09/01/2006

As expected, December dampened the relative fall in French cinema attendance in 2005. According to the figures published by the French Cinema Federation (FNCF), a total of 176 million tickets were sold in 2005 – 10% less than in the best year on record, 2004 (196.4 million). Last year was nevertheless the 4th best year on record in the past 14 years with admissions up from 2003 (174.5 million). According to analysts at the FNCF, December's 19% increase in admissions shows that "when there are many films, admissions increase". A closer look at admissions in 2005 shows a marked drop (15%) in tickets sold, especially during the first half of the year. In the second half however there was a slight decrease of only 5%. A look at trends in cinema attendance since 1992 reveals an upward curve but also brief cycles of highs and lows.

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For exhibitors, the disappointing figures for 2005 are due for the most part to "a lack of successful films, French or American". Other reasons for a fall in attendance include the "gloomy economic conditions which cinema, along with other leisure and cultural activities, has suffered"; "unusually mild weather conditions, such as those experience this autumn", and last but not least "the number of films released and incoherent programming" following what was a more or less coherent 2004 in terms of the timing of films released.
Aside from French films, which last year retained their market share at the box office, (read news), the three most popular European coproductions in 2005 amongst French cinemagoers were Nick Park's and Steve Box's Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [+see also:
trailer
film profile] with 2.2 million tickets, Woody Allen's Match Point (a British coproduction from BBC Films) with 1.4 million tickets and Downfall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bernd Eichinger
interview: Joachim Fest
interview: Oliver Hirschbiegel
film profile] from German director Oliver Hirschbiegel which was seen by 900.000 cinemagoers.

(Translated from French)