INTERVIEW
"They have found their base of loyal spectators" but are "not profitable". After almost 100 days without cinemas because of the coronavirus, the French have been able to reconnect with dark rooms since June 22. But between public hesitation and programming concerns, the cinema market in France is only "25% or 30% of the usual attendance for a month of July," said this Tuesday on Europe 1 Aurélien Bosc , president of Pathé Gaumont cinemas.
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A "complex economic equation"
Recognizing a "complex economic equation", in particular because of the absence of occasional spectators, the specialist points out that the sector "is rather confronted with a problem of programming films". If the French films released since the reopening have attracted the public, in particular "Divorce Club" by Michaël Youn, or "Tout Simply Noir" by Jean-Pascal Zadi (who was the guest of Europe 1 on the day of the theatrical release). ), Aurélien Bosc points to "the absence" on the screens of "American locomotives", "the key" to the problem according to him.
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Saving American blockbusters
Last year, American films accounted for 80% of summer admissions in the [French] market. The complex health situation on the other side of the Atlantic, the country having recorded more than 60,000 new cases of coronavirus contamination per day for a week, has postponed all the releases of summer blockbusters. Results, expected films like "Top Gun Maverick", "Wonder Woman 1984", "Fast and Furious 9", or the last feature film of the director Christopher Nolan have not yet been screened and the spectators are not seated. in the red seats of the rooms.
However, the president of the Pathé Gaumont cinemas wants to keep hope and not to blacken the blank canvas: "What is certain is that we have an offer of films, a 'line up', rich, solid, fantastic." A program that promises to attract many French people and sell kilos of popcorn in the months to come.