The CNC, the national center of French cinema has just delivered the results of 2021. The result is mixed, and a little breath of ” reprise »With 96 million spectators. Not so bad for a ” year Which only started on May 19 after about 200 days of dark rooms being closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With Elisabeth Lequeret, from the Culture Department of RFI
Among the best 2021 starters, three Americans: Spiderman, the latest James Bond and a sci-fi movie, Dune. But just behind are three tricolor films: Kaamelott, Les Tuche 4 and BAC North, proof that French cinema is resisting the crisis well. It did not take less for film professionals to find a smile.
Admittedly, 2021 was a truncated year, marked by four and a half months of cinemas closed. But for Magali Valente, of the CNC, French cinema has given proof of its resilience in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
” The recovery, it is there, she emphasizes. It’s a good dynamic: we can feel it since the reopening of May 19, with peaks in attendance which have been very good, especially during school holidays – the October and December holidays. The cinema in France will survive this crisis, and today has the means to face it. “
► To read also: Cinema: “ BAC North “, When the police officers of the Marseille anti-crime squad get out of the way
47% more spectators than in 2020
In the end, nearly 96 million spectators attended French cinemas in 2021. This is far from the record of 2019 with its 213 million admissions recorded. But that’s 47% more than 2020, a year that ended with only 65 million tickets sold. Result: France is one of the countries that have resisted the pandemic the best, just ahead of the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States.
A crazy year, totally atypical, saved in extremis by two films. The Tuche and Spiderman allowed French cinemas to fill up: 1 million spectators per day for Christmas week alone. After a difficult summer, December brought smiles back to film professionals.
► To listen: “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, the spider-man with his face uncovered