France’s Box Office Struggles Continue
France’s box office has continued to suffer, with ticket sales down by 23% compared to the previous year, totaling €10.9 million (€79.2 million). This decline is based on estimates from the CNC in 2024, after 14.1 million admissions (€105.1 million).
Disappointing Summer Start
Despite high hopes that the box office would pick up with the start of summer, the cash register results in June were disappointing. The month saw a 25% decrease in ticket sales compared to the same month the previous year.
New Releases in June
In June, 31 new French films and only four US films were released. French films accounted for 40% of the market share, while American films accounted for 32%. The top performers of the month were mainly dominated by Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, with 1.7 million admissions, and Universal’s How to Train Your Kite, with 1.6 million admissions.
Top-Grossing Films
The top-grossing films of the month included:
- Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, with 1.7 million admissions
- Universal’s How to Train Your Kite, with 1.6 million admissions
- Disney’s Elio, with 455,000 admissions
- Warner Bros’ F1, with 1 million admissions
- Paramount’s Mission Impossible – The Final Billing, with 2.3 million ticket sales
French Films Perform Well
A handful of French films performed solidly, including Studiocanal’s Colors of the Time, directed by Cedric Klapisch, which was the best French film of the month with 400,000 additional tickets in June for a total of 780,000 admissions since its release on May 22.
Comparison to Last Year
The stronger results of last year in June were mainly due to Disney’s success with Inside Out 2, the continued run of the local breakout blockbuster A Little Bit Extra, and The Number of Monte-Cristo. This year, the first two days of the same event have already declined by 32% from 2024.
First Half of the Year
It has been a rocky first half of the year for the country’s sales sector, with 75.3 million admissions recorded, a decline of 12.2% from the same period in 2024. However, the total number for the entire year from July 2024 to June 2025 remains only a decrease of 2.2% compared to the previous year.
Looking Ahead
The industry now hopes that the next half of the year will turn things around for the struggling sector. Promising July releases include Superhuman (Warner Bros.), Jurassic World Rebirth (Universal), The Smurfs (Paramount), and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Disney). Upcoming arthouse titles with festival buzz include Eddington (Metropolitan), Sorry, Baby (Wild Bunch), and The Ugly Stepsister (ESC Films).
