Film-goers give up on French films
Audience numbers have fallen by a third since the 1980s while production has doubled
FILM-goers are giving up on French films with audience numbers falling by a third since the 1980s.
A study by news website BFMTV.com showed that the number of films produced in France since the 1980s had doubled to around 300 per year but were losing ground to competition from American films.
In the 1980s France produced half the number of films but they were seen by more people – with French film viewers making up 45.3% of the total audience against the 39.3% that was registered between 2007 and 2012.
In real numbers, that means that a French film drew an average 443,746 viewers in the 1980s but just 288,657 today. American films drew 488,168 viewers in the 1980s and that has risen to 595,918 today.
However, the hit film Intouchables itself drew 21.4million people since its release in 2011. Oscar success The Artist drew an audience of three million.
The Cour des Comptes has already pointed to a problem caused by the increasing number of low-budget films being produced without pulling in a significant audience. It said two-thirds of films were seen by fewer than 50,000 people.
It published figures that showed that between 2001 and 2010 the proportion of French films viewed by an audience of fewer than 50,000 had risen from 51% to 60%.
It asked if the support budget for the French industry was being well spent if the films were not going to be viewed by a significant audience.
The culture ministry and the Centre National du Cinéma said that France was not producing too many films as a higher number of French-made films allowed more people to see them.
• Protecting French films and culture – This month’s Connexion looks at France’s ‘exception culturelle’ and why it is the stumbling block for a new international trade deal. To find a newsagent stocking a copy click here or you can download a copy here.
