French Cinema Is Thriving at Festivals but Facing an Uphill Battle in U.S. Theaters as Distributors Navigate a Shrinking Market

French cinema may be enjoying a golden run on the festival circuit and in the awards race, but getting those films into U.S. theaters, and persuading American audiences to buy tickets, has become an increasingly uphill battle.

That paradox was at the heart of a lively discussion at the American French Film Festival on Thursday, held in partnership with the CNC and Variety, where three veteran U.S. distributors painted a sobering picture of a market squeezed by shrinking theatrical opportunities.

The panel brought together Robert Aronson, executive VP of Cohen Media Group; John Gerrans, co-president of Strand Releasing; and Paul Hudson, CEO of Outsider Pictures, who have collectively brought hundreds of international films to American audiences.

The challenges extend well beyond French cinema. With fewer distributors acquiring independent films and arthouse theaters increasingly turning to mainstream Hollywood fare, even critically acclaimed movies are struggling to secure meaningful theatrical runs.

The definition of a French-language box office hit has also changed dramatically along with the health of the special market for most foreign-language films. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s cult film “Amélie” grossed approximately $33 million domestically a quarter-century ago. By comparison, Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” one of the most successful French films of the last five years which was handled by Neon and won an Oscar, earned around $5 million in the U.S..

The most accessible French blockbusters aren’t necessarily easier to market in the U.S. Samuel Goldwyn, whose company released Pathé’s two-part “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and recently acquired Antonin Baudry’s historical epic saga “De Gaulle,” told Variety in a separate interview following the panel that these films have far broader commercial potential than their limited theatrical exposure suggests.

“The only thing that makes it an arthouse movie is because it’s in a foreign language,” Goldwyn said of “De Gaulle,” adding that it could easily play on 1,000 screens if it were in English. He’s still managed to roll out the first opus of the WWII saga into theaters this weekend across key U.S. markets simultaneously with transactional VOD.

Yet while the pool of U.S. buyers has narrowed, competition remains fierce for the most coveted titles. Deep-pocketed players including Neon, Netflix, Mubi, A24 and Sony Pictures Classics continue to chase high-profile international films, particularly those from established auteurs. And even though Sony Pictures Classics, historically one of the most prolific U.S. buyers of French cinema, has become more selective, it’s still on the lookout for certain titles. The company just bought “Violette,” Jeunet’s latest film, and Louis Clichy’s animated feature “Iron Boy,” which won a prize at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and was shortlisted as France’s Oscar submission alongside “De Gaulle.” The distributor also scored a solid theatrical run with Rebecca Zlotowski’s “A Private Life,” starring Jodie Foster, earlier this year.

But for smaller distributors, competing for films with the greatest commercial potential is often a losing game.

“We all see the same thing. So usually you go, boy, I could sell that. There’s something in here that I know I can sell. It’s got great reviews. It was in competition in Cannes or Berlin. And then Netflix buys it,” says Gerrans.

In any case, securing screens can prove even harder than winning a bidding war. Arthouse theaters that once championed foreign-language cinema are increasingly booking Hollywood releases, while others have shuttered altogether.

“We have to struggle to get into those theaters that used to be” devoted to arthouse films, Aronson said. Cohen Media Group owns the Landmark Theatres circuit, but that doesn’t guarantee bookings for its international releases. “They keep their own books and they have their own agenda and they need to be profitable,” said Aronson, whose recent acquisitions include László Nemes’ Cannes competition period drama “Moulin” and Géraldine Nakache’s “Think Good,” which played in Un Certain Regard.

The company has also picked up Marc Fitoussi’s “All About Corinne,” starring Isabelle Huppert as a struggling film extra who dreams of becoming an actress and befriends a movie star played by Sandrine Kiberlain. Aronson, who compared the comedy’s tone to the French hit series “Call My Agent” (which was partly directed by Fitoussi), said star power remains a crucial selling point.

Strand has acquired Ulrike Ottinger’s experimental German-language vampire movie “The Blood Countess,” also starring Huppert, and Gerrans said her involvement has made a significant difference.

“We’re able to book it because of her, and we’re getting a lot of festivals because of her,” Gerrans said. “So that one’s sort of booking itself, and that doesn’t happen too often.”

For less recognizable titles, the outlook is considerably tougher. Gerrans admitted that he sometimes consults exhibitors before committing to acquisitions, particularly when sales agents require a theatrical release.

