Since the reopening of cinemas – a little less than a year ago – several French films have recorded good levels of admissions, similar to those before the Covid-19 epidemic. And more particularly in recent months with 2.4 million tickets sold for The Tuches 41.6 million for Bodin’s in Thailandand nearly 2 million admissions for Despite himself superheroes by Philippe Lacheau. The third part of What the hell have we done comes out Wednesday, April 5 and is expected to fill theaters again.
At the exit of a Parisian multiplex, many of them, at the moment, favor a very specific genre of film: “More comedy, to relax”, says a customer. A good way to clear your mind, when the context is not very encouraging. “It allows you to think about something else, to free your mind”confides a spectator. “With the current economic situation, the crisis… it’s always good to clear your head, especially during an election period”another laughs.
Whether for The Tuches Where The Bodins, these are successful, fast-paced franchises with an XXL cast. But the success of these films is also due to the need to meet together in cinemas. “People are bent over backwards to see each other laughingaccording to David Gauquiez, producer of Despite himself superheroes. There is a whole phenomenon of contagion and training in a room that you will never have at home.
“You can have fun or be moved in front of a film at home, but the emotion of cinema is irreplaceable, like the one you have at a concert.”
David Gauquiez, producer of “Super-Heroes Despite Himself”at franceinfo
Conversely, the good scores recorded by these comedies also illustrate the difficulty for so-called auteur cinema to recover from the health crisis. These films with more social themes, which favor drama and often heavier subjects, struggle to win back their audience. “The big question being asked today by professionals in distribution and theatrical exhibition is: ‘What does our audience look like?’explains Aurélie Pinto, a sociologist specializing in cinema.
“Since the reopening of cinemas, we have seen an overrepresentation of the public who travel to see big releases. Art house films tend to have an older, more qualified and also more assiduous public and this profile is not not returned to cinemas, which is of great concern to independent cinemas.
A discrepancy which could increase in the coming weeks when attendance at cinemas still shows a drop of 25% compared to its level before the health crisis.