French films thrive at festivals but struggle to find US theatre screens

Variety reports on a panel at the American French Film Festival on Thursday, held in partnership with the CNC and Variety. Three US distributors described a market squeezed by shrinking theatrical opportunities, even as French cinema does well on the festival circuit and in the awards race. The speakers were Robert Aronson of Cohen Media Group, John Gerrans of Strand Releasing and Paul Hudson of Outsider Pictures.

The panelists said fewer distributors are acquiring independent films, and arthouse theatres are increasingly booking mainstream Hollywood releases, while some have closed. Aronson said Cohen Media Group owns the Landmark Theatres circuit, but that does not guarantee bookings, because the circuit keeps its own books and has to be profitable. Hudson said repertory screenings, TV series and special events also take up screen space.

The article notes how a French hit's box office has changed. Amélie grossed about $33 million domestically a quarter-century ago, while Anatomy of a Fall, a Palme d'Or winner released by Neon, earned around $5 million in the US.

Streaming offers little relief, the distributors said. Aronson said platforms are less interested in US-only deals with independent distributors. Hudson said Amazon Prime cut its royalty rates, and that he and others have pulled titles from it. Hudson also said distributors receive no government support and called film "commerce" in the US rather than culture. The panelists see festivals and the Letterboxd community as ways to reach audiences.