The French box office is in good shape: still 15 million admissions in May 2026

French cinemas confirm the good dynamics at the start of the year: despite the (very) good weather and buoyed by several big international successes, attendance continues to show very good levels.

Cinema attendance reached 14.97 million admissions in May 2026, an increase of 33.2% compared to May 2025, the CNC reported this week.

In total, 51 films were released over the period. In terms of market share, the balance is almost perfect: French films represent 44.4% of admissions, compared to 45.0% for American films. Close competition, driven by several big releases. Among the successes of the month, we find in particular Michael, The Devil Wears Prada 2 And Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. On the French side, Just an Illusion manages to do well.

Over the first five months of the year, overall attendance reached 77.10 million entries, up 20.6% compared to 2025 over the same period.

The market is also progressing compared to 2024 (71.60 million admissions, or +7.7%) – which was nevertheless riding the wave A little something extra – but remains slightly behind compared to 2023 (80.97 million, or -4.8%), a year driven by several very big international successes (Mario, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Fast X…).

On the other hand, the comparison with the pre-Covid period remains more marked: between 2017 and 2019, cinemas recorded an average of 93.18 million admissions over the same period January-May, a decline of around 17.3% for the 2026 financial year.

This dynamic is clearly improving, but still in the process of catching up with historic market levels.