The double SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are worrying exhibitors in France, where the box office is driven by Hollywood blockbusters.
In an interview with French news channel Bfm Business, Richard Patry, who presides over the National Federation of Cinemas, predicts “the strike might go on for a long time” because it’s aimed at streaming services.
“Many U.S. films have already started to be delayed, and it worries us a lot for 2024,” Patry said. The dearth of U.S. releases during the pandemic hurt the French box office, which was down by about 30% in 2022. Even if French movies have a large market share domestically, U.S. blockbusters typically drive an upward trend. Case in point: the French B.O. finally recovered this year and has been up 33%, bolstered by a spike in anticipated American movies, which skyrocketed from 29 in 2022 to 51 in the first five months of 2023, according to Comscore France.
In an interview with French news channel Bfm Business, Richard Patry, who presides over the National Federation of Cinemas, predicts “the strike might go on for a long time” because it’s aimed at streaming services.
“Many U.S. films have already started to be delayed, and it worries us a lot for 2024,” Patry said. The dearth of U.S. releases during the pandemic hurt the French box office, which was down by about 30% in 2022. Even if French movies have a large market share domestically, U.S. blockbusters typically drive an upward trend. Case in point: the French B.O. finally recovered this year and has been up 33%, bolstered by a spike in anticipated American movies, which skyrocketed from 29 in 2022 to 51 in the first five months of 2023, according to Comscore France.
- 7/21/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
After an unexpectedly robust summer at the international box office, there is a near-term question mark about what will happen next: Will recovery stall due to a paucity of Hollywood tentpole movies? Or will international theatrical decouple and find new drivers to maintain the momentum?
The good news is that most of the international market’s top territories are now fully open and operating without significant restrictions on seating capacity. These include the U.K. and Ireland, Japan, France, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Brazil. The smaller number of territories still laboring under restrictions nevertheless include some valuable ones: China, Turkey, Argentina, Hong Kong and Russia.
Hollywood movies that have driven the recent international recovery include “Jurassic World Dominion” (611 million internationally); “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (486 million); “Thor: Love and Thunder” (405 million); and “Elvis” (126 million).
“Top Gun: Maverick,” with 1.4 billion worldwide to date, including 720 million internationally,...
The good news is that most of the international market’s top territories are now fully open and operating without significant restrictions on seating capacity. These include the U.K. and Ireland, Japan, France, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Brazil. The smaller number of territories still laboring under restrictions nevertheless include some valuable ones: China, Turkey, Argentina, Hong Kong and Russia.
Hollywood movies that have driven the recent international recovery include “Jurassic World Dominion” (611 million internationally); “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (486 million); “Thor: Love and Thunder” (405 million); and “Elvis” (126 million).
“Top Gun: Maverick,” with 1.4 billion worldwide to date, including 720 million internationally,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Last week, the French government reappointed Dominique Boutonnat for a second three-year term as president of the National Film Board (Cnc), the country’s most powerful film institution, in a controversial decision that illustrates the country’s halfhearted embrace of the #MeToo movement.
Boutonnat, a former producer and financier with close ties with newly reelected French president Emmanuel Macron, was indicted in February 2021 for alleged sexual assault of his 22-year-old godson the year prior. After a lengthy investigation, the prosecutor’s office has requested that the case be brought before a criminal court. A judge will soon rule if Boutonnat will face trial or if the case will be dismissed.
Boutonnat’s appointment is the latest signal that France, which remains a major entertainment market, is less eager than other countries to turn its back on artists and executives who become enmeshed in sex scandals.
Since the Harvey Weinstein story...
Boutonnat, a former producer and financier with close ties with newly reelected French president Emmanuel Macron, was indicted in February 2021 for alleged sexual assault of his 22-year-old godson the year prior. After a lengthy investigation, the prosecutor’s office has requested that the case be brought before a criminal court. A judge will soon rule if Boutonnat will face trial or if the case will be dismissed.
