In November 2023, French films were represented in international theaters by over 310 titles already in distribution and over 180 new releases, registering a total of 2.9 million admissions and generating €20 million in ticket sales.
Anatomy of a Fall remained at the top of the monthly chart, with 780,000 spectators. Acid and Argonuts claimed second and third position.
| # | Title | Admissions | Box Office Revenues (€) | No. of Prints | No. of Countries | Total Admissions | Total Revenues |
| 1 | Anatomy of a Fall | 779,395 | 7,018,959 | 1,606 | 22 | 1,263,587 | 11,223,572 |
| 2 | Acid | 211,115 | 763,605 | 1,204 | 3 | 227,963 | 854,899 |
| 3 | Argonuts | 199,535 | 875,069 | 595 | 8 | 1,749,850 | 10,322,815 |
| 4 | Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening | 131,350 | 854,564 | 437 | 8 | 7,077,513 | 31,382,399 |
| 5 | Only 3 Days Left | 96,804 | 659,655 | 553 | 4 | 155,320 | 1,114,494 |
| 6 | Jeanne du Barry | 74,675 | 450,021 | 344 | 15 | 1,706,799 | 8,465,174 |
| 7 | A Difficult Year | 46,884 | 397,970 | 484 | 6 | 85,281 | 787,998 |
| 8 | On The Wandering Path | 46,571 | 301,735 | 178 | 5 | 147,340 | 1,223,376 |
| 9 | The Taste of Things | 40,627 | 323,887 | 178 | 7 | 40,627 | 323,887 |
| 10 | Lockdown Tower | 38,164 | 91,338 | 80 | 2 | 56,648 | 158,173 |
| 11 | The Jungle Bunch: World Tour | 37,531 | 287,369 | 231 | 9 | 444,655 | 2,218,354 |
| 12 | A Great Friend | 35,647 | 301,608 | 156 | 5 | 274,229 | 2,402,081 |
| 13 | The Animal Kingdom | 34,516 | 178,124 | 534 | 8 | 53,248 | 355,101 |
| 14 | Driving Madeleine | 31,692 | 282,558 | 106 | 7 | 712,192 | 6,193,773 |
| 15 | The Book of Solutions | 27,279 | 174,349 | 176 | 5 | 82,290 | 499,958 |
| 16 | The Crime Is Mine | 26,862 | 198,021 | 72 | 7 | 574,991 | 4,004,748 |
| 17 | Abbé Pierre - A Century of Devotion | 24,420 | 234,751 | 79 | 3 | 24,420 | 234,751 |
| 18 | Dogman | 22,619 | 155,547 | 436 | 14 | 261,264 | 1,927,467 |
| 19 | Paris Memories | 21,144 | 103,256 | 126 | 4 | 126,294 | 828,741 |
| 20 | Second Round | 17,342 | 150,294 | 50 | 2 | 19,796 | 187,457 |
Box-office results strengthen for French films abroad
French films registered three million admissions and generated €20 million in ticket sales in foreign theaters in November. Monthly admissions were 39% higher than in October, and also the highest tallied for November in the last five years! The 2019 level has been exceeded for the fourth consecutive month, confirming the audience's effective return to theaters and, consequently, reinforcing the centrality of the latter in a film's exhibition cycle. While comedies and animation continued to have the wind in their sails, the successful trajectories of many dramas and genre films point to a more eclectic audience profile, no longer limited to the family-film audience of the immediate post-Covid-19 period. And so, for the second month running, Anatomy of a Fall stood out as the French title most seen on the big screen outside France. Released in 22 markets, it crossed the symbolic threshold of one million tickets sold abroad! This month, the Palme d'Or winner attracted 200,000 new moviegoers in North America (Neon and Entract, 374,000 and over $3.5 million in box office revenues), and successfully launched in Germany (Plaion, €1.74 million) and the United Kingdom (Picturehouse/Lionsgate, €1.5 million), attracting 170,000 spectators in each market. There's no doubt that Anatomy of a Fall will retain its French amabassador status in the months to come.
