Telefilm wants to reframe the Canadian film success story after box-office slump

 

Telefilm Canada says a nearly 41 per cent drop in box-office revenue for Canadian films last year reflects the volatility of the theatrical market, not a crisis of quality.

At the same time, the agency is expanding its definition of success beyond ticket sales.

In a report released this month, the federal funding body found revenues for Canadian features fell sharply year-over-year. But Francesca Accinelli, Telefilm’s chief program officer, cautions against reading too much into a single year.

“The way that independent cinema in Canada works, it’s really driven by a small number of key titles,” Accinelli said in an interview.

Telefilm finances roughly 130 films annually. Accinelli noted 2024 was an unusually strong year, particularly in Quebec, where more than 10 films grossed over $1 million domestically.

Among the top performers in 2024 were musical dramedy “Nos belles-soeurs,” based on a play by Michel Tremblay, and Ricardo Trogi’s comedy “1995,” the fourth film in his autobiographical series, which earned $3.5 million and $2.9 million respectively. Holiday release “Le cyclone de Noël” also helped boost totals.

“That’s not necessarily the norm,” Accinelli said. “It’s certainly the ambition.”

Last year, in English Canada, animated feature “Night of the Zoopocalypse” performed strongly and has since grossed more than $11 million worldwide, she said.

But without a similar cluster of breakout hits the following year — and fewer titles backed by recognizable IP — revenues fell.

Quebec’s theatrical market has historically been more stable, supported by a robust French-language star system and cultural ecosystem, Accinelli said, while English Canada faces stronger competition from American and British content.

Still, she rejects the notion that Canadian audiences aren’t interested in homegrown stories.

“People watch Canadian films. They take a risk. We see it at film festivals,” she said.

Telefilm Canada launched its Audience Engagement Initiative three years ago, providing additional marketing dollars for events, Q-and-A’s and community screenings. Last year, the agency allocated $12.7 million to the program as part of $30.7 million in overall promotional support, which includes festival exposure and theatrical campaigns.

Francesca Accinelli said the agency is now revising its marketing program to give distributors greater flexibility to “take even more risk” in helping Canadian films stand out amid crowded release calendars. 

The funding body is also rethinking how it measures success.

“We have to go past bums in seats and box office,” Accinelli said, noting ticket prices continue to rise while streaming keeps growing.

“When you look at France, when you look at Mexico, everything has been in a decline for independent cinema.”

Telefilm is developing a new framework to measure engagement, looking at social media activity, community screenings, awards recognition and review aggregates such as Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also pressing streamers to share viewing data.

“If we invest in a film and it finds its audience, that is success. So it’s always hard to be judged, frankly, by box office,” said Accinelli, adding the agency hopes to share its revised framework this spring.

“Behind this, there are people that have seen the film on a plane and it has made them feel happy. It has made them cry. It has done what cinema is supposed to do: it made you feel something.”

Her comments come after Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob told The Canadian Press last week that the box-office downturn reflects the “quality” of Canadian films and their ability to draw large audiences.

Accinelli said she would “agree to disagree” on his definition of quality.

“My definition of quality is stories that have impact, stories that are well-written, and stories that are able to connect with their audience,” she said, while noting independent films must work harder to compete with big-budget blockbusters.

As an example of success beyond ticket sales, Telefilm referenced Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari’s debut “Blue Heron,” selected by the Locarno Film Festival and sold to Criterion in the U.S.

Accinelli agreed with Ellis, however, that broader audience appeal matters, particularly in a country as diverse as Canada. In 2021, Telefilm expanded eligibility to fund films in all languages spoken in Canada.

Accinelli pointed to Matthew Rankin’s Oscars-shortlisted “Universal Language,” featuring French and Farsi dialogue, as evidence multilingual storytelling can resonate. The film won the inaugural Directors’ Fortnight audience award at Cannes in 2024 and six Canadian Screen Awards last year. 

Animation is also a growth area, she said, citing Canada’s long tradition in the form and the international success of “Zoopocalypse.”

Telefilm takes stewardship of public funds seriously, Accinelli added, but argued taxpayers have a role to play too.

“Are they actually supporting Canadian cinema? Are they part of the solution?” she asked.

“We show up for sports, we showed up for the Olympics, we show up for Canadian music. I think the perception is Canadian cinema is some big money-making endeavour. It is not. People work five years on a film that may be seen at a film festival and then gets two nights at the Carlton and then becomes discoverable on a platform.”

Still, Accinelli remains optimistic, pointing to Quebec filmmaker Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, who won the best screenplay award at the Berlin International Film Festival this week for her drama “Nina Roza.”

She also cited the success of comedy “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” which opened to $350,000 domestically over a four-day weekend, as an example of how co-ordinated marketing and social media buzz can build audience momentum.

Acinelli said she expects strong performances from Hubert Davis’ upcoming hockey remake “Youngblood” and musician Kid Koala’s animated fable “Space Cadet,” lauding their authentic storytelling.

“People should really come and see their tax dollars at work,” she quipped.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2026.