Boutonnat’s appointment is the latest signal that France, which remains a major entertainment market, is less eager than other countries to turn its back on artists and executives who become enmeshed in sex scandals.
Since the Harvey Weinstein story...
- 7/27/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Executives sound optimistic note, trumpet big screen experience.
Exhibition executives and producers called for more family films and extolled the virtues of local content and data in Monday’s (April 25) broadly optimistic CinemaCon opening day panels, marking the event’s proper return since pre-pandemic 2019.
Piracy was another issue that rose to the fore in sessions that trumpeted theatrical distribution and exhibition as attendees gathered at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (CinemaCon was cancelled in 2020 and there was a truncated event in August 2021.)
Warner Bros president of international theatrical distribution Andrew Cripps noted how piracy was “rampant” in Russia and China...
Exhibition executives and producers called for more family films and extolled the virtues of local content and data in Monday’s (April 25) broadly optimistic CinemaCon opening day panels, marking the event’s proper return since pre-pandemic 2019.
Piracy was another issue that rose to the fore in sessions that trumpeted theatrical distribution and exhibition as attendees gathered at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (CinemaCon was cancelled in 2020 and there was a truncated event in August 2021.)
Warner Bros president of international theatrical distribution Andrew Cripps noted how piracy was “rampant” in Russia and China...
- 4/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Executives sound optimistic note, trumpet big screen experience.
Exhibition executives and producers called for more family films and extolled the virtues of local content and data in Monday’s (April 25) broadly optimistic CinemaCon opening day panels, marking the event’s proper return since pre-pandemic 2019.
Piracy was another issue that rose to the fore in sessions that trumpeted theatrical distribution and exhibition as attendees gathered at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (CinemaCon was cancelled in 2020 and there was a truncated event in August 2021.)
Warner Bros president of international theatrical distribution Andrew Cripps noted how piracy was “rampant” in Russia and China...
Exhibition executives and producers called for more family films and extolled the virtues of local content and data in Monday’s (April 25) broadly optimistic CinemaCon opening day panels, marking the event’s proper return since pre-pandemic 2019.
Piracy was another issue that rose to the fore in sessions that trumpeted theatrical distribution and exhibition as attendees gathered at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (CinemaCon was cancelled in 2020 and there was a truncated event in August 2021.)
Warner Bros president of international theatrical distribution Andrew Cripps noted how piracy was “rampant” in Russia and China...
- 4/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
France’s 2,045 cinema had been shut since last October due to a second wave of Covid-19.
More than 300,000 spectators hit French cinemas as they reopened on Wednesday (May 19) after six months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to preliminary figures from the country’s National Federation of French Cinemas (Fncf).
This is triple the average number of spectators seen on a usual Wednesday, which is the day new films open in France.
“We can confirm with certainty that the attendance was between 305,000 to 310,000 admissions,” Fncf president Richard Patry said in an interview with news channel Bfmtv.
All of France’s 2,045 cinemas,...
More than 300,000 spectators hit French cinemas as they reopened on Wednesday (May 19) after six months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to preliminary figures from the country’s National Federation of French Cinemas (Fncf).
This is triple the average number of spectators seen on a usual Wednesday, which is the day new films open in France.
“We can confirm with certainty that the attendance was between 305,000 to 310,000 admissions,” Fncf president Richard Patry said in an interview with news channel Bfmtv.
All of France’s 2,045 cinemas,...
- 5/20/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The Cesar Awards, France’s highest film honors, have confirmed that the ceremony will be held on March 12, ideally as an in-person show. The 46th edition of the awards will also be broadcast live on Canal Plus. A spokesperson for the Cesar Academy told Variety that a virtual show is also being considered and a final decision on the format of the ceremony will be taken after January 20.
The event normally takes place in late February, so a mid-March date isn’t a big stretch. France has been coping with the second wave of the pandemic and theaters are due to reopen on Dec. 15 after a 90-day shutdown.
