On the occasion of the Venice International Film Festival, Unifrance presented its 2023 report on the export and international presence of French immersive works during the year.
2023 was quite simply the strongest in terms of sales recorded since the start of the study in 2017: €1,257,239 in revenues and 229 sales. What's more, two titles accounted for more than €100,000 in revenues each – seven others more than €50,000 each – while six titles totalled more than 10 sales each. With both the number of sales and the number of works on the rise, we can see that the French range of immersive works has been characterized by steady growth since 2017.
These very positive indicators are correlated with the good development of the XR sector in France: TV channels are financing works, the CNC is supporting the industry, foreign equipment manufacturers are looking for varied content, and cultural institutions are also increasingly entering into co-production.
The multiplication of distribution venues, the explosion of LBEs, the ever-growing interest of festivals, galleries, museums, etc., and the sharp increase in the number of works exported explain the strong growth in overall sales and signalled the structural health of the sector in 2023. But we can't forget the work done by the three main distributors who structure the French immersive market: Astrea, Lucid Realities (renamed Unframed Collection in early 2024 for its distribution activity), and Diversion cinema.
Like the growing international export sales of XR works in 2023, the presence of these works at festivals has only increased year on year. With numerous film festivals opening up spaces dedicated to immersive works, and festivals that are entirely devoted to them, these are the kind of events that give works a great deal of recognition, and media coverage. Some festivals, such as Venice and SXSW, have even become key venues for the industry as a whole. French works are presented at these festivals every year, and the length of time they are shown is a strong feature of the sector: works produced before 2020 are just as present as new ones, and the recognition acquired over time means that the biggest successes can last more than five years.
KEY MARKET INDICATORS IN 2023
On the export front
- €1,257,239 in revenues, 229 sales, and 75 titles sold.
- 124 buyers, with Sandmand Studios (China) the leading buyer.
- Animation and documentaries represented more than 90 % of total exports.
- Far Reach, France's top immersive work by revenues.
- Ayahuasca (Kosmik Journey), top French immersive film by sales.
- Asia and the USA confirmed as the leading geographic zone and the leading country by sales respectively.
In festivals
- 40 French immersive works selected and 101 presentations at 36 foreign festivals attended.
- 22 awards won.
- Flow VR, top French immersive work by number of selections.
Since 2017, Unifrance has been analyzing the commercial distribution of French immersive works internationally. The annual study focuses exclusively on objective sales results, title by title, reported by production and distribution companies. In 2024, 27 companies responded to our request to participate in this report covering 2023. We have also decided to devote an ad hoc report to immersive works, separating them from short films.
The 2023 report can be downloaded below (in French only)
Study
Unifrance - Bilan œuvres immersives 2023
