Download "Made in Europe - Theatrical distribution of European films across the globe 2014-2023" here

What is the current state of theatrical distribution of European films?

The Made in Europe report, just published by the European Audiovisual Observatory, provides a comprehensive overview of the performance and availability of European films from 2014 to 2023, both nationally and internationally. This study highlights key market trends, examines the most active film production countries, and showcases the top films of the past decade.

Key findings include:

• Excluding the pandemic years, the number of European films available in theatres worldwide has steadily increased over the past decade, reaching more than 3 300 films in 2023.
• Although admissions to European films have decreased and remain 35% below the pre-pandemic average, the share of global admissions to European films has remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 5% and 10% over the past 10 years.
• National admissions represent an increasing share of total admissions to European films, at the expense of export admissions. In 2023, 68% of admissions to European films occurred in their country of origin.
• Non-European markets account for an increasingly smaller share of export admissions to European films. The decrease is particularly significant in North America and Asia.
• French films are the most successful European films in circulation: between 2014 and 2023, French films accounted for 20% of European films on release and 33% of admissions to European films.
• European “blockbusters” are becoming rarer: the number of films achieving more than one million admissions has dropped by 43% compared to pre-pandemic years. In 2023, only 41 films reached this milestone.
• Animation films perform better internationally than fiction films and documentaries. If we only consider export admissions, animation films represented half of the top 10 European films in 2023, and the top 2 spots.
   

Download the black-and-white version for printing here.