Quebec cinema attendance drops 15% in 2025
Box office revenue hit $127.6 million — the lowest since 2000. Only one Quebec film cracked the top earners: 'Menteuse.'
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Quebec's cinema attendance fell 15 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, marking a 39 percent decline from 2019 — the pre-pandemic benchmark. Box office revenue dropped to $127.6 million from $142.7 million, reaching its lowest level since 2000 for the third consecutive year.
The Quebec Institute of Statistics (ISQ) released the data Monday, revealing what researchers call a "lasting transformation in cinema-going habits." Outside of school holidays and specific blockbuster releases, attendance remains significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.
A few films performed well: "Lilo & Stitch" and "Avatar: Fire and Ashes" drew audiences, while "A Minecraft Movie" became the top grosser with $6.5 million. But Quebec films struggled. Only "Menteuse" by Émile Gaudreault surpassed 2024's Quebec film performance — a sharp contrast to 2024, when three Quebec titles ranked among the year's biggest draws. "Ma belle-mère est une sorcière" was the only other Quebec film to exceed $1 million in revenue.
Quebec films accounted for just 9 percent of total attendance, second to the U.S. market's dominance. The ISQ noted that "irregular" year-to-year market share fluctuations complicate the picture, but the underlying trend is clear: fewer screens (the province dropped from 98 cinemas in 2024 to 94 in 2025) and fewer viewers walking into them.