French film foreign admissions drop 18% in 2010

In total, the year saw 57.2 million tickets sold to French films around the world for a box office take estimated at $441m (Euros 330m). The dollar figure is a drop of 6.1% from 2009. However, for the first time in a decade, more than 55% of overseas tickets were sold for French-language pictures; an 11% increase over 2009.

Italy and the US enjoyed more French films in 2010, with 142% and 36% increases in the number of admissions in each territory, respectively. French cinema was also on the rise in the UK (up 79%) Russia (up 41%) and Japan (up 25%). However, in Germany, French film admissions dropped 30% and, in China, 43%.

In all, Western Europe rebounded to again hold the title of the biggest consumer of French films at 38.9% of all foreign admissions. North America, which had the most French film fans in 2009, dropped to 27.5% of the total admissions. The US as a nation unto its own, however, remains the number one ticket buyer for French films with more than 13 million admissions, despite a drop of 45% as compared to 2009. The difference is not surprising given the Stateside performance of Taken in 2009 which tipped the scales that year. Taken’s overseas performance can also be considered a reason for the global 17.9% drop in admissions.

As for the films bringing in the most moviegoers, Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer was tops with 6,571,649 admissions followed by From Paris With Love (6,567,361 admissions), Oceans (6,523,009), Adèle Blanc Sec (3,187,436), Splice (3,126,172), Le Concert (1,829,044), Solomon Kane (1,656,585), Le Petit Nicolas (1,173,708), Bébés (1,106,102) and Arthur Et La Vengeance De Maltazard (985,755).