“In the face of the pandemic we’ve struggled with for months and which marked 2020, the Cesar ceremony will offer a moment of celebration and support for films, and more generally, culture,” said the French Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“[The ceremony] will pay...
The event normally takes place in late February, so a mid-March date isn’t a big stretch. France has been coping with the second wave of the pandemic and theaters are due to reopen on Dec. 15 after a 90-day shutdown.
“In the face of the pandemic we’ve struggled with for months and which marked 2020, the Cesar ceremony will offer a moment of celebration and support for films, and more generally, culture,” said the French Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“[The ceremony] will pay...
- 12/3/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
France’s exhibitors and distributors are aiming for a quick restart when theaters are allowed to reopen, whenever that may be.
During the first lockdown, which lasted nearly three months, many French distributors took the streaming route, opting to release their films on transactional VOD services and in some cases, sell rights to SVOD platforms such as Amazon or Netflix. But this time around, key distributors like Gaumont, Studiocanal and Le Pacte, who had movies playing when theaters shut down on Oct. 29, told Variety that they’re planning to re-release their pics when cinemas reopen, even if a date is still unknown.
Among the films that will return to theaters are Gaumont’s “Bye Bye Morons,” a black comedy directed by Albert Dupontel; Le Pacte’s “DNA,” directed by Maiwenn; Studiocanal’s “Little Vampire,” an animated feature by Joann Sfar; and comedy “30 Jours Max” from Tarek Boudali.
“We will...
During the first lockdown, which lasted nearly three months, many French distributors took the streaming route, opting to release their films on transactional VOD services and in some cases, sell rights to SVOD platforms such as Amazon or Netflix. But this time around, key distributors like Gaumont, Studiocanal and Le Pacte, who had movies playing when theaters shut down on Oct. 29, told Variety that they’re planning to re-release their pics when cinemas reopen, even if a date is still unknown.
Among the films that will return to theaters are Gaumont’s “Bye Bye Morons,” a black comedy directed by Albert Dupontel; Le Pacte’s “DNA,” directed by Maiwenn; Studiocanal’s “Little Vampire,” an animated feature by Joann Sfar; and comedy “30 Jours Max” from Tarek Boudali.
“We will...
- 11/6/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Following a backlash within its membership ranks and the resignation of its board of directors and president earlier this year, France’s Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma has set new leadership. At a general assembly today, the Académie, which hands out the country’s César Awards, elected former Cnc and Arte chief Veronique Cayla as president and Intouchables co-director and filmmaker Eric Toledano as vice president. They will hold their positions for a two-year term.
The duo replaces Margaret Menegoz who was interim president following Alain Terzian’s departure in February. Terzian left amid rising controversy in the wake of this year’s César nominations which gave Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy the lead at 12. The film ultimately won three prizes at the protested ceremony.
Prior to the awards, the film org was called out as “elitist and closed” by some 200 artists who said they...
The duo replaces Margaret Menegoz who was interim president following Alain Terzian’s departure in February. Terzian left amid rising controversy in the wake of this year’s César nominations which gave Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy the lead at 12. The film ultimately won three prizes at the protested ceremony.
Prior to the awards, the film org was called out as “elitist and closed” by some 200 artists who said they...
- 9/29/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Veronique Cayla, the well-respected film and TV executive who recently stepped down from the leadership of Franco-German public culture channel Arte France, will preside the Cesar Academy, which distributes France’s equivalent to the Oscars. Eric Toledano, the popular co-director of smash-hit “The Intouchables” and a key member of the film guild Arp, will be vice-president of the Cesar Academy.
Both Cayla and Toledano were elected for a two-year mandate by the new administration board of the Academy, which includes 42 reps from 21 different fields within the film industry, from actors to crew members, screenwriters, directors and producers. Gender parity has been applied with a man and a woman representing each branch.
The new administration board includes the actors Marina Fois and Antoine Reinartz, the directors Pascale Ferran and Cédric Klapisch, the screenwriters Olivier Gorce and Julier Peyr, the producers Alain Attal and Marie-Ange Luciani, the agents Sébastien Cauchon and Elisabeth Tanner,...
