French Cinemas Post Biggest Summer Attendance Since 2011

Overview

• French exhibitors and box‑office trackers reported on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, that roughly 50 million tickets were sold between June 1 and August 31, the highest summer total since 2011.
• July recorded 17.53 million admissions, a 22.6% rise versus July 2025, and year‑to‑date admissions stand at nearly 128 million, up about 28.5% from last year.
• Two global blockbusters dominated summer sales: Spider‑Man: Brand New Day surpassed 7.6 million admissions in France and Christopher Nolan’s L’Odyssée drew about 7.3 million, each becoming among the director or franchise’s biggest domestic hits.
• French films also recovered strongly, with the Pathé diptych La Bataille de Gaulle reaching about 5.4 million admissions by September 1 and several comedies and family titles adding significant long‑tail audience gains.
• Analysts cite a dense calendar of 109 premieres, exhibition strategies such as IMAX and 70mm screenings, and repeated heat waves as the main demand drivers, and industry forecasts now say full‑year admissions could approach roughly 190 million if current momentum holds.