Film Group MK2 Breaks Box Office Record for French Alternative Programming With ‘Kaizen’ Following YouTube star Inoxtag Climbing the Everest

As a seasoned movie buff with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that I’ve never witnessed such a meteoric rise in ticket sales for a documentary as I have with “Kaizen.” The French film group MK2 has truly outdone themselves with this inspiring tale of Inoxtag. It’s not every day you see a YouTube star climbing the Everest and selling 350,000 tickets in a single day!


The French movie collective MK2 (“Anatomy of a Fall”), a family-run business that manages an independent cinema network across France and Spain, achieved a significant milestone with the one-day box office success of “Kaizen,” a documentary centered around 22-year old YouTube sensation Inoxtag. The film reportedly sold approximately 350,000 tickets from over 1,000 screenings on a single day.

The two-and-a-half-hour inspirational film follows the journey of Inès Benazzouz, also known as Inoxtag, a captivating Parisian who doesn’t engage in sports but decides to take on an incredible challenge: climbing Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, within just one year.

On September 13, MK2 distributed the film in over 500 cinemas spread across France and French-speaking regions such as Quebec, Morocco, and Belgium – far beyond its usual venues. In France alone, around 310,000 tickets were sold, with the rest coming from overseas showings. The following day, on September 14, the documentary directed by Basille Monnot was made available for free on YouTube, attracting over 10 million views.

On June 6, 2019, the showing of “Kaizen” surpassed the previous record set by Nekfeu’s documentary “Les Etoiles vagabondes,” detailing his latest album release. This musical documentary was screened in cinemas simultaneously on that day and managed to sell around 92,000 tickets.

MK2, a company known for collaborating with and distributing films by esteemed directors like Joachim Trier, Justine Triet, and Celine Sciamma, anticipated that “Kaizen” would be successful due to its impressive pre-sales of 200,000 tickets within the 10 days leading up to its premiere in theaters. The massive appeal of Inoxtag was undoubtedly a significant factor, given his extensive online presence, boasting 8 million subscribers on YouTube, 5.9 million followers on TikTok, and 5.2 million followers on Instagram.

However, Elisha Karmitz, MK2’s co-CEO, was taken aback by the intense buzz generated by the film documentary in cinemas, drawing a diverse audience from urban centers to rural communities. “We anticipated it would be successful and that’s why we arranged screenings on 350 screens,” Karmitz explained, “but it was like an unexpected tidal wave with a degree of excitement we hadn’t experienced before.” Notably, Karmitz added that “over 40% of the screens showing the documentary are art-house cinemas scattered across smaller cities in France.

According to Karmitz, it was crucial for Inoxtag that the movie was screened in smaller communities where many of his supporters reside. Although the documentary debuted commercially in cinemas on September 13, it became available for free viewing on YouTube, which Karmitz notes, was another wish of Inoxtag’s. By rejecting lucrative deals from paid platforms to showcase the film for free, he aimed to unite his fanbase. This strategy marked the inaugural instance of a movie being released for free on YouTube a day after its theatrical premiere, as per Karmitz.

For quite some time now in France, MK2 has spearheaded initiatives aimed at bringing YouTube content creators and their viewers to cinemas. Additionally, they’ve been reaching out to younger film enthusiasts, particularly through mk2.Alt, a new label focused on non-traditional programming.

This year, the company introduced mk2.Alt, an addition to their existing label ‘YouTube Cinema Club by MK2.’ In April, they released Steve McQueen’s four-hour documentary, “Occupied City” about the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam during the war. In June, they premiered “Tehachapi,” a film directed by French street artist JR, which focuses on inmates at a maximum security prison in California.

Last year, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour caused a significant shift in the world of exhibitions by dominating the U.S. box office. According to Karmitz, this shows that non-traditional programming and event screenings like ‘Kaizen’ could attract younger audiences more frequently to theaters.

According to Karmitz, a recent study on youth cinema attendance indicates that young people tend to enjoy going to the movies, but they visit less frequently compared to before the pandemic. The average number of visits per year was approximately 6.6 times prior to the pandemic, which dropped down to 4.4 times following the pandemic, as per the report.

Following involvement in a committee organized by the National Film Board (CNC), aimed at attracting younger cinema audiences, Karmitz emphasizes that connecting with content creators is a crucial method for engaging Generation Z.

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2024-09-16 18:18