The double whammy of SAG-AFTRA and WGA is worrying exhibitors in France, where Hollywood blockbusters are topping the box office.
In an interview with French news channel BFM Business, Richard Patry, president of the National Federation of Cinemas, predicted that “the strike could last for a long time” as it targets streaming services.
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“A lot of American films are already starting to get delayed, and that worries us a lot in 2024,” Pottery said. A shortage of US releases during the pandemic has hurt the French box office, which is down about 30% in 2022. Although French films have significant market share in the domestic market, American blockbusters are generally leading an upward trend. Example: French BO finally recovered this year, up 33%, driven by a rise in highly anticipated US films, which rose from 29 in 2022 to 51 in the first five months of 2023, according to Comscore France.
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” sold 159,674 tickets and 359,889 tickets respectively on their opening day of July 19. Patry said France reached 100 million entry tickets in July. Other winners this year include “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1,” “Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Avatar: Waterway,” among others.
In addition to affecting theatrical acceptance in France, successive delays in American releases could have ramifications for the entire French film industry. A percentage of all ticket sales is donated to the Conseil National du Film, which redistributes these resources into grant schemes for French producers and distributors.
Cannes Film Festival board member Patry also told BFM Business that “there is no need to go on strike to fight AI.”
It’s true that we have to be very careful, he said, “but I don’t think you can write a good script with AI.” We’ll always need the talent of a screenwriter to make great movies. »
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