Posted on Sep 8, 2020 at 3:56 PM
“Tenet” has brought back a smile to French operators. Christopher Nolan’s film, the first big budget since theaters reopened in June, had the best start (Wednesday to Sunday) of the year in France. In total, since its release on August 26, it has garnered 1.3 million admissions, according to Comscore, whose measurement extends until Sunday evening.
The blockbuster, associated with other French films, revived the attendance of cinemas: the week of its release, they welcomed 2.4 million spectators, “Or more or less the equivalent of a classic week, which shows that when the offer is present, attendance follows”, explains Eric Marti, director of Comscore in France.
More specifically, cinema attendance has reached 80% of the average over the last five years for an equivalent period. A sharp rebound, compared to the average of 30% during this disaster for the cinema.
However, it is still too early to claim victory. In the week of September 2 to 8, the week following the release of “Tenet”, Comscore is forecasting around 1.3 million admissions. “We should be 60% of attendance, which marks a drop, of course, but it was expected. And, the figures remain higher than this summer ”, wants to reassure the specialist.
It is difficult to say if the growth trend observed since August will continue in September, when this month is traditionally bad for the cinema.
Especially since there is no blockbuster in sight until “Wonder Woman 1984” at the end of September. Because, like several other American films that have been delayed by several months or have been released directly on video-on-demand platforms, the release of Disney’s “The King’s Man” has been postponed from September to February 2021. However, 7th Hollywood Art represents 70% of summer admissions.
“Tenet received a lot of media coverage and there was also the Angoulème festival at the end of the summer, which brought optimism back to the world of cinema. But, we still feel a lot of concern. Attendance levels remain low, below profitability thresholds ”, recalls Marc-Olivier Sebbag, General Delegate of the National Federation of French Cinemas. The FNCF has high hopes for future support measures for the National Center for Cinema and Animated Image when the government has released 165 million euros for cinema and audiovisual as part of the recovery plan.
–
