Compared with 2023, the global film market in 2024 is generally declining, and this is true for the two major box office markets, North America and China. Even for a few countries and regions whose annual box office revenue exceeds that of 2023, if the inflation factor of movie ticket price increases is really taken into account, the actual number of moviegoers may have declined.

However, there is one exception, and that is France, which has always measured the box office by the actual number of moviegoers rather than the total box office. The French National Film Bureau (CNC) released its annual report on December 31, 2024, proudly announcing that the number of moviegoers in France in 2024 was "a unique phenomenon worldwide." Because the total number of moviegoers in France in 2024 reached 183.1 million, an increase of 0.5% compared to 2023, an increase of almost 1 million people. As for the total box office, due to the slight increase in the average movie ticket price, the increase reached 16% compared to 2023, and the total box office revenue for the whole year was 1.36 billion euros.

Even though the number of moviegoers increased by only 0.5%, the total population of France has only increased by about 0.2% each year in recent years. Moreover, the current total population of France is about 64.88 million. The 183.1 million moviegoers in 2024 means that on average each French person will watch nearly three movies in the theater each year, which is a considerable number. More importantly, France also hosted the latest Olympic Games in the summer of 2024, but the film market was not affected, which was indeed beyond the expectations of many people.

The main reason for the increase in the number of French viewers is probably that in 2024, there will be a number of French domestic films that are suitable for all ages and will become hits. In 2024, French domestic films accounted for 44.4% of the overall market share, while Hollywood films accounted for only 36.7%. According to the French National Film Office, this is the best year for French domestic films since 2008. Looking back to 2008, "Welcome to the North" and "Atrocities" ranked first and second in the annual box office list, and French domestic films also accounted for 45.8% of the market share.

Among the most watched movies in France in 2024, the top two are also local works. The champion is the comedy "Un p'tit truc en plus", which is written, directed and acted by the new director Victor Altes Solaro. It is both funny and touching. It tells the story of Paul, a young man who makes a living by stealing, who accidentally meets a group of disabled people with intellectual disabilities, which leads to a series of farces. From May to October 2024, the film attracted a total of 10.75 million ticket buyers.

Poster of "A Little More"

The second place in the box office was the three-hour epic The Count of Monte Cristo, which was adapted from the classic literary work of Alexandre Dumas and co-directed by Mathieu Delaporte and Alexandre Delapatellier, with more than 9.4 million viewers.

The Count of Monte Cristo poster

The third and fourth places in the annual box office rankings were "Inside Out 2" and "Moana 2" produced by Disney. These two animated films had 8.26 million and 6.7 million viewers respectively. Behind them was the French romance film "L'Amour Ouf" with 4.8 million viewers. Hollywood blockbusters "Despicable Me 4", "Dune 2", "Deadpool vs. Wolverine", "Gladiator 2" and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" occupied the sixth to tenth places.

In summary, three of the top five films most popular with French audiences in 2024 are domestic films. The last time this happened was ten years ago. In 2014, French comedies "The In-Laws" and "The Sickness" and action film "Lucy" were among the top five films of the year. In addition, the total number of viewers of "A Little More", "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Love" is close to 25 million, and the last time this happened was in 2011. The blockbuster works at that time were "The Intouchables" and "Nothing to Declare".

Crazy Love poster

For the French film industry, the year 2024 was also an unusual year. The belated anti-sexual assault movement lasted almost a whole year, and many famous filmmakers were dismissed. Even Dominique Boutonnat, the former head of the National Film Bureau under the French Ministry of Culture, resigned in June last year after being convicted of sexual assault. Former vice chairman Olivier Henrard temporarily took over the position for half a year. It is still unknown when the French government will officially appoint the next head of the Film Bureau.

The progress made by French films in 2024 may have alleviated the grief of the film industry to some extent. No wonder Henry, acting chairman of the French National Film Board, proudly stated on December 31 when he was a guest on the French International Radio program that the French box office in 2024 has become a "double unique phenomenon" worldwide. First, France is "the only country where more people go to the cinema to watch movies than the previous year"; secondly, this number of moviegoers "is mainly driven by domestic films, which is a number that other countries cannot approach. In our major European neighbors, the market share of domestic films is basically between 15% and 25%."

It should be pointed out that the latter "unique" statement mentioned by Henlaer is probably somewhat arbitrary. For example, in the annual box office in mainland China in 2024, domestic films accounted for as high as 78.68%. In Japan, in the top ten box office in 2024, only two Hollywood films, "Inside Out 2" and "Despicable Me 4", ranked seventh and ninth respectively. It is not difficult to find that the situation where domestic films have surpassed Hollywood films to become the main force in the market is by no means unique to France.

It is also worth mentioning that the total number of moviegoers in France in 2024 is still 12.8% lower than in 2019. In other words, even as the healthiest film market in the world in 2024, there is still a clear decline compared to the prosperity of the film market before the epidemic. In the past five years, people's past movie-watching habits may have completely changed, and it may no longer be possible to return to the mode before the epidemic.