France Top 10, 2025
| Rank | Title (origin) | Distributor | Opening date | Total admissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zootopia 2 (US) | Disney | Nov 21 | 6.2m |
| 2 | Lilo & Stitch (US) | Disney | May 21 | 5.1m |
| 3 | Avatar: Fire & Ash (US) | Disney | Dec 17 | 4.5m |
| 4 | F1 (US) | Disney | Jun 25 | 3.3m |
| 5 | God Save The Tuches (Fr) | Pathe | Feb 05 | 3.0m |
| 6 | Jurassic World: Renaissance (US) | Universal | Jul 04 | 2.9m |
| 7 | How To Train Your Dragon (US) | Universal | Jun 11 | 2.5m |
| 8 | Mufasa: The Lion King (US) | Disney | Dec 18, 2024 | 2.6m* |
| 9 | A Minecraft Movie (US) | Warner Bros | Apr 02 | 2.7m |
| 10 | Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (US) | Paramount | May 21 | 2.5m |
*Released 2024, gross is 2025 only. Source: CNC, all figures to December 29, 2025
Despite a late December boost, France’s tough year at the box office ended with a total of 156.8m admissions, down by 13.6% compared to 2024, according to figures from the CNC up to December 29, 2025. That amounts to gross ticket sales of approximately €1.16bn ($1.36bn) based on an average ticket price of €7.40.
Some 20.7 million tickets (€153m) were sold in December, marking the best post-Covid month clocked in the territory, but 2025’s total tally was still down by 25 million admissions compared to 2024’s triumphant 181.5 million.
The year was bookended by stable 0.9% increases in admissions in both January and December, but the box office had a particularly challenging time in spring and summer, with ticket sales plummeting by 28.5% in May, some 20% in June and July, and nearly 30% in August.
Ticket sales plunged by 16% in October, followed by 21% in November.
“The market really started on November 26 this year when Zootopia 2 opened,” said Eric Marti, general manager of Comscore France.
Disney was the top distributor in the territory for the year with some 31.1m admissions, followed by Warner Bros (16.5m) and Universal (12.5m). Studiocanal was the leading French distributor, with 8.6m admissions, thanks to both local films, including Dog 51 (1.4m) and Colours Of Time (nearly 1m) and UK titles Paddington In Peru (1.9m) and Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (nearly 1m).
Local films
The market share for French films was 37.7%, down from last year’s 44.7% when a trio of local blockbusters – A Little Something Extra, The Count Of Monte-Cristo and Beating Hearts – clocked some 25m admissions between them alone. US films came in at 35.8%, on par with last year’s 35.6%.
France Top 10 French films, 2025
| Rank | Title (origin) | Distributor | Opening date | Total admissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God Save The Tuches (Fr) | Pathe | Feb 5 | 3.0m |
| 2 | Once Upon My Mother(Fr) | Gaumont | Mar 19 | 1.5m |
| 3 | How To Make A Killing (Fr) | Gaumont | Jan 1 | 1.5m |
| 4 | Dog 51 (Fr) | Studiocanal | Oct 15 | 1.4m |
| 5 | Kaamelott - Deuxième Volet Part 1 (Fr) | SND | Oct 22 | 1m |
| 6 | Les Bodin’s Partent En Vrille (Fr) | SND | Mar 19 | 950,000 |
| 7 | Colours Of Time (Fr) | Studiocanal | May 22 | 910,000 |
| 8 | The Richest Woman In The World (Fr) | Haut Et Court | Oct 29 | 900,000 |
| 9 | Cycle Of Time (Fr) | UGC | Oct 8 | 880,000 |
| 10 | Chickenhare And The Secret Of The Groundhog (Fr) | SND | Oct 15 | 840,000 |
Source: CNC, all figures to December 29, 2025
According to the CNC, the French box office was the biggest in mainland Europe in 2025, far surpassing its neighbours Germany (85 million), Italy (67 million), and Spain (65 million).
Independent films held their own at the French box office, led by Warner Bros’ One Battle After Another (1.5m) and Mickey 17 (1.2m), The Brutalist (Universal - 487,000), Sirat (Pyramide - 713,000), Sentimental Value (Memento - 425,000) and The Voice Of Hind Rajab (Jour2Fete - 265,000).
Eric Lagesse, CEO of Pyramide, which released Sirat in France, suggested: “The films that are working are more radical, auteur films that take risks, often with nonlinear storylines and difficult topics, but more and more, audiences want to see films that are unlike what they have already seen.”
The encouraging December rebound, driven by strong ticket sales for Avatar: Fire & Ash, Zootopia 2 and Metropolitan’s The Housemaid (the latter has already clocked more than 1.1m admissions after just one week in cinemas), has revved up the local industry. Hopes are high that the uptick in movie-going will transition into the new year.
For Marc-Olivier Sebbag, executive director of the national exhibitors’ federation FNCF, “2026 already presents a very different picture, with a much larger number of promising film releases planned and December’s encouraging results confirming a return to positive momentum going into next year.”
He cited potential US blockbusters in The Odyssey, Disclosure Day, and Toy Story 5, as well as buzzy local films Marsupilami and a two-part De Gaulle biopic.
“No cause for alarm”
While subpar ticket sales can worry some in the French industry, which has a film financing system fuelled by theatrical admissions, CNC president Gaetan Bruel said he was not concerned by the 2025 performance.
“This result should not overshadow the long-term relevance of our model, an unparalleled network of cinemas that enables a wide variety of films to reach all audiences, and a market share for French films that makes France an exception in Europe and worldwide.”
The CNC’s deputy general manager Olivier Henrard added: “It’s too soon for an official diagnosis. We’ll have a better idea in six months or so whether or not this means we have plateaued at 160-180 million admissions [annually] or if we can return to pre-Covid numbers of over 200 million. If it stays this way, we’ll unfortunately be going back 25 years, but even then, our system protects us, so we are never in a situation of extreme urgency.”
Studiocanal’s head of French distribution Thierry Lacaze is also convinced France’s unique film financing system assures that, even in an off year, there is no cause for concern for local production. “That is how the market works in France. Our system of financing means that everyone benefits from the success of everyone else. When Avatar works, it is great not only for movie theatres, but for the French films to come in the years ahead. It’s a virtuous circle.”
No comments yet