“Le Monde” mentioned in particular an e-mail from Thomas Graux, programming manager of Megarama, sent on March 3 and intended for all distributors, with the list of “municipal cinemas which generate a distortion of competition in terms of exposure and in terms of ticket prices for films in national release compared to several of our cinemas”.
This email comes in a context of declining attendance in cinemas in France and Gironde in 2025, even if local and arthouse cinemas in the department are holding up better.
In Pessac, which has an art house cinema, the Jean-Eustache cinema, the mayor says he is “deeply concerned” about the future of this “major player in Gironde and national cultural life”, after the publication of the article in “Le Monde”. “. In a letter addressed to the Minister of Culture Catherine Pégard on Tuesday May 12, Franck Raynal considers that “it is necessary to defend a united and ambitious vision of cinema”. “The debate cannot be that of an opposition between different models of cinemas, but rather that of a collective mobilization to give the public back the taste of cinema in theaters”, defends the elected official.
A cultural lung
The director of Jean-Eustache, Jean-François Aymé, says he is satisfied with the institutional response: the cinema mediator asked Megarama to stop its pressure. “But in recent weeks, we have observed tensions over the access of certain films to independent cinemas. There are some concerns, for example about ‘‘The Devil Wears Prada 2”, which was not programmed in any independent theater on the outskirts of Paris. There are fewer copies released by distributors and this is to the detriment of independent cinemas.”
“The debate must be that of collective mobilization to give the public back a taste for cinema in theatersâ€
Jean-François Aymé underlines that Jean-Eustache continues to offer national releases, notably during the Cannes Film Festival. He recalls that the poor figures for the year 2025 are largely explained by the absence of blockbusters. “This year 2026 is much better, with films like ‘‘Marsupilami”, ‘‘Avatar” or ‘‘Michael”. We have an increase in attendance of 10%. »
