Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh Talks Growth For Pan-European Giant, Recent IPO, Africa Investment & Plans For More ‘Paddington’ Movies

deadline.com:

Studiocanal is heading into a new era. Not only is the Paddington producer coming off the back of a banner year, with its titles having grossed close to $300M at the global box office in 2024 (up 94% year-on-year), but in December its parent company Canal+ made a headline-grabbing debut on the London Stock Exchange after it was spun off from Vincent Bolloré’s French media conglomerate Vivendi.

While the launch was well below the £6.7BN ($8.3BN) valuation Vivendi had hoped for – Canal+ floated on the LSE with an initial market value of £2.5BN ($3.1BN) – internally, the IPO (which marked the largest debut on the LSE since 2022) is viewed as a promising next step for the company as it continues the growth trajectory it has been on across the last two decades.

In addition to navigating controversial local shifts in media windowing on its home turf, the French film industry’s biggest financial backer is eyeing an expansion in Africa through an increase in its 45.2% stake local platform MultiChoice, a move that will effectively double its subscriber base.

Studiocanal is also planning its next moves in the Paddington franchise, which will include another feature film as well as a TV series and stage show.