4 Canadian theatrical feature film production

The Canadian theatrical feature film segment produces feature-length films intended for primary release in movie theatres.^[18] Recent examples of notable Canadian theatrical feature films filmed during 2024/25 include Blood Lines, Dinner with Friends, Universal Language and Deux femmes en or.

Highlights from 2024/25

Overall, the volume of production declined by 3.2% from $475 million in 2023/24 to $460 million in 2024/25.
- French-language production increased by 35% to $140 million, while English-language production decreased by 13.8% to $320 million.
- Of note, production volume can fluctuate from year to year depending on the timing, number and scale of projects. The 35% increase in French-language production reflects a rebound from a low level in the previous year and is consistent with historical ranges of production activity.
The total number of feature films produced declined from 146 to 132, a 9.6% decrease.
Ontario-based producers accounted for the largest share (52%) of film production in 2024/25, with $238 million in production volume, followed by Quebec ($172 million), British Columbia ($34 million), Atlantic Canada ($11 million) and the Prairie Provinces and Territories ($5 million).
Feature film production continued to grow in Ontario (20.4%) and Quebec (7.9%), while falling in all other provinces.
The share of films with budgets between $2.5 million and $5 million increased significantly, rising from 23% of all films in 2023/24 to 32% in 2024/25.
The median budget for fictional feature films also increased, from $1.9 million to $2.3 million.

4.1 Language

Canadian theatrical feature film production

Exhibit 4-1 Canadian theatrical feature film production, production volume and share, by language

Source:
Estimates based on data collected from CAVCO.

Note:
Figures may differ from those published by Telefilm Canada due to differences in accounting and coverage of Telefilm Canada production funding.
* Due to the very low number of projects produced in bilingual format and non-official languages, the data for this category was combined with the data for the English-language market for 2016/17 to 2023/24, and with the French-language market for 2015/16.

Volume of Canadian theatrical feature film production, by language, annual growth 2024/25

	2023/24 ($) Total	Growth ($M) 2024/25	Growth (%) 2024/25
English-language*	371	-51	-13.8
French-language	104	36	35
Total	475	-15	-3.2

Source:
Estimates based on data collected from CAVCO.

Exhibit 4-2 Number of Canadian theatrical feature films produced in Canada on an annual basis, by language

	2019/20	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25
French-language*	41	38	42	40	40	27	51	48	35	53
English-language/ Bilingual/Other*	95	84	81	82	108	47	98	110	112	79
Total	136	122	123	122	148	74	148	158	146	132

Source:
Estimates based on data collected from CAVCO.

Note:
*Due to the very low number of projects produced in bilingual format and non-official languages, the data for this category was combined with the data for the English-language market for 2016/17 to 2024/25, and with the French-language market for 2015/16.

^[18]For this report, the feature film category includes all films with a running time of 75 minutes or longer. Theatrical feature films are financed for initial release in movie theatres.