2001 is looking likely to become a vintage year for the French cinema sector. Since January 1, admissions in the territory have reached 122 million, a 9.9% increase on the same period last year.

According to estimates by the CNC (Centre National de la Cinematographie) French films have enjoyed a 42.5% share of the market during the first eight months of 2001, as opposed to 31.2% in 2000 and almost on a par with US titles (currently a 48.9% marketshare, against 60.8% for the same period in 2000).

The figures for the first half of the year were very strong, with almost 96 million tickets sold, mostly due to the success of French blockbusters such as La Verite 2, Brotherhood Of The Wolf, Le Placard, and of course, Amelie which together have boosted admissions figures for the first quarter by 22.1% over the same period last year.

The second half also started well, driven by the success of US titles such as Shrek, Planet Of The Apes, Scary Movie 2 and Jurassic Park III.

The summer months were particularly satisfying, with July recording admissions growth of 16.2%, to 12.3 million, with the trend being sustained in August with a 15.6% hike over 2000, to 13.8 million for the month.

Cinema admissions in France 2000-2001

Period''''..2000''..2001''..change
1st quarter'''.46.8m''57.2m''.22.1%
2nd quarter'''41.7m''38.8m''.(7%)
July''''''10.6m''12.3m''16.3%
August''''...11.9m''13.8m'...15.6%
8 months''''111m''.122m''.9.9%