Both Cayla and Toledano were elected for a two-year mandate by the new administration board of the Academy, which includes 42 reps from 21 different fields within the film industry, from actors to crew members, screenwriters, directors and producers. Gender parity has been applied with a man and a woman representing each branch.
The new administration board includes the actors Marina Fois and Antoine Reinartz, the directors Pascale Ferran and Cédric Klapisch, the screenwriters Olivier Gorce and Julier Peyr, the producers Alain Attal and Marie-Ange Luciani, the agents Sébastien Cauchon and Elisabeth Tanner,...
- 9/29/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Christopher Nolan’s hotly anticipated “Tenet” comes out in French theaters Wednesday, as in a host of overseas territories, and French exhibitors are dealing with a potential new challenge in luring back the public.
France’s recently appointed prime minister Jean Castex announced on Wednesday that face masks will now be mandatory in all areas in cinemas and other venues, even inside the auditoriums.
Up until now, face masks were only mandatory in public areas like halls, ticket booths and bathrooms of theaters, allowing moviegoers to take them off once seated.
Social distancing, meanwhile, will remain mandatory inside the screening rooms in areas where coronavirus is still active, notably in Paris and the surrounding area, Castex told the French radio station France Inter on Wednesday. Unlike in most other countries, France did not impose seating capacities in movie theaters, but rather requested that a one-meter distance be respected between each moviegoer or groups.
France’s recently appointed prime minister Jean Castex announced on Wednesday that face masks will now be mandatory in all areas in cinemas and other venues, even inside the auditoriums.
Up until now, face masks were only mandatory in public areas like halls, ticket booths and bathrooms of theaters, allowing moviegoers to take them off once seated.
Social distancing, meanwhile, will remain mandatory inside the screening rooms in areas where coronavirus is still active, notably in Paris and the surrounding area, Castex told the French radio station France Inter on Wednesday. Unlike in most other countries, France did not impose seating capacities in movie theaters, but rather requested that a one-meter distance be respected between each moviegoer or groups.
- 8/26/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The country’s 2,045 cinemas have been shut since March 14.
Cinemas in France will be allowed to reopen from June 22 under French government plans to progressively lift a national lockdown put in place mid-March to slow the spread of Covid-19.
France began a first phase of easing restrictions on May 11. The second phase of lifting in the lockdown is due to begin June 2.
French prime minister Edouard Philippe outlined details of the health situation in France and how the second phase would be implemented in a televised address on Thursday afternoon (May 28).
The National Federation of French Cinemas (Fncf) has indicated...
Cinemas in France will be allowed to reopen from June 22 under French government plans to progressively lift a national lockdown put in place mid-March to slow the spread of Covid-19.
France began a first phase of easing restrictions on May 11. The second phase of lifting in the lockdown is due to begin June 2.
French prime minister Edouard Philippe outlined details of the health situation in France and how the second phase would be implemented in a televised address on Thursday afternoon (May 28).
The National Federation of French Cinemas (Fncf) has indicated...
- 5/28/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
UK Cinema Association head Clapp has been Unic president since 2013.
The International Union of Cinemas (Unic) has announced its new board of directors, with UK Cinema Association head Phil Clapp re-elected as president.
The decision was made during the organisation’s general assembly at the CineEurope exhibition conference in Barcelona (June 17-20).
Clapp was first elected president in 2013, and will serve for the next two years.
The following have also been elected to the Unic board for two-year terms:
Senior Vice President and Treasurer: Jaime Tarrazón, Delegate of the Federation of Cinemas of Spain (Spain); Vice President: Kim Pedersen, CEO...
The International Union of Cinemas (Unic) has announced its new board of directors, with UK Cinema Association head Phil Clapp re-elected as president.
The decision was made during the organisation’s general assembly at the CineEurope exhibition conference in Barcelona (June 17-20).
Clapp was first elected president in 2013, and will serve for the next two years.
