November 14: French cinemas sold 14.66 million tickets in October 2026, up 17.1% from a year earlier, the National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) said. Over the first ten months of the year, admissions reached 151.82 million, up 24.8% on the same period of 2025, putting France within about 5 million tickets of last year’s full-year total with two months still to go. American films have taken a much larger share of the market this year.
Key highlights
- October admissions: 14.66 million, up 17.1% from 12.52 million in October 2025.
- January–October: 151.82 million, up 24.8% on 2025 and up 6.0% on 2024.
- French films’ share (ten months): 39.9%, up from 38.1%.
- American films’ share: 43.3%, up from 29.3%.
- Top film in October: the French comedy Ducobu et le fantôme de Saint-Potache.
October’s top five
| Rank | Film | Origin | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ducobu et le fantôme de Saint-Potache | France | October 7 |
| 2 | Heart of the beast | United States | September 23 |
| 3 | Les Misérables | France | October 14 |
| 4 | La Maison de nos rêves | France | October 7 |
| 5 | Notre salut | France | September 30 |
Who is selling the tickets
| Films from | Share, Jan–Oct 2026 | Share, Jan–Oct 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| France | 39.9% | 38.1% |
| United States | 43.3% | 29.3% |
| Other countries | 16.8% | 32.6% |
The biggest change is not between French and American films but at the expense of everyone else. Films from other countries, which include European and Asian titles, have fallen from almost a third of the market to about a sixth.
Our calculation
| Question | Answer | How we got it |
|---|---|---|
| Average monthly admissions in 2026 so far | About 15.2 million | 151.82 million ÷ 10 |
| Tickets still needed to pass 2025’s full-year total | About 5 million | 156.79 million (2025) − 151.82 million |
| Implied January–October 2024 admissions | About 143.2 million | 151.82 million ÷ 1.06 |
What it means for India and Asia
France remains Europe’s largest cinema market; the CNC put 2025 admissions at about 157 million, well ahead of Germany, Italy and Spain. A strong 2026 is good news for distributors of all films there. But the shrinking share of films from outside France and the US shows how hard it has become for other cinemas, including Indian and other Asian films, to win screens in a market crowded with French comedies and Hollywood releases.
What to watch
- November admissions, which should take 2026 past 2025’s full-year total.
- Whether American films keep their share through the holiday season.
- The CNC’s full-year 2026 figures at the end of December.
Le Grand Rex, a landmark cinema in Paris. Image: Thomas Laconis, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo source · Licence
Sources
- CNC: Admissions in October 2026 exceed 14 million
- CNC: Nearly 157 million admissions in 2025; France remains the leading European market
The Entertainment Desk covers cinema from India, Asia and Hollywood: releases, box office, awards and festivals, reported from official announcements. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
