France’s Film Production Levels, Investment in Movies Skyrocketed in 2021
variety.comElsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAfter a year marked by a two-month lockdown and COVID restrictions, the volume of French productions surged by 43.5% in 2021, with 340 films made after widespread postponements in 2020, according to a report unveiled by the CNC (National Film Board).The number of movies produced last year is even 13% higher than in 2019, before the pandemic.
Along with production levels, the investment in French films skyrocketed by 73.5% to €1.1 billon ($1.2 billion), the second-highest figure of the decade — behind 2016.
It’s a 21.4% increase on 2019.While the average budget for French films in 2021 was €4.2 million, Pathé (“CODA”) delivered four films budgeted above €30 million ($32 million): Guillaume Canet’s live action film “Asterix & Obelix, the Middle Kingdom” based on the Belgian comic book, as well as “The Three Musketeers – D’Artagnan” and “The Three Musketeers – Milady,” the epic two-part saga based on Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel and Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Notre-Dame on Fire.” French TV channels, who must invest a percentage of their annual revenues in French and European movies, financed on average 30% of film budgets, ranking as the second source of movie financing behind producers.
Public subsidies covered on average 10% of budgets, an all-time record.France also co-produced 143 movies with foreign producers from 45 countries, a 66.3% year-on increase and a rise of 23.3% compared with 2019.
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