The following have also been elected to the Unic board for two-year terms:
Senior Vice President and Treasurer: Jaime Tarrazón, Delegate of the Federation of Cinemas of Spain (Spain); Vice President: Kim Pedersen, CEO...
- 6/18/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
French productions generated 77m admissions to take a 40% share of the market
French admissions fell by 4.3% in 2018 to 200.5m, against 209.4m in 2017, but the country remained one of Europe’s leading cinema markets, according to preliminary figures released by the National Cinema Centre (Cnc) on Dec 31.
In spite of the drop, the Cnc said France was Europe’s top territory in terms of admissions if not by overall gross, ahead of the UK with 176m entries, Germany with 90m, Spain with 92m and Italy with 79 million entries, according to its figures. The overall gross for the UK could end up...
French admissions fell by 4.3% in 2018 to 200.5m, against 209.4m in 2017, but the country remained one of Europe’s leading cinema markets, according to preliminary figures released by the National Cinema Centre (Cnc) on Dec 31.
In spite of the drop, the Cnc said France was Europe’s top territory in terms of admissions if not by overall gross, ahead of the UK with 176m entries, Germany with 90m, Spain with 92m and Italy with 79 million entries, according to its figures. The overall gross for the UK could end up...
- 1/3/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Netflix’s plan to release “Roma” and two other films theatrically in North America and Europe was hailed in the U.S. as a major shift in strategy for the streaming giant. But the initiative was met with a scornful shrug in France, where exhibitors say it’s unlikely by itself to produce a reconciliation between Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival. Film bodies in Italy and Germany, home to the Venice and Berlin fests, remain skeptical as well.
With six months to go before Cannes’ next edition, artistic director Thierry Frémaux says he believes a compromise can be found to welcome Netflix back on the Croisette. Last month, he and Cannes president Pierre Lescure met with Netflix content boss Ted Sarandos and film chief Scott Stuber at Frémaux’s Lumière Festival in Lyon, which screened “Roma” as part of a tribute to director Alfonso Cuarón. Netflix says talks are...
With six months to go before Cannes’ next edition, artistic director Thierry Frémaux says he believes a compromise can be found to welcome Netflix back on the Croisette. Last month, he and Cannes president Pierre Lescure met with Netflix content boss Ted Sarandos and film chief Scott Stuber at Frémaux’s Lumière Festival in Lyon, which screened “Roma” as part of a tribute to director Alfonso Cuarón. Netflix says talks are...
- 11/28/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Thierry Frémaux almost lost his job last May as the director of the Cannes Film Festival.
Facing a backlash from French exhibitors outraged over his decision to allow Netflix to screen its films at the seaside resort without the approval of the festival’s board, Frémaux was threatened with being fired, insiders say. His €120,000 a year job, a post that allows him to hobnob with auteurs and serve as one of cinema’s top tastemakers, hung in the balance.
That fateful meeting set the stage for one of the most sizzle-free Cannes in the gathering’s seven-decade history. There are dark clouds blotting out this edition of the world’s most famous film festival. A perfect storm of disruptive technology, challenging market forces and self-inflicted public relations disasters are raising questions about its long-term viability.
In return for being allowed to remain at the helm of Cannes, powerful board members...
Facing a backlash from French exhibitors outraged over his decision to allow Netflix to screen its films at the seaside resort without the approval of the festival’s board, Frémaux was threatened with being fired, insiders say. His €120,000 a year job, a post that allows him to hobnob with auteurs and serve as one of cinema’s top tastemakers, hung in the balance.
That fateful meeting set the stage for one of the most sizzle-free Cannes in the gathering’s seven-decade history. There are dark clouds blotting out this edition of the world’s most famous film festival. A perfect storm of disruptive technology, challenging market forces and self-inflicted public relations disasters are raising questions about its long-term viability.
In return for being allowed to remain at the helm of Cannes, powerful board members...
- 5/14/2018
- by Brent Lang and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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