Thierry Chèze (editorial director of Première) and Thierry Lounas (editorial director of So Film) are the guests of Pascale Clark on Thursday in "Culture Médias".

For the two film-loving journalists, the opposition between (closed) cinemas and the all-powerful streaming platforms must be qualified, because the French situation is different from that of the United States.

Are theaters going to die?

No, according to Thierry Frémaux, director of the Cannes festival, guest of Europe 1. And the French model, thanks to its cultural exception, could in this be distinguished from its European neighbors and the United States in this double Covid crisis. 19 and streaming competition.

This is explained by journalists Thierry Chèze, editorial director of

Première

, and Thierry Lounas, editorial director of

So Film

, invited Thursday by

Culture Médias

.

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"We have always said that theaters were going to die: when the television arrived, when the video arrived, when the pirating happened ... The theaters have always survived", recalls Thierry Chèze.

The journalist is therefore confident about the competition of streaming.

"The theaters had broken a record in 2019, there is no reason why this pace should not resume as soon as they reopen," he said.

France does better than the United States

Because in this double crisis, cinema and French theaters are doing well.

Especially if we compare them to the industry giant.

"We first see a whole section of independent American cinema, and even the greatest authors, say that their film cannot be financed if there was no Netflix or Amazon", explains the journalist from 

Première.

 "This is the case with Scorsese, so is David Fincher."

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In the United States, independent cinema is suffering, blockbuster releases are postponed, and movie theaters are shut down.

"In France, we are lucky to have the National Cinema Center (CNC) which continues to support these cinemas. We are lucky to have municipalities which also support," says Thierry Chèze.

"At the moment, there are no bankruptcies or disappearances."

"A new alliance between cinemas and platforms"

The French have yet thrown themselves on streaming platforms to compensate for the temporary closure of cinemas, because of the health crisis.

But, for Thierry Lunas, rooms and platforms are more complementary than enemies.

"Cinephilia was born in theaters, but it does not only belong to theaters either," he theorizes.

"Series are also part of the cinephilia, just like the films we see on platforms. Streaming is the equivalent of yesterday's DVD or VHS tape."

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For the journalist from 

So Film

, the crisis should make it possible to change this situation of competition and mistrust.

"This may be the time for a new alliance between cinemas and platforms," ​​he hopes.

In fact, Netflix, Amazon, Disney + and others should soon participate, via the CNC, in the financing of French films, whether they are released in theaters or elsewhere.

The French, cinema lovers

The disappearance of French cinema is therefore not on the agenda.

That of the rooms either.

"During the deconfinement, we saw that people returned to theaters", observes Thierry Chèze with pleasure.

"It was almost astonishing to see this appetite of the French for the rooms", abounds Thierry Lunas.

"When there was an offer like 

Goodbye idiots,

 or

30 days max

in another area, people are ready to come back", specifies his colleague.

"So I think there is always the cinema."