Better, but not yet a return to happy days. Cinema attendance picked up in 2022 in France, but remains far from pre-Covid. According to statistics from the National Center for Cinematography and the Moving Image (CNC), published on Monday January 2, 152 million spectators returned to theaters last year, which represents an increase of 59.2% compared to compared to 2021 – a year marked by 138 days of cinema closures, until May 19. However, this result remains down 28.5% compared to 2019 when attendance pranced to 213.2 million admissions. The fall eases somewhat to 26.9%, if we take the average for the period 2015-2019 as a comparison.
“This positive momentum should continue throughout 2023, thanks to a dense and diversified film offer allowing a gradual return to pre-health crisis levels”, we hope to the National Federation of French Cinemas.
Three slowdowns
The analysis company Comscore noted three significant slowdowns in attendance in 2022: between mid-January and the end of February, due to the new threat of the wave of Covid-19. Then between mid-July and the end of September, where spectators, for lack of an attractive offer, shunned the rooms. The summer was thus marked by a program of American films “too sparse” and “disappointing results for some French films”, believes Comscore, despite the enormous success of Top Gun. maverick, by Joseph Kosinsky. Finally, between mid-November and early December, the usual decline proved to be particularly pronounced, again due to a lack of films. Conversely, from March to mid-July, attendance approached or reached pre-crisis levels. And the end of the year ended in an encouraging way thanks to Avatar. the way of the water, of James Cameron, who had the best start of the year, with 2.2 million admissions in the first week.
Health restrictions further constrained theaters in the first half of 2022, and the lack of American films handicapped the market
“Attendance has returned to almost three quarters of its pre-crisis level”, welcomed Dominique Boutonnat, president of the CNC. “This is a very encouraging result in a still atypical context. France is recording one of the best recoveries in the world, with a more limited decline compared to, for example, the United States, South Korea, Germany, Spain or Italy,” he added.
You have 55.69% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.