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French Movies: New Releases, Best-Rated Films & Box Office

12,503 French-language films are on What’s After the Movie, 3,440 of them (28%) from the 2010s. Drama leads with 6,086, then comedy (3,959) and documentary (2,065). The best-rated is Three Colors: Red (1994) with a Metascore of 100; the newest release is You+Me - Against the World, out Sep 18, 2026. 2,653 films have reported box office, $9.7B worldwide in all.

French films on the site
12,503
ranked by rating
911
worldwide gross of 2,653 films
$9.7B
busiest decade (3,440 films)
2010s
Best-rated

What Are the Best French Movies?

Three Colors: Red (1994) ranks first of the 911 ranked French films, ahead of The Battle of Algiers (2004) and The Rules of the Game (1950). 4 of the top 10 are from the 2010s. Ranked by Echo Score; 4 of these 10 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.

All 911 ranked
  1. Three Colors: Red (1994) movie poster
    1. Three Colors: Red 100 Metascore (Metascore 100 out of 100)

    1994 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 39m

    Dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski No Echo Score: ranked 94/100 on critics & audiences

  2. The Battle of Algiers (2004) movie poster
    2. The Battle of Algiers 96 Metascore (Metascore 96 out of 100)

    2004 · Drama, War · 2h 1m

    Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences

  3. The Rules of the Game (1950) movie poster
    2. The Rules of the Game 99 Metascore (Metascore 99 out of 100)

    1950 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 50m

    Dir. Jean Renoir No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences

  4. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) movie poster
    4. Portrait of a Lady on Fire 91 Echo (Echo Score 91 out of 100)

    2019 · Drama, History · 2h 2m

    Dir. Céline Sciamma

  5. The Specials (2019) movie poster
    4. The Specials 91 Echo (Echo Score 91 out of 100)

    2019 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 54m

    Dir. Olivier Nakache

  6. Lady Killer (Gueule d’Amour) (2023) movie poster
    4. Lady Killer (Gueule d’Amour) 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (5 critic reviews))

    2023 · Drama, Romance · 1h 34m

    Dir. Jean Grémillon No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences

  7. Faces Places (2017) movie poster
    7. Faces Places 90 Echo (Echo Score 90 out of 100)

    2017 · Documentary · 1h 29m

  8. The Marching Band (2024) movie poster
    7. The Marching Band 90 Echo (Echo Score 90 out of 100)

    2024 · Music, Comedy · 1h 43m

    Dir. Emmanuel Courcol

  9. The Mystery of Henri Pick (2019) movie poster
    7. The Mystery of Henri Pick 90 Echo (Echo Score 90 out of 100)

    2019 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 41m

    Dir. Rémi Bezançon

  10. Mambar Pierrette (2024) movie poster
    7. Mambar Pierrette 90 Echo (Echo Score 90 out of 100)

    2024 · Drama · 1h 33m

    Dir. Rosine Mfetgo Mbakam

Genres

What Kinds of French Movies Are There?

Drama is part of 49% of French films (6,086); comedy (3,959) and documentary (2,065) follow. Films can have several genres. Each bar opens the full list filtered to that genre, with its best-rated film underneath.

  • Drama 6,086 · 49%
    Best-rated: Three Colors: Red (1994)
  • Comedy 3,959 · 32%
    Best-rated: The Rules of the Game (1950)
  • Documentary 2,065 · 17%
    Best-rated: Faces Places (2017)
  • Romance 1,333 · 11%
    Best-rated: Lady Killer (Gueule d’Amour) (2023)
  • Thriller 899 · 7%
    Best-rated: Saloum (2022)
  • Crime 893 · 7%
    Best-rated: Au hasard Balthazar (1966)
  • Animation 622 · 5%
    Best-rated: Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (2025)
  • History 547 · 4%
    Best-rated: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
  • Fantasy 490 · 4%
    Best-rated: The King and the Mockingbird (2014)
  • Adventure 448 · 4%
    Best-rated: The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

Smaller genres: Horror (420), Mystery (392), Music (353), Family (342), Action (339), War (224), Sci-Fi (218), Biography (65), Western (31), Musical (12), Sport (9).

Decade by decade

French Cinema, Decade by Decade

The 2010s are the busiest decade with 3,440 films (28%); the earliest French film on the site is from 1900. The best-rated of the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s: The Battle of Algiers (2004), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) and Lady Killer (Gueule d’Amour) (2023). No French film from before the 1950s is ranked.

  1. 22 French films from the 1900s 1900s
    No ranked film
  2. 51 French films from the 1910s 1910s
    No ranked film
  3. 27 French films from the 1920s 1920s
    No ranked film
  4. 207 French films from the 1930s 1930s
    No ranked film
  5. 163 French films from the 1940s 1940s
    No ranked film
  6. 382 French films from the 1950s 1950s
    The Rules of the Game (1950) movie poster The Rules of the Game 99 Metascore
  7. 712 French films from the 1960s 1960s
    Au hasard Balthazar (1966) movie poster Au hasard Balthazar 98 Metascore
  8. 872 French films from the 1970s 1970s
    The Mother and the Whore (1973) movie poster The Mother and the Whore 89 Metascore
  9. 943 French films from the 1980s 1980s
    Au Revoir les Enfants (1988) movie poster Au Revoir les Enfants 88 Metascore
  10. 915 French films from the 1990s 1990s
    Three Colors: Red (1994) movie poster Three Colors: Red 100 Metascore
  11. 1,748 French films from the 2000s 2000s
    The Battle of Algiers (2004) movie poster The Battle of Algiers 96 Metascore
  12. 3,440 French films from the 2010s 2010s
    Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) movie poster Portrait of a Lady on Fire 91 Echo
  13. 2,814 French films from the 2020s 2020s
    Lady Killer (Gueule d’Amour) (2023) movie poster Lady Killer (Gueule d’Amour) 91 Metascore
Box office

Which French Movies Earned the Most?

The Intouchables (2012) leads with $426.6M worldwide. The top 5 together took $1.1B, 11% of the $9.7B earned by the 2,653 French films with reported box office. Grosses that look like data errors, and films stored with the wrong language, are left out.

French box office charts
worldwide gross, all French films
$9.7B
films with reported box office
2,653
share of the top 5
11%
  1. The Intouchables (2012) movie poster
    1. The Intouchables $426.6M worldwide

    2012 · Drama

  2. Welcome to the Sticks (2008) movie poster
    2. Welcome to the Sticks $245.1M worldwide

    2008 · Romance

  3. Amélie (2001) movie poster
    3. Amélie $175.2M worldwide

    2001 · Comedy

  4. Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002) movie poster
    4. Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra $131.1M worldwide

    2002 · Adventure

  5. The Devil Inside (2012) movie poster
    5. The Devil Inside $101.8M worldwide

    2012 · Thriller

People

Who Are the Top French Directors and Actors?

André Téchiné has directed the most notable French films (22), ahead of François Ozon (19) and Claude Chabrol (19). Gérard Depardieu leads the cast lists with 67 French films, ahead of Denis Podalydès (50) and Olivier Gourmet (48). Counted over notable features: films with ratings, box office, awards or a plot summary on the site.

Directors with the most French films

  1. André Téchiné, director
    André Téchiné 22 films
    Best-rated: Being 17 (2016)
  2. François Ozon, director
    François Ozon 19 films
    Best-rated: The Stranger (2026)
  3. Claude Chabrol, director
    Claude Chabrol 19 films
    Best-rated: The Girl Cut in Two (2008)
  4. Éric Rohmer 16 films
    Best-rated: Boyfriends and Girlfriends (1987)
  5. Patrice Leconte, director
    Patrice Leconte 15 films
    Best-rated: Ridicule (1996)
  6. Robert Guédiguian, director
    Robert Guédiguian 15 films
    Best-rated: The Army of Crime (2010)

Most-cast actors in French films

  1. Gérard Depardieu, actor
    Gérard Depardieu 67 films
    Best-rated: Lost Illusions (2022)
  2. Denis Podalydès, actor
    Denis Podalydès 50 films
    Best-rated: Sorry Angel (2019)
  3. Olivier Gourmet, actor
    Olivier Gourmet 48 films
    Best-rated: Colours of Time (2025)
  4. Isabelle Huppert, actor
    Isabelle Huppert 47 films
    Best-rated: Amour (2012)
  5. André Dussollier, actor
    André Dussollier 46 films
    Best-rated: Bad Seeds (2018)
  6. Kad Merad 44 films
    Best-rated: War of the Buttons (2012)
Awards

Which French Films Have Won the Most Awards?

Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) leads with 7 wins from 15 nominations, ahead of La Vie en Rose (2007) with 7 wins from 14 nominations. 14 French films were nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature (Best Foreign Language Film until 2019); 2 won, most recently Amour in 2013 and The Barbarian Invasions in 2004. Counted like the awards pages: one film in one category is one nomination.

Awards & winners
French films with the most award wins and nominations
Film Wins Noms.Nominations Won at
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) movie poster Cyrano de Bergerac 1990 · Drama 7 15 BAFTA Golden Globes Oscars
La Vie en Rose (2007) movie poster La Vie en Rose 2007 · Biography 7 14 BAFTA Golden Globes Oscars
Amour (2012) movie poster Amour 2012 · Drama 6 14 BAFTA Critics' Choice Golden Globes
Anatomy of a Fall (2023) movie poster Anatomy of a Fall 2023 · Crime 5 20 BAFTA Gaudí Awards Golden Globes
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) movie poster The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 2007 · Biography 5 15 BAFTA Critics' Choice Golden Globes
The Blue Room (2014) movie poster The Blue Room 2014 · Thriller 5 9 Artios Awards Golden Globes IFTA Awards
Elle (2016) movie poster Elle 2016 · Drama 5 8 Critics' Choice Gaudí Awards Golden Globes
Amélie (2001) movie poster Amélie 2001 · Comedy 4 15 BAFTA Spirit Awards TIFF

French Films Nominated for Best International Feature

14 nominations, 2 wins for French films (Best Foreign Language Film until 2019).

  1. 2013 Amour Won
  2. 2004 The Barbarian Invasions Won
  3. 2023 Close Nominated
  4. 2020 Les Misérables Nominated
  5. 2015 Timbuktu Nominated
  6. 2013 War Witch Nominated
  7. 2012 Monsieur Lazhar Nominated
  8. 2011 Incendies Nominated
Explained

French Movies Explained: Plot Summaries & Endings

1,269 French films have a full plot summary on the site and 124 have the ending explained. The newest are Two Women (2026) and A Private Life (2026); The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) and The Mother and the Whore (1973) are among the best-rated after the top 10.

All plot summaries
Full list

Browse All 12,503 French Movies

Filter all 12,503 French films by genre, decade or year and sort them by rating, box office, release date or title. The list starts with the 911 ranked French films, best-rated first.

Filter and sort

911 ranked French films

French movies, best first. Page 1 of 19.

  17. A Prophet (2010) movie poster Rank#17

    A Prophet

    2010 · 2h 35m

    90 Metascore

    • Drama
    • Crime
  21. Level Five (2014) movie poster Rank#18

    Level Five

    2014 · 1h 46m

    87 Metascore

    • Romance
    • War
    • Documentary
  29. C.R.A.Z.Y. (2022) movie poster Rank#23

    C.R.A.Z.Y.

    2022 · 2h 9m

    86 Echo

    • Drama
    • Comedy
  30. Amour (2012) movie poster Rank#30

    Amour

    2012 · 2h 7m

    95 Metascore

    • Drama
    • Romance
  35. Close (2023) movie poster Rank#35

    Close

    2023 · 1h 45m

    85 Echo

    • Drama
  40. Dahomey (2024) movie poster Rank#35

    Dahomey

    2024 · 1h 8m

    85 Echo

    • Documentary
  48. Saloum (2022) movie poster Rank#35

    Saloum

    2022 · 1h 24m

    85 Echo

    • Thriller
    • Horror
Related languages

Movies in Other Languages From Europe

Europe has 56 languages on the site, English aside. Besides French, the biggest are Spanish (11,829 films), German (6,511 films) and Portuguese (6,049 films).

All languages
FAQ

French Movies: Questions & Answers

Answers from the 12,503 French films on the site: their ranking, box office and directors.

How many French movies are there?

12,503 French-language films are on What’s After the Movie, released from 1900 to 2026. 911 are ranked by rating and 2,653 have reported box office.

Browse all French movies

What is the best French movie?

Three Colors: Red (1994) ranks highest (No Echo Score: ranked 94/100 on critics & audiences), followed by The Battle of Algiers (2004) and The Rules of the Game (1950). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About Three Colors: Red

What is the highest-grossing French movie?

The Intouchables (2012), with $426.6M worldwide, ahead of Welcome to the Sticks (2008) at $245.1M.

French box office charts

Which decade had the most French films?

The 2010s, with 3,440 films (28% of all French films on the site). Its best-rated film is Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019).

Who has directed the most French films?

André Téchiné has directed the most notable French films (22), ahead of François Ozon (19) and Claude Chabrol (19). André Téchiné's best-rated is Being 17 (2016).

André Téchiné's films

What are the newest French movies?

You+Me - Against the World (released Sep 18, 2026), Call My Agent! The Movie (released Sep 10, 2026) and Do You Love Me (released Jul 10, 2026).

New French releases

Which French films won the Oscar for Best International Feature?

Amour (2013 ceremony) and The Barbarian Invasions (2004 ceremony); 14 French films were nominated in all.

Oscar winners by year