Canal+’s threat against the signatories of the platform targeting Vincent Bolloré worries French cinema

The boss of Canal+, Maxime Saada, affirmed on Sunday May 17 in Cannes that his group would no longer work with the 600 signatories of a forum against Vincent Bolloré. Among the signatories of this forum are big names in French cinema, such as Juliette Binoche, Adèle Haenel or Swann Arlaud, but also directors, producers and technicians. The release of Maxime Saada comes in a particularly sensitive context: Canal+ remains, by far, the leading source of funding for French cinema with 150 million euros in 2025, 160 million in 2026 and 170 million in 2027. This contribution has even increased up to 190 million euros in certain years.

At Cannes in 2026, nearly 85% of nominated films received money from Canal+. For Alexis Lévrier, media historian, the threat from the boss of Canal+ could have “a huge impact” on the sector. He denounces a form of general naivety and warns of the financial hole that such a disengagement would cause, as Canal+ has become essential for French cinema.

Other observers, however, call for caution. For Éric Marti, director of Comscore Movies, it is still too early to measure the concrete consequences of this pressure. It will be over time that we will see what this position of the boss of Canal + produces, or if these are only platform effects.

The financing of a film indeed relies on a multitude of actors. It takes on average between 5 and 10 million euros to produce a feature film, sometimes much more, and each project involves multiplying sources of financing. Canal+ is therefore not the sole financier of French cinema, even if the group has remained central for years. The main risk, according to Éric Marti, would above all be to break the trust between the different players in the sector, without causing a total upheaval of the model.

One question remains: could Canal+ really withdraw overnight or select the films it agrees to finance based on the personalities involved? The group is in reality subject to strict financing obligations for French cinema. Questioned in the forum denouncing the influence of Vincent Bolloré on cinema, Pierre Salvadori, director of The Electric Venusthe opening film of the Cannes Film Festival, wanted to recall this framework. “Canal+ has an obligation to invest in cinema. There are clauses on diversity, volume and a guarantee of independence. The people who guarantee us this freedom are the director of cinema acquisitions of the Canal+ Group Laurent Hassid and Maxime Saada. As long as I don’t feel betrayed there and as long as they respect these guarantees, I am comfortable” he assures.

According to the CNC, the National Cinema Center, Canal+ is required to pay between 110 and 120 million euros to French cinema each year: this is the volume obligation. A threshold that the group now far exceeds. Maxime Saada’s comments now raise another question: that of respecting the obligation of diversity.