Between July and the end of September 2023, more than 480 French productions were shown across the five continents. Among them, 30 were animation films, representing 6% of global titles. Over the same period, they generated 7.4 million admissions, which corresponded to 59% of the audience who attended French cinema abroad, a record!
This summer was exceptional for French cinema, especially for animation, which alone attracted nearly two out of every three foreign viewers to French films! Despite the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon that monopolized movie theaters and audiences, one French title had an enviable career: Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening.
The top French animation films by international admissions in July, August, and September 2023.
| Rank | Film | Territories | Admissions (07/01/2023 to 09/30/2023) | Box Office Revenues (€) (07/01/2023 to 09/30/2023 | Total Admissions
|
| 1 | Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening | 15 | 6,741,149 | 29,653,331 | 6,741,149 |
| 2 | The Jungle Bunch: World Tour | 8 | 310,509 | 1,302,516 | 310,509 |
| 3 | Argonuts | 15 | 179,176 | 1,503,667 | 1,431,414 |
| 4 | No Dogs or Italians Allowed | 4 | 39,217 | 261,674 | 67,657 |
| 5 | The Inseparables* | 2 | 34,323 | 153,711 | 34,323 |
* Production with minority-French financing
The big-screen adaptation of the hit saga Ladybug glittered in some fifteen foreign Top 10 lists during its opening week, even topping the charts in Poland, Russia, and Turkey! It sold almost 7 million tickets outside France, including 3.4 million in Russia (Exponenta-Film, €8.7 million) and 1.3 million in Germany (StudioCanal Deutschland, €9.7 million), 764,000 in Poland (Kino Swiat, €3.4 million), 524,000 in China (China Film, €2.0 million), 156,000 in Belgium & Luxembourg (€1.4 million), and 144,000 in Austria (Constantin Film, €1.2 million) and Turkey (The Moments Entertainment, €0.5 million). Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening has already established itself as the biggest French success of the current year, and the most popular French animation film internationally since Leap in 2016 (minority-French production, 14 million admissions and €79.1 million in ticket sales) and The Little Prince in 2015 (18.4 million and €80.5 million).
The other new release, The Jungle Bunch: World Tour, which released in mid-August, was chosen by over 300,000 spectators of all ages abroad, including 118,000 Vietnamese (CGV Vietnam, €0.4 million), 84,000 Russians (Capella Film, €0.2 million), and 41,000 Romanians (Cay Films, €0.1 million). The first theatrical installment of the animated saga, The Jungle Bunch, sold well over two million tickets outside France between 2017 and 2018.
A third new title debuted in the quarterly top 5, the minority-French production The Inseparables, which rounded off a chart that also included Argonuts, the chart leader early in the year, which was warmly welcomed in the South Korean market (Green Narae Media, 74,000 admissions and €0.5 million), Norway (Selmer Media, 36,000 and €0.4 million), and Sweden (Lucky Dogs, 32,000 and €0.3 million). Fourth in the Top 5 rankings, No Dogs or Italians Allowed attracted 34,000 moviegoers across the Alps (Lucky Red, €0.2 million).
Upcoming theatrical releases*
- Ernest and Célestine : A Journey in Charabia (sold by StudioCanal): in Turkey. (Chantier Films).
- The Siren (sold by Goodfellas): in Germany (Grandfilm) and Switzerland (First Hand Films).
- Little Nicholas - Happy as Can Be (sold by Charades): in Cyprus and Greece (Feelgood Entertainment).
- The Jungle Bunch: World Tour (sold by SND): Australia & New Zealand (Icon Film Distribution), South Korea (First Run), Denmark (Another World Entertainment), Lithuania (Acme Film), Norway (Another World Entertainment), UK & Ireland (Signature Entertainment), and Turkey (Bir Film).
- The Inseparables (sold by Octopolis): in South Africa (Filmfinity), Hungary (ADS Service), Poland (M2 Films), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo Audiovisuais), UK & Ireland (Signature Entertainment), Russia (VolgaFilm), Turkey (CGV Mars Group), and Ukraine (Adastra Cinema).
- Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening (sold by Sierra Affinity): in Cambodia and Thailand, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Bontonfilm), and Singapore (Shaw Organisation).
- Robot Dreams (sold by Elle Driver): in Belgium & Luxembourg (Cinéart) and Switzerland (Praesens Films).
- Nina and the Tales of the Hedgehog (sold by Les Films du Losange): in the Czech Republic (Czech Film Clubs Association).
- Argonuts (sold by Kinology): in Brazil (Imagem Films) and Poland (New Horizons Association).
- Little Vampire (sold by StudioCanal): in Japan (Kino Films).
- Yuku and the Flower of the Himalayas (sold by New Europe Film Sales): in Austria (Filmladen).
The above releases are subject to cancellation or postponement.
For further information on international results and releases of French films, please contact Andrea Sponchiado (andrea.sponchiado@unifrance.org).
