email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

BOX OFFICE France

15 French films with over 1 million admissions in 2016 films

by 

- A year dominated in French theatres by American blockbusters, French comedies, and the films screened at Cannes

15 French films with over 1 million admissions in 2016 films
Les Tuche 2: le rêve américain by Olivier Baroux

With just a couple of weeks to go until the end of 2016, which should see admissions in French theatres peak at an all-time high (see news article), the annual box-office Top 100 reveals the overarching trends in European film, which has managed to win a place at the top of the charts in a highly competitive context. The huge number of new films released each week, leading to quicker rotations of films in theatres (which has proved deadly for a number of good-quality films), and the rather sheep-like tendency of several exhibitors to take their chances on French comedies and American blockbusters instead of European arthouse film has aggravated the two-speed phenomenon. These days, a film is either a success or a flop; there are fewer and fewer midway films, which fuels the precautions taken by exhibitors and distributors even more. Nonetheless, the fleet size of theatres, the good tastes of several independent distributors supported by arthouse exhibitors, and support from the public authorities has ensured the continued diversity of the film offering in France.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

In first place on the 2016 box-office podium is US animated blockbuster Zootopia (4.83 million admissions – distribution The Walt Disney Company France), followed by French comedy Les Tuche 2: le rêve américain [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Olivier Baroux (4.61 million viewers – Pathé Distribution) and another Hollywood production: The Revenant by Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu (3.84 million admissions – Twentieth Century Fox France).

A second French comedy comes in in 10th place of the rankings for 2016 – Camping 3 [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Fabien Onteniente (3.2 million admissions – Pathé Distribution), preceded by British-American production Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by British director David Yates (approximately 3.3 million viewers in five weeks to date – Warner Bros. France). The rest of the Top 10 is exclusively made up of American features, and will most likely be shaken up between now and 31 December by another US blockbuster, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by British director Gareth Edwards (released on 14 December by The Walt Disney Company France, the film has already racked up 1.3 million admissions in just five days).

Three more French comedies feature in the Top 20: Penny Pincher! [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Fred Cavayé (2.92 million admissions – Mars Films), Les Visiteurs: La Révolution [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Jean-Marie Poiré (2.19 million admissions – Gaumont Distribution), and Back to Mom’s [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Eric Lavaine (2.17 million admissions – Pathé).

Nine more French films surpassed the 1 million admission mark this year, most notably a trio of films distributed by Gaumont: Pattaya [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Franck Gastambide (1.94 million), Brice from Nice [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by James Huth (1.94 million), and Chocolat [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile
]
by Roschdy Zem (1.92 million). Then there’s Irreplaceable [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Thomas Lilti (1.5 million – Le Pacte), One Man and His Cow [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Mohamed Hamidi (1.3 million – Pathé), La folle histoire de Max et Léon [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Jonathan Barré (1.21 million – StudioCanal), The Odyssey [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Jérôme Salle (1.2 million – Wild Bunch Distribution), Roommates Wanted [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by François Desagnat (1.07 million – SND), documentary Seasons [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by duo Jacques PerrinJacques Cluzaud (1.02 million – Pathé), and Two is a Family [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile
]
by Hugo Gélin, which reached 1 million admissions in just 12 days at the box-office (Mars Films).

Also worth mentioning is the impact in French theatres of films launched at Cannes, like minority French co-production It’s Only the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan (1.03 million admissions – Diaphana), Palme d'Or winner I, Daniel Blake [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by British director Ken Loach (890,000 admissions in seven weeks – Le Pacte), Julieta [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Pedro Almodóvar
film profile
]
by Spaniard Pedro Almodóvar (768,000 admissions – Pathé), and four majority French productions: From the Land of the Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Nicole Garcia (667,000 admissions – StudioCanal), In Bed with Victoria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile
]
by Justine Triet (639,000 admissions – Le Pacte), Slack Bay [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Bruno Dumont
film profile
]
by Bruno Dumont (560,000 admissions – Memento Films Distribution), and Elle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Dutch director Paul Verhoeven (555,000 admissions – SBS Films). All without forgetting French-Swiss animated film My Life as a Courgette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile
]
by Claude Barras (600,000 admissions – Gebeka Films), Toni Erdmann [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Maren Ade
film profile
]
by German filmmaker Maren Ade (336,000 admissions – Haut et Court), animated majority French production The Red Turtle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Dutch filmmaker Michael Dudok de Wit (334,000 admissions – Wild Bunch), and British-American co-production Carol [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Todd Haynes (460,000 admissions – UGC), which was shown at Cannes in 2015.

Turning to French productions in the Top 100, comedies are everywhere, with Joséphine s'arrondit [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Marilou Berry (893,000 admissions – UGC Distribution), Tamara [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Alexandre Castagnetti (784,000 admissions – UGC), Public Friends [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Edouard Pluvieux (758,000 – La Belle Company), We Are Family [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Gabriel Julien Laferrière (744,000 admissions – UGC), Five [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Igor Gotesman (720,000 admissions – StudioCanal), Up for Love [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Laurent Tirard (697,000 admissions – Gaumont), Marseille [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Kad Merad (682,000 admissions – Pathé), Papa ou Maman 2 [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Martin Bourboulon (623,000 admissions in 12 days – Pathé), The African Doctor [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Julien Rambaldi (558,000 admissions – Mars Films), Ma famille t'adore déjà [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Jérôme Commandeur (550,000 admissions – Pathé), and Tout schuss by François Prévôt-Leygonie and Stephan Archinard (532,000 – SND).

Last but not least, among the other French productions featuring in the Top 100 are Agnus Dei [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile
]
by Anne Fontaine (701,000 admissions – Mars Distribution), Frantz [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: François Ozon
film profile
]
by François Ozon (612,000 admissions – Mars Film), Cézanne et moi [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Danièle Thompson (567,000 admissions – Pathé), dramatic comedy Saint Amour [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by duo Benoît DelépineGustave Kervern (549,000 admissions – Le Pacte), Sophie’s Misfortunes [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Christophe Honoré (511,000 admissions – Gaumont), and documentary Merci patron! [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by François Ruffin (508,000 – Jour2Fête).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy