Quebec cinema attendance still declining in 2025
Posted June 1, 2026 12:57 pm.
Last Updated June 1, 2026 3:41 pm.
Quebecers continue to be less likely to watch movies in cinemas, with a 15 per cent drop in attendance in 2025 compared to the previous year, and a 39 per cent drop compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic reference year.
In new data published Monday, the Quebec Institute of Statistics (ISQ) reports a decline in attendance and box office revenue for cinemas, which amounted to $127.6 million, compared to $142.7 million in 2024.
According to the ISQ, revenues have reached their lowest level since 2000 for the third year in a row.
However, attendance peaks were recorded for certain releases, notably the films “Lilo & Stitch” and “Avatar: Fire and Ashes.” Among Quebec films, only one managed to surpass the 2024 figures during the same period: “Menteuse” by Émile Gaudreault. Overall, Quebec films accounted for 9 per cent of total attendance.
ISQ notes that beyond certain more favorable periods, particularly school holidays, “attendance remains lower than the pre-pandemic situation”.
And this “suggests a lasting transformation in cinema-going habits since 2019,” the institute adds.
Of all the films shown, the highest-grossing was “A Minecraft Movie”, with nearly $6.5 million.
Aside from the phenomenon that was “Menteuse” (Liar), Quebec films have declined in terms of screenings, audience numbers, and box office receipts. Only “Menteuse” achieved a significant ranking last year, compared to three titles in 2024: “Nos Belles-Sœurs” (Our Sisters-in-Law), “Le Cyclone de Noël” (The Christmas Cyclone), and “1995.” In 2025, only one other film generated revenues exceeding one million dollars: “Ma belle-mère est une sorcière” (My Stepmother is a Witch).
Quebec films rank second in a market that is heavily dominated by the United States.
“The market share of Quebec films fluctuates irregularly from year to year, which puts into perspective the decline observed in 2025, caused by the decrease in the supply of new Quebec films,” the ISQ emphasized in its report.
This decline in cinema attendance is also accompanied by a decrease in the number of cinemas in Quebec, which fell from 98 in 2024 to 94 in 2025. It should be noted that this was when the Guzzo cinemas closed their doors, although some have since reopened under the Ciné Starz banner.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
