According to our initial estimates, admissions to French films in foreign theaters reached 57 million in 2010.
Accounting for 55% of admissions, French-language films represent over half of all ticket sales abroad for the first time in ten years (up from 28.3 million in 2009 to 31.5 million in 2010).
Overall movie attendance declined, however, by 18% over 2009, which can be explained by the absence of major hits such as Taken in 2009, which generated one third of all admissions.
Box office revenues (€330 million) fell less sharply than admissions (-6%), thanks to the success of a number of titles in countries with high ticket prices, such as Japan and Western Europe.
Generating 39% of admissions, Western Europe took the lead in 2010 as the strongest territory for French films in attendance terms, highlighting French films' excellent performance in key markets, such as Italy (+142%), the United Kingdom (+79%), and Spain (+30%). The United States, where results were exceptionally high in 2009 (thanks to the smash hit Taken), dropped back by 45% in 2010. Nonetheless, French-language films showed a rise of 36% in the USA.
A trio of hit titles led French films abroad in 2010: The Ghost Writer, From Paris with Love, and Oceans all attracted around 6.5 million moviegoers. The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec drew 3.2 million spectators, including 1.8 million in China (a new record for French-language films in this territory). The Concert raked in 2 million admissions, with fine performances registered in Europe, while Little Nicholas attracted just under 2 million admissions, with notable success achieved in South Korea and Brazil. Babies crossed the million admissions mark (after major success in the USA), with A Prophet and The Hedgehog also crossing the million admissions mark, and 22 Bullets coming close to 1 million admissions (after an excellent performance in Russia).
Other successful films of 2010 include Heartbreaker, with 750,000 admissions (released in only 9 territories to date); Of Gods and Men, boasting 600,000 admissions, also at the start of its international run; Sarah's Key, which achieved a record-breaking score for French films in the Netherlands with 425,000 admissions; and Potiche, which has clocked up 320,000 admissions in a only a handful of territories to date and looks set to be one of the top performers of 2011.
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