The French themselves are big fans of the seventh art. Far from being an exclusive activity, cinema is part of daily life for many French people. In 2022, 48.3 percent of moviegoers were men and more than a quarter were aged 60 years or older. More than half of moviegoers like to go to the cinema with their partner or family members.
Cinema attendance has increased slightly over the last ten years and box office revenues are also on the rise. The number of cinema screens is also a testament to this popular leisure activity in France, despite the pandemic. More than half of French moviegoers reported that their cinema visiting frequency returned to what it was pre-pandemic. Revenues have also been experiencing a rebound since 2021 after dropping sharply in 2020.
“Titanic” is still the king of the French box office and remains undisputed, closely followed by the 2008 box-office hit “Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis”, which remains the most successful French movie of all time. As for 2022, “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Top Gun: Maverick” reigned over the French box office as the most successful movies of that year, proving the French audience’s taste for high-budget and action-packed productions.