French Box Office Drops by 13% to Roughly $1.17 Billion in 2025, but Year-End Rebound Signals ‘Positive Momentum’ for 2026

After a bullish year bolstered by local blockbusters, the 2025 French box office dropped by 13.6% to 156.79 million admissions, according to the National Film Board (Cnc) and Comscore reports. Based on the average ticket price of €7.45 ($8.75), the box office grossed an estimated $1.17 billion.

While the market share of French films rose to 37.7% — which is “unrivaled anywhere else in Europe,” per the Cnc — the box office suffered from the absence of a local tentpole and was essentially dominated by Hollywood fare. Disney took the first three slots of the year with “Zootopia 2,” which topped the chart with 6.18 million admissions, followed by “Lilo & Stitch” (5.10 million) and James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire & Ash” (4.58 million). Then came Apple and Plan B’s Brad Pitt racing drama “F1: The Movie” (3.31 million) and Universal’s “Jurassic World: Renaissance” (2.97 million).

The biggest local hit of 2025, “God Save the Tuche” — the fifth installment in Pathé’s comedy…