Download "Fiction film financing in Europe: A sample analysis of films released in 2023" here

This new report finds that:

• The median average budget of a European theatrical live-action fiction film released / scheduled to be released in 2023 was EUR 2.17 million.
• Direct public funding remained the single most important financing source of European theatrical fiction films, contributing 26% of the total financing volume. Production incentives remained the second most important financing source for the third year in a row, accounting for 21% of total financing volume. Cumulating direct public funding and production incentives brought total public support to 47% of the total financing volume of European fiction films.
• Both average budgets as well as financing structures differ significantly between markets. In particular, the percentage share of direct public funding in film financing decreases with increasing market size and budget volume.

Background to this report

This new edition of the annual “Fiction film financing in Europe” report has just been published by the European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The report analyses the average financing structures of European fiction films released in 2023.

Breakdown of cumulative financing volume by source - and by market size (2023)

Ranked by percentage share; based on all 673 sample films

Source: European Audiovisual Observatory

 Download the main insights

Methodology

This annual report is the fruit of a major collaboration project between the European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and the European Film Agency Research Network (EFARN). It aims at providing concrete figures on how European theatrical fiction films are being financed, offering a big-picture, pan-European perspective, and complementing work done at national levels.

Based on the actual budget analysis of 673 European live-action fiction films released / scheduled for release in 2023, this is probably the largest pan-European data sample available to date on the financing of European fiction films for that year. The report provides unique fact-based insights on a wide variety of research questions, from the quantification of the average budget of theatrical European fiction films, to the importance of individual financing sources.