“A lot of times we hold off and we ask some of the exhibitors, if I acquire this, will you play this film?” said Gerrans, whose upcoming French releases include “Flesh and Fuel” and “Daughters of Abraham.”

He recalled pitching a film he loved to a New York exhibitor, only to be turned down. “It’s a fantastic film. You’ll love it. I think the audience will love it. They just go, that storyline seems a little too small.”

Hudson, whose recent acquisitions include Cannes Un Certain Regard title “Congo Boy,” which earned Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset the best actor prize, described a similarly brutal scramble for screens.

“We’re all trying to get the IFC Film Center or the Quad or the Angelika to book the film in New York, and there’s, I don’t know, 45 of us with all eight films trying to get them into these” theaters, Hudson joked.

With major New York arthouse venues often booked months in advance, distributors sometimes resort to renting screens just to secure a theatrical launch.

And competition isn’t coming only from Hollywood blockbusters. Repertory screenings, television series playing in multiplexes and special events are also taking up valuable screen space.

“I understand arthouse theaters playing reissues,” Hudson said. “And young audiences rediscovering ‘Raise the Red Lantern.’ Amazing. But what about the new films? What about the new filmmakers? Where are the new ones going to get space to find room in the marketplace with all of this other stuff?”

The squeeze extends beyond theaters. With DVD revenues largely gone, TV sales collapsing and streaming licenses losing value, independent distributors have fewer ways to recoup their investments.

“We have a really hard time getting our films on the streaming platforms,” Aronson said. “Things have changed a lot in that market because they’re not that interested anymore in kind of single U.S.-only, after-theatrical streaming deals with independent distributors.”

Hudson was particularly scathing about Amazon Prime’s declining royalty rates. “They were paying 10 cents per hour viewed, which is awful. But then they cut the rate down to 1 cent per hour viewed. Then they cut the rate down to half a cent per hour viewed.”

He said he and other independent distributors have pulled titles from Amazon Prime and are looking to alternative outlets including Tubi, Roku, Pluto and YouTube.

Strand operates its own subscription streaming channel through Amazon, but Gerrans said “they could decide tomorrow to turn it off.”

With traditional distribution avenues under pressure, festivals are becoming an increasingly important way for films to reach audiences.

“Film festivals are kind of like another tier of distribution, another level of distribution,” Aronson said. “It’s a way most independent films get seen by anyone.”

Distributors are also looking to younger moviegoers, particularly through Letterboxd, which has built a passionate community of Gen Z cinephiles. But reaching that demographic without substantial marketing budgets remains a challenge.

“Letterboxd is a real opportunity for us to find a younger audience,” Hudson said, describing how a friend’s son has helped him navigate the platform and build a community around his films.

Yet enthusiasm for cinema doesn’t necessarily translate into ticket sales for contemporary French films.

“I can’t even get my teenage kids to go see my movies,” Gerrans said, citing Strand’s release of Agathe Riedinger’s “Wild Diamond,” about a 17-year-old aspiring reality television star. Despite a premise seemingly tailored to younger audiences, the film failed to take off.

Still, distributors are experimenting with ways to build word of mouth around films that might otherwise struggle to find an audience.

Gerrans is optimistic about “Flesh and Fuel,” which he described as “the gay trucker movie you’ve never seen before,” betting that its uplifting ending will resonate with moviegoers.

Hudson, meanwhile, plans an extended theatrical rollout for “Congo Boy,” stretching from Black History Month through Juneteenth, even if bookings remain scarce.

“I can do five months because nobody’s clamoring for this movie to go onto a subscription service. But I may only get seven bookings.”

French institutions including the CNC, Unifrance and Villa Albertine are also helping distributors promote French cinema through festivals, promotional events and talent travel.

“All that helps to generate awareness,” Hudson said. “We have no support from the government. I mean, everything we do is from our own pockets. Film’s commerce here, it’s not culture.”

The discussion was one of several panels bringing together French and American industry figures at the American French Film Festival, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a lineup of 60 films and series. The festival’s industry program also featured American filmmaker Randal Kleiser and French director Pierre Salvadori discussing artificial intelligence, as well as a panel moderated by Writers Guild of America West member Yvette Foy with French screenwriters Coralie Amedeo, Fanny Burdino, Abdel Raouf Dafri and Thomas Finkielkraut. The French delegation also included directors Baudry (“De Gaulle”), Laïla Marrakchi (“Strawberries”), Fitoussi (“All About Corinne”), Lukas Dhont (“Coward”) and actor-director Raphaël Quenard (“Le rêve américain”), among others.