French box office in 2023 soars – The Hollywood Reporter

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was the No. 1 film in France in terms of approval ratings, with 7.15 million tickets sold.

Courtesy of Nintendo and Universal Studios

France ended the year of cinema on a high note, recording 181 million cinema admissions for 2023, an 18.9 percent jump compared to 2022.

The official box office numbers, released by state film body CNC on Tuesday, remain 13.1% below the average admission in the pre-coronavirus years between 2017 and 2019. But France’s recovery was faster and stronger than that last year. A few other areas.

Estimates from box office analysis firm Comscore show that 2023 U.S. revenues through the end of November were still 21 percent below pre-coronavirus averages from 2017-19. The UK showed a 13% lag from the pre-pandemic period. Germany recorded 83 million admissions by November 2023, down 14% from the 2017-2019 average. Italy fell by 22 percent, Spain by 24 percent, and South Korea by 47 percent.

American films top French admissions charts in 2023, led by Universal Pictures Super Mario Brotherswhich received 7.15 million views, followed by the Warner Bros. single Barbie With 5.8 million and Walt Disney Avatar: Water Road With 5.18 million. The only French title to make it into the top five was Guillaume Canet’s Asterix and Obelix: Middle Kingdomthe latest in the live-action comic book series, which attracted 4.48 million French viewers.

But a string of middling successes, including comedies Alibi.com 2 From directors Philippe Lachaux and Mark David, this is a two-part film by Martin Bourboulon The three musketeers The film and Oscar contender for Justin Tritt Anatomy of a fall It helped increase the number of admissions in France to 72 million people this year, or by 40%.

Dominique Boutonnat, president of CNC, attributed France’s similar success to “the diversity of works presented, especially French films, and to the commitment of our cinemas.”

2023 was the first year after Covid-19 when there were no health restrictions on cinemas in France.

Theaters enjoyed a strong summer season, helped by the Barbenheimer phenomenon, with July admissions reaching 13.8 million, up 9.3 percent compared to pre-Covid averages, and down just 1.3 percent in August with 10.5 million. But attendances slumped in September, down 20% compared to the 2017-19 average, with few new films showing and stiff competition from the Rugby World Cup telecast.