Cinema in France: a battle between multiplexes and single-screen venues… when push comes to shove …
A tension is unfolding across France’s cinematic landscape. It is a structural conflict between large multiplex chains and smaller, often municipally supported cinemas. At stake is the cultural diversity of film itself. The scale of the French cinema sector highlights what is at stake: 46.7 million cinema visits were recorded between January and March 2026. France has 2,053 cinema establishments with 6,355 screens. Of these, 251 are multiplexes and 1,113 are single-screen venues. France has 1,290 classified “art house” cinemas. Employment in the sector in 2026 is 16,123 workers, a 2.6% decline compared to 2023. These figures reveal both the resilience and fragility of the sector. While attendance remains significant, structural pressures are mounting. Recent developments suggest that major multiplex networks are pushing to limit the access of smaller cinemas to national movie releases. This is not an abstract concern. According to local cinema operators, some municipal and independent venues are now being excluded from initial release times, sometimes waiting weeks before they can screen films that open nationwide elsewhere. For many small cinemas, the issue is simple: access to films is becoming increasingly restricted. Directors of independent venues report that since March 2026, they have been effectively shut out of certain national releases. In some cases, films only become available to them three weeks after their premiere, by which time much of the audience demand has already been captured by larger chains. This marks what some industry figures describe as a regression in film access, something not seen in previous decades. The concern is not just economic; it is cultural. When smaller cinemas cannot screen new films as soon as possible after release, their role in sustaining diverse and local film culture weakens. At the heart of the conflict is pricing and the competitive imbalance it creates. Multiplexes often charge around €7.50 to €8 per ticket, while municipal cinemas may offer significantly lower prices, sometimes as little as €6, or €3.50 for children, thanks to public subsidies. From the perspective of large chains, this creates an uneven playing field. From the perspective of local authorities, however, these lower prices are essential to ensuring broad public access to cinema, particularly in smaller towns and suburban areas. Municipalities argue that their cinemas are not just commercial enterprises but cultural institutions. They often provide educational programming, curated film selections, and community events that multiplexes do not. Local officials and cinema operators have gone further, accusing large distributors and chains of exerting pressure on distributors to limit film access for smaller venues. Some describe this as a form of “economic censorship” where the ability to show films becomes contingent on commercial alignment rather than cultural value. An example is a drop in the number of national releases shown at certain independent cinemas, from 42 in 2024 to 24 in 2025. While multiple factors may be at play, local cinema staff point to distribution practices as a key driver. Distributors occupy a powerful position in this ecosystem. They determine how films are released, where they are shown, and in what sequence. Increasingly, negotiations between multiplexes and distributors are happening late in the process, sometimes reshaping release strategies at the last minute. This leaves smaller cinemas at a disadvantage. Without the same bargaining power or scale, they are often excluded from early access, even when they serve loyal and engaged audiences. Interestingly, audiences are shifting their preference. After the pandemic-induced decline in cinema attendance, multiplexes have seen a partial rebound helped by major international movie releases such as Marsupilami, Avatar, and Super Mario. However, this recovery is uneven. Studies show that attendance in multiplexes is stabilizing, but not necessarily growing. Meanwhile, smaller cinemas, once popular with locals, are now stagnating or declining, particularly when they cannot offer new movie releases. At the same time, streaming continues to reshape viewing habits. Many audiences now prefer watching films at home, further intensifying competition for movie venues of all sizes. Ultimately, this battle is not just about business models. It’s about the kind of cinema culture France wants to preserve. Multiplexes offer scale, convenience, and access to blockbuster films. Smaller cinema venuesprovide something different: intimacy, curation, and a connection to local communities. They are often the only venues screening independent films, documentaries, and international works that fall outside mainstream distribution. If these smaller venues lose access to new releases, their viability, and the diversity of the cinematic ecosystem, may be at risk. Recognizing the growing tension, France’s National Cinema Centre has established a mediation committee to address disputes between distributors and exhibitors. Whether this will lead to meaningful change remains to be seen. For now, the battle continues, shaping what audiences can watch, where they can watch it, and how quickly they can access it.
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