Hollywood On Edge: France Riots Spark Production Halts, Theater Closures
France is grappling with its most violent riots in decades, fueled by cost-of-living protests, even as major Hollywood productions continue filming. While shoots largely avoided direct disruption, studios have issued warnings for future locations, and curfews have impacted French cinemas, though moviegoers show surprising resilience. The unrest also sparked political controversy surrounding President Macron and a Céline Dion concert.
France, a country renowned for hosting glamorous international television hits like the final season of Netflix’s “Emily in Paris” and Season 4 of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” has simultaneously been gripped by one of its most violent waves of rioting in decades. What began on October 17 as nationwide demonstrations protesting the rising cost of living and deteriorating conditions in public schools rapidly escalated into scenes of widespread urban chaos, including looting, arson, and violent clashes with police.
The scale of the unrest was significant, with approximately 550,000 people taking to the streets. Within three days, authorities reported 2,397 arrests, and at least 3,000 businesses suffered damage, alongside various landmarks. Iconic locations became sites of destruction: rioters set fire to the historic tourist office on Place Bellecour in Lyon, masked protesters stormed City Hall in Marseille toppling a bust of Marianne (the symbol of the French Republic), and luxury boutiques in Paris were ransacked with storefronts smashed.
Amid this tumultuous backdrop, France has continued to serve as a filming hub for some of Hollywood’s biggest productions, particularly in the French Riviera. The final stretch of filming for Mike White’s “The White Lotus” Season 4 is ongoing, Warner Bros.’ “Ocean” prequel (starring and directed by Bradley Cooper alongside Margot Robbie, George MacKay, and Monica Barbaro) is wrapping its French shoot in Monaco, and Mimi Cave’s psychological thriller “Pumping Black” (with Natalie Portman, Jonathan Bailey, and Lukas Gage) is filming in Nice. While these productions have largely avoided direct disruption so far, the riots have undoubtedly rattled film crews and prompted stern warnings from Hollywood studios’ security departments.
Veteran French executive producer Raphaël Benoliel, working on “Pumping Black” in Nice, confirmed American concerns about safety, although their shoot has remained unaffected. However, the long-term implications are clearer for upcoming projects. Benoliel stated that studios’ internal security departments have explicitly advised: “Be careful. Avoid Paris. Avoid Marseille.” He added that France has now been flagged as a “problem area,” potentially leading to postponements for location scouts in affected cities. Yet, he also noted that the South of France, excluding Marseille, has been less impacted than major cities like Paris or Lille, suggesting a discrepancy between televised events and on-the-ground reality.
Isabelle Desgorges, a Gaumont executive handling production services for the “Ocean’s” prequel, shared that her crew staying in Nice experienced panic due to weekend looting. Although the crew was not directly caught in the violence, seeing it from a distance created a strange atmosphere. Desgorges expressed concern that images of the violence circulated on social media and news channels might temporarily deter American producers from working in France, anticipating a period of tension for a few weeks, thankfully not during the peak season of July. This unrest comes at a time when France had been experiencing a surge in international production activity, with Cannes alone logging 310 filming days by early September, including for “The White Lotus” and “Emily in Paris.”
The fallout has also extended to France’s movie theaters, particularly in city centers where localized nighttime curfews have been imposed by President Macron in major cities such as Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Limoges, and Bordeaux. Richard Patry, president of France’s National Federation of French Cinemas (FNCF), estimated that around 20 to 30 theaters are affected by these measures. While acknowledging an impact, he stressed that France boasts approximately 2,500 cinemas, offering many alternatives to moviegoers. The UGC Ciné Cité Les Halles, a sprawling Paris multiplex and one of the world’s busiest, moved its last screening to 7 p.m., affecting admissions.
Eric Marti at Rentrak France observed a drop of roughly 100,000 admissions on a Saturday, coinciding with the riots and the start of school holidays, which was particularly disappointing. However, moviegoing rebounded strongly the following day, with Sunday admissions rising by 80,000 compared to the previous Sunday, indicating a