The French government has amended the law which limits financial support to smaller theatres in order to allow larger exhibitors to benefit from the same subsidies.

Current legislation limits local subsidies to theatres which sell less than 2,200 tickets on average per week. The new regulation now puts the cap at 10,000 tickets. All arthouse operators will benefit from the support, regardless of the number of tickets sold.

'The scheme must be adapted to the evolution of the French exhibition market which sees medium-sized theatres situated in the centre of cities threatened by the competition from suburban multiplex operations,' said a French government statement.