Films such as Resurrection and The Secret Agent, either directly or indirectly, hinted at the end of cinema and the decline of audiences. Indeed, competition from online platforms and social media has impacted the film sector. Recent AI developments demonstrating outstanding video capabilities have further increased the pressure. AI-made films are not far from the horizon. Not that I am eager to watch them.
Estimates for 2025 suggest a more complex situation. For starters, global film revenues reached 33.5 billion USD, a 12 percent increase from 2024. The top five international markets include China, Japan, the UK, France, and Germany. The first two reported revenue increases of over 20 percent, while Germany fell short of 10 percent. The UK market was essentially flat, while sales in France dropped almost 14 percent.
The North American market (US and Canada) rose only 1.5 percent, but attendance declined 5 percent to 780 million. Revenue increases were thus the result of higher ticket prices averaging 11-13.5 USD. In New York City, for example, it is not uncommon to be charged up to 20 for a ticket. Moreover, two companies, Disney and Warner Brothers, account for 42 percent of all US revenues. No wonder Netflix is now attempting to acquire the latter.
The data indicates that the Asia-Pacific region, including China, accounted for almost 47 percent of global film revenues. We can partially conclude that while film consumption is declining in some areas, it is increasing in others. Emerging markets seem to be taking the lead. We will see.
Anyway, here is my list of best films sorted by date seen.
- The Girl with the Needle — Magnus von Horn (2024, Denmark, Poland, Sweden) — Review
- Hard Truths — Mike Leigh (2024, United Kingdom, Spain) — Review
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat — Johan Grimonprez (2024, Belgium, France, Netherlands) — Review
- No Other Land — Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal (2024, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Norway) — Review
- I’m Still Here — Walter Salles (2024, Brazil, France) — Review
- Riefenstahl — Andres Veiel (2024, Germany) — Review
- On Becoming a Guinea Fowl — Rungano Nyoni (2024, United Kingdom, Zambia, Ireland, United States) — Review
- Souleymane’s Story — Boris Lojkine (2024, France) — Review
- Sentimental Value — Joachim Trier (2025, Norway, Germany, Denmark, France, Sweden, United Kingdom, Turkey) — Review
- Grand Tour — Miguel Gomes (2024, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, China) — Review
- The Secret Agent — Kleber Mendonça Filho (2025, Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany) — Review
- Resurrection — Bi Gan (2025, China, France) — Review
And a few additional recommendations.
- Nickel Boys — RaMell Ross (2024, United States) — Review
- Mambar Pierrette — Rosine Mfetgo Mbakam (2023, Belgium, Cameroon, France) — Review
- Copa 71 — James Erskine, Rachel Ramsay (2023, United Kingdom) — Review
- Only the River Flows — Wei Shujun (2023, China) — Review
- Sujo — Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez (2024, United States, Mexico, France) — Review
- When Fall Is Coming — François Ozon (2024, France) — Review
- Caught by the Tides — Jia Zhang-ke (2024, China)
- Familiar Touch — Sarah Friedland (2024, United States) — Review
- Somos Belén — Dolores Fonzi (2025, Argentina) — Review
- Oh, Sun — Med Hondo (1970, France, Mauritania) — Review
Raul
