theaters began to shut down late February) or 2021 (when theaters had started to reopen from April), however the rise in spectator numbers for French films abroad stands out clearly: 16.2 million admissions in 2020 and 17.6 million in 2021. French cinema can thus be seen to be sharing in the recovery of the sector in 2022.

Western Europe strengthens its leadership

Western Europe accounted for just over half of all admissions to French films in theaters abroad in June (53.1%) and secured an even larger share of the market than in previous months. Unsurprisingly, the two countries registering the highest spectator numbers are located in this region: Germany (just under 200,000 admissions) and Turkey (130,000), largely credited to fine performances by comedies and animations, respectively. These countries were followed by four markets that registered over 50,000 admissions: Spain and Denmark, as well as Australia and Mexico (the leading market in May). Central and Eastern Europe, along with Latin America, generated over 10% of admissions in June, while Oceania surpassed North America (6.3% of the market versus 4.7%).

Comedies return to center stage

After a month in May in which three genres were neck-and-neck in the charts (animation, comedies/dramatic comedies and dramas), June saw just one of them stand out boldly in front. Comedies/dramatic comedies attracted 523,000 foreign moviegoers this month, dominating the Top 10 chart shown above, with 5 titles included. Animated films' market share approached 30% and had a string of successful titles, including the French film that was most-seen on international screens in June, Pil (168,000 entrées). Thanks to a large number of titles already on the screens, dramas came in at third place, with the other genres all remained below the 100,000 admissions mark and below 10% of the market.

Majority-French productions shot in the French language retain their lead

The 178 productions initiated by France released in theaters outside the home market generated 69% of admissions in June, thus gaining 7 percentage points over May, with one title (Pil) amassing 100,000 spectators. Minority-French productions (65 titles) saw their market share of admissions fall back 31% in June, and also included a single film that crossed the 100,000 admissions mark, The Worst Person in the World (130,000 admissions), while a second title came very close to achieving this feat, Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (95,000). French shot in French continued to dominate the scene, generating 1 million admissions and representing close to 80% of the month's attendance figures, while only The Worst Person in the World captured one half of all spectators to French films shot in a foreign language.

The best performances by French films

Pil is the French film that was most seen in movie theaters broad in June. Released in 17 markets, it won over notably 51,000 Turkish moviegoers, 40,000 Vietnamese and 26,000 Australians. It also made its mark in Venezuela, where it boasted over 28,000 admissions—ranking as the top performance by a French film in this market since 2019. Little Nicholas' Treasure pulled in 12,000 Hungarian audiences and 37,000 Germans, although German audiences showed greater enthusiasm for Beautiful Minds (41,000). While waiting for the eagerly-awaited release in Germany, Spain, and Italy of Serial (Bad) Weddings 3, the film has enjoyed successful continuations of its run, especially in Belgium, where it has tallied 170,000 admissions since its opening. At a different stage in its international career, Hear Me Out has just entered the international scene, attracting 30,000 German fans of French comedies, while Yakari, A Spectacular Journey has just been launched in Turkish theaters (28,000 admissions), one year after its release in France.

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Little Nicholas' Treasure

This report is based on results recorded on July 07, 2022. Since our statistics for film releases are continuously being updated, the graphics generated automatically on our website will differ from the chart featured in this article.