Co-production muscle and Oscar glory brightened the global reputation of French cinema in 2025. Both majority and minority French productions generated an estimated 42.5 million international admissions and global box office receipts of just under $318 million.
Oscar-winners “Flo,” “I’m Still Here,” and “Emilia Perez” all took gold at the tail end of the awards race, with Jacques Audiard’s cartel musical “Emilia Perez” grossing $15.7 million internationally, combining its North American Netflix run with a theatrical release in about 50 additional territories.
Gintz Zilbarodis’ blockbuster animated film “Flo” was France’s top export of the year with 8.2 million viewers, followed by Luc Besson’s “Dracula: A Love Story” (3.7 million) and Walter Sa. Less’s “I’m Still Here” (2.3 million) followed, confirming France’s long standing status as the world’s most prolific co-production partner and Besson’s continued leadership as a box office brand. To myself. The top French titles were “Pets on a Train” (2.3 million), “Emilia Perez” (2.1 million) and “Marching Band” (1.4 million).
The figures, released by UniFrance ahead of this week’s Unifrance Rendezvous in Paris, also point to broader market changes. While ‘Ne Zha 2’ and ‘Zootopia 2’ led in global admissions, French animation pushed its international market share to a record 34.3%, boosted by ‘Night of the Zoopocalypse’ and ‘Pets on a Train’ (both of which had wide theatrical releases in North America), and ‘Flow’, which became the fourth highest-grossing French animated film in history.
The data also revealed some notable ironies. Despite local backlash against “Emilia Pérez,” Mexico emerged as France’s largest export region, accounting for 11% of total international admissions, helping Latin America to overtake Central and Eastern Europe and North America to become the second most active regional market for French films. In another statistical echo, the survey found that one in five overseas audiences saw “Flow” in theaters, reflecting other headline numbers. This means that French films accounted for 20% of all feature films selected at major international film festivals in 2025.
The award momentum continues into 2026, with the French co-production company poised to extend its award period. The Globe follows double wins at Cannes and Venice for Jafar Panahi’s “It Was an Accident” and Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother.” The award-winning movies “The Secret Agent” and “Sentimental Value”, the French Oscar nominee “It Was Just an Accident”, and the audience-catching films “Sirat,” “The Voice of Hind Rajab” and “No. He won titles such as “Other Choice”. All companies are expected to benefit from the increasingly international AMPAS voting body.
