This spectacular drop was in particular caused by the restrictions imposed on establishments to fight the Covid-19 epidemic.
Le Monde with AFP
Between closures, reduction in their reception capacity and shortage of films showing, French cinemas are having a difficult year 2020. And while the Council of State has just validated their closure until January 7, the attendance of establishments fell by 69.4% compared to last year. Cinemas recorded 65.10 million admissions, against more than 210 million in 2019, according to the report annual Center National du Cinéma (CNC) .
“The year 2020 is marked by the global Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to the closure of cinemas twice for 162 days in total. Over the whole of 2020, attendance reached 30% of that observed in 2019 “, underlines the CNC. The month of June was particularly difficult, showing a 91.1% drop in attendance.
The focus on French films
Another statistic testifies to the unusual nature of this year 2020: “French films (29.2 million) achieve more admissions than American films (26.6 million) or films of other nationalities (9.3 million). This phenomenon has not occurred since fourteen years (2006) “, explains the organization. And, in the absence of “promising American films”, it is French films which have made it possible to “energize the market”. They were also able to benefit from nine weeks, on average, on the bill, an additional week compared to the period 2015-2019.
And while, every year since 2010, around twenty films reach or exceed two million admissions, there were only three in 2020: Tenet by Christopher Nolan (2,3 million admissions), 1917 by Sam Mendes (2.2 million) and Sonic by Jeff Fowler (2.1 million). “Twelve films achieve more than a million admissions, against nearly fifty during the decade. No film achieves more than three million admissions in 2020”, finally specifies the report.