CNC and Unifrance take close look at animation
On the occasion of the Annecy Animated Film Festival (see news), the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC) and Unifrance this week published two detailed studies into France’s animated film market and the performance of domestic productions abroad.
According to the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC), 24 new animated films were released in French theatres in 2010 (including 11 in 3D) garnering 30.24m admissions, which is the best total in over ten years. Among them were seven French films which attracted 4.26m viewers (14.1% market share) and four European films. It should be noted that animated features, which represented 4.2% of new releases in 2010, accounted for 16.5% of admissions and 17% of box office takings.
On average, each French animated film was distributed last year on a 209-print run compared to 315 prints for non-French European animated works and 613 prints for US titles. More broadly speaking, while the average print run for all films launched in French theatres, all genres taken together, stands at 135, animated film releases clock in at an average 373 prints.
On the film production side, the 59 French animated features accredited between 2001 and 2010 represent 2.7% of films and 5.7% of investment, for an average estimated budget of €11.18m (€8.25m if we discount the Arthur trilogy).
The Unifrance study underlines that, between 1999 and 2010, French animated films garnered almost as many admissions in theatres abroad (34.53m viewers for 51 features, including 10 at over 1m admissions) as they did in France (37.39m admissions for 60 films). 85% of French animated films therefore enjoy a career outside France, enabling domestic production to make its mark in difficult territories like English-speaking markets (United States, United Kingdom) or countries with future potential (Poland, Mexico and Turkey).
Finally, it should be noted that 34 of the 51 French animated films released across the world in the last ten years are international co-productions.
(Translated from French)
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