A newcomer took second place thanks to its Russian career. Released in almost 1,200 cinemas across the country, Acid was chosen by 210,000 moviegoers (Capella, €0.76 million), a score close to that generated in France (240,000). Lockdown Tower followed a very similar trajectory in Peru. Also a genre film, and also present in the monthly top 10 for the first time, it even managed to attract more Peruvians (Star, 36,000 and €0.08 million) than French (32,000). The new releases of Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening in Czech Republic (Bontonfilm, 67,000 admissions and €0.48 million) and Slovakia (Bontonfilm, 42,000 and €0.28 million) kept it among the most popular French titles internationally. However, after four consecutive months in the top three, it yielded third place to another animated film, welcomed by 125,000 Polish moviegoers (New Horizons, €0.57 million): Argonuts. As for Only 3 Days Left, it took a leap forward thanks to 33,000 tickets sold in Ukraine (Kinomania, €0.13 million), coming close to its total in Russia (Global, 36,000 and €0.12 million). Present in 15 different territories, Jeanne du Barry enjoyed the widest monthly exposure after Anatomy of a Fall (22) and ahead of Dogman (14). The lower part of the monthly rankings features films that are destined to rise to the very top in the coming months: the return of the Nakache-Toledano duo with A Difficult Year and the French candidate for the Oscar for Best International Feature 2024, The Taste of Things. A special mention goes to On The Wandering Path : chosen by 36,000 German moviegoers (X-Verleih,€0.23 million), the drama debuted in last place in the local top 10; in the space of a single week, the film's German career overtook its Swiss (Pathé, 30,500 and €0.38 million) and Italian (Wanted, 28,000 and €0.17 million) counterparts.
Russia, Germany, and Italy: top three territories in November
As usual, Europe remained the leading geographic region for the theatrical distribution of French films (83% of monthly admissions). The top three territories remained unchanged from September and October, but not the order, with Russia back in first place. Over 100,000 tickets were sold in five other markets. As in October, outside Europe, over 100,000 admissions and a market share of over 5% were recorded in North America, again thanks to Anatomy of a Fall, the only French title to attract over 100,000 spectators outside Europe. Likewise, Latin America returned to the race, buoyed by a threefold increase in attendance for French films in the space of a month, following the opening of Argonuts (Brazil) and Lockdown Tower (Bolivia and Peru).
Dramas, animated films, and comedies were the most popular
In November, drama maintained its position as the favorite international genre (1.33 million viewers, 46% of the monthly total), thanks to the penetration of Anatomy of a Fall and The Old Oak (a minority French-production). Comedy and animation were the mainstays of the monthly top 10, with two titles each. Jeanne du Barry continued to ensure the presence of the biopic/history genre, while Acide and Lockdown Tower (285,000 admissions) give a boost to French genre films outside France. Majority-French productions (79% of total admissions) and French-language productions (82%) took the lion's share of the month's admissions. Audiences for the latter grew more than those for French-initiated films (+47% compared to +20%) in the space of a month, while the range of minority-French productions was enriched by the arrival of the aforementioned The Old Oak and Inséparables. To conclude, 1.52 million admissions went to arthouse films (52% of the monthly total), led by Anatomy of a Fall.
French films at international film festivals in November 2023
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, renowned for being the world's biggest event dedicated to animation, once again aimed accurately when it came to French productions this year. Selected at Cannes, then Annecy, three French animated films made headlines at festivals at the end of the year and around the world. Chicken for Linda!, awarded the Cristal for feature film, continued its adventure around the world: from Latin America (São Paulo) to Asia (Tokyo), the film was also selected at European festivals in Berlin, Dublin, Gijón, Séville, Turin (Best Screenplay Award), and The Netherlands (Best Children's Film Award at CINEKID). Robot Dreams (a minority-French production) also continued its run, with no fewer than nine selections in Asia, South America, and Europe. It received the European Film Award for Best Animated Feature at the European Film Awards in early December. Last but not least, Asian festivals also kept Mars Express busy. Already an award-winner in Montréal (Best Feature Film Temps Ø) and in South Korea at BIAF (Special Distinction Award), it is currently completing its 2023 tour, notably in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taipei.
> This report can be downloaded in PDF format below (French version only).
> This report is based on results recorded on December 14, 2023. 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.
Study
UniFrance - Analyse mensuelle - Novembre 2023
