Does the heatwave bring spectators to the cinema?

Icy waters, spectacular and unspoken landscapes:Fjord  should have a refreshing effect on spectators. While waiting for the release in August of the Palme d’Or by Romanian Cristian Mungiu, the dark rooms offer a haven of freshness to escape the torpor of the end of May. But the climatic conditions turned out to be less favorable than one imagines at the box office.

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“Last week’s heat wave impacted our overall attendance in theatersâ€confirms to Figaro the UGC group. Before being reassuring: “We are observing an interesting phenomenon: while the afternoon sessions showed a drop of 15% compared to our usual average, the evening sessions showed much better resistance with only a 5% drop.â€. The network looks forward to “Attractiveness” of its air-conditioned rooms at the end of the day. Almost rush hour, for the thermometer.

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The Cannes springboard

Last weekend, cinema suffered from the extreme heat, despite the expected release ofThe Mandalorian and Groguthe new film from the universe Star Wars. This slowdown comes at the end of a month of May which only gave cause for satisfaction. “Usually, the period is sucked up by Cannes. This year we observed a strong offer, with important releases in parallel with their presentation at the Festival.notes Marc-Olivier Sebbag, delegate general of the National Federation of French Cinemas (FNCF).

The Cannes Film Festival, which ended last Saturday, plays a springboard role for certain films shown on the Croisette. This is the case with comedyThe Electric Venuswhich records half a million entries. The effect could be verified withThe object of the crimereleased this Wednesday, and The Battle of Gaullescheduled for June 3. The first part of the biographical film on the General raises hopes.

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Record de fréquentation à l’Ascension

After the good vintage of 2024 and the slump of 2025, spectators have been flocking to the cinema since the start of the year. Theaters recorded an increase of around 20% in admissions over the first four months of 2026. In April, five million additional tickets were sold compared to last year. The first weeks of May are to be expected.

“We haven’t had such a good Ascension weekend since 2010”informs Marc-Olivier Sebbag. The reason, in addition to the Cannes media coverage? Good films, a diversified and general public offering.The Devil Wears Prada 2, le biopic Michael, L’abandon on the assassination of Samuel Paty, the nostalgicJust an illusion  or, released the previous month, the feature film Super Mario Galaxy. “The first weeks of May were very strong with films that exceeded the expectations of professionals.»

Un été très chargé

During hot weather, the promenade remains a solid competitor. For a while, at least. HAS”The change in weather impacts attendance, which subsequently returns to normal.”observes Marc-Olivier Sebbag, who points to the often fruitful July period and the success of the Cinema Festival as proof. The summer promotion operation for the seventh art will return from June 28 to 1^is July.

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Will the Football World Cup steal the show at the cinema in a few weeks? The general delegate of the FNCF is not overly worried. “Spectators have multiple tastes, they are not monomaniacal”he smiles, convinced that we can want to see France triumph on the grass then on the film, in The Battle of Gaulle.

Between the Gaullian fresco and Christopher Nolan’s rereading of L’Odysséethe public will be surrounded this summer by blockbusters. Their children will demand to see the fifth Toy Story or Spider-Man : Brand New Day. For now, the mercenaries of The Mandalorian and Grogu lead the box office. Without performing any miracles. The aliens ofDisclosure Daythe next Steven Spielberg revealed in a week, will they restart the machine?