21/01/2013 - A stratospheric record for the French film industry, which accumulated 875 M€ in revenues from abroad last year

In 2012, French movies shattered records of international attendance, bringing their numbers up to 140 million admissions (versus 82.2 million in 2008) and 875 M€ in revenues. 65% of this incredible growth resulted from the joint scores of three films: an English-language  blockbuster (Taken 2 [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] with 46.4 million admissions, a new record for a French production abroad), an exceptional comedy (The Intouchables [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) with 29.59 million viewers, a worldwide record for a French-language feature film) and the Oscar-winning The Artist [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michel Hazanavicius
film profile] (12 million admissions).

It should be mentioned that other movies in French brought in more than 20 million admissions abroad in 2012, three of them attracting more than 1 million viewers (Astérix et Obélix: God Save Britannia [+see also:
trailer
film profile], A Monster in Paris [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Haneke
film profile]), 8 between 500,000 and 1 million admissions (HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Le Prénom [+see also:
trailer
film profile], And If We All Lived Together? [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The Players [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Delicacy [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The Chef [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The Women on the 6th Floor [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Rust & Bone [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard
film profile]), and 30 scoring between 100,000 and 500,000 admissions. In total, 455 French films were distributed in international cinemas in 2012.

Western Europe remains the favourite territory of French films with 51.5 million admissions in 2012 and records in 13 countries. In Germany, six French feature films were seen by more than 300,000 spectators (including The Intouchables with 8.9 million admissions). In Spain, French films drew 6.5 million viewers (with 11 titles bringing over 100,000 admissions) against 6.8 in Italy (13 films with over 100,000 spectators), while in the United Kingdom, Taken 2 and The Artist became the most successful French films since the early 2000s. Records were also beaten in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Greece and Turkey.

Central and Eastern Europe have also established a record with 13.1 million admissions thanks to the performance of French films in Poland (3.8 million viewers with 9 titles chalking up over 100,000 viewers) and Russia (6.7 million admissions).

Records were also established in North America (32 million admissions), Asia (18.7 million with new records in China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam), Latin America (15.8 million including 4 in Brazil and records also set in Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Mexico) and Oceania (4.4 million). A score of 2 million viewers in the Middle East (with a record in Israel) should also be noted, as well as 900,000 viewers in Africa.

(Translated from French)