The report presented today in Cannes at the Cinemas Club shows the great dynamic between cinema and Culture Pass… particularly since the start of 2026. The partnership with arthouse cinemas has also been strengthened.
In five years, the Culture Pass and cinema have written “ a very beautiful story “, according to Laurence Tison-Vuillaume, president of Pass Culture, who took stock of the system on May 13, in the company of François Catala, director of development, and their team. Today, almost all cinemas are listed on the pass (94%) and 36.6 million admissions have been recorded via the app since its creation, including 5.3 million in 2025 on the individual component. But until now, the book was the first reservation item on the Culture Pass. In 2026, for the first time since the creation of the system, cinema has become the leading sector of spending on the pass and reservations are increasing, while the credits allocated to young people have fallen. Reservations via the individual section represent 1.9 million entries for the start of the year. On the collective side, if all reservations have suffered a budget freeze, it fits well with the national systems My class at the cinema, for which 60% of reservations are made in art house cinemas.
Art house cinemas which, over the years, have strengthened ties with the Culture Pass, while it has developed its editorialization: highlighting films, screenings and cinemas, young Culture Pass juries in festivals, film clubs… and several partnerships with the AFCAE, but also with the SDI distributor side. The pass team detailed recent features and initiatives concerning cinema in Cannes, while its president announced imminent projects. Development will continue around three axes: the engagement of young people – notably with the launch of a label “Culture pass favorite” at the start of the school year and ambassadors associated with a room –, mediation and support for sessions, in particular on arthouses – notably through a automatic synchronization of accompanied screenings – and national promotion – through a major national competition around cinema. Regarding accompanied sessions, an agreement was signed on May 13 in Cannes between the Culture Pass and the AFCAE.
As a reminder, the Culture Pass became a State operator last year, which reinforces its public service mission, and gives it a “ cap très clair » for its president: « We start from the territories, for access to culture for all young people, especially those who are furthest away from it. »Â
More info to follow.
