The Minister of Culture, Françoise Nyssen, welcomes the excellent results of French cinema in theatres in 2017. For the fourth year in a row, cinema attendance exceeded 200 million; 209 million tickets sold, the third highest level in 50 years and well above the average of the last ten years (205 million). Attendance in France remains the highest in Europe in 2017.
Moreover, the market share of French films improved in 2017 to 37.4% (the best performance in three years), with 78 million admissions.
The Minister of Culture is particularly pleased that 17 French films each attracted more than 1 million spectators, once again highlighting the strength and richness of French film creation, which contributes to our country’s excellence and reputation around the world, as the export figures should confirm in the coming days
Several auteur films, as well as several first films, selected or awarded at the main festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, have met a wide audience. The market share of films that are neither French nor American is also increasing by 15% to reach nearly 30 million admissions, which is a sign of a very large opening of the French market to the diversity of the world’s cinemas.
These results confirm the special place that cinema holds in the life of French people, and highlight the performance of an original public support system, based on financial solidarity within the sector and the incentive to reinvest in creation.
Françoise Nyssen congratulates all film professionals for these outstanding results.