French cinema group MK2 – the family-owned company which had five movies in competition at Cannes and won four prizes — is opening its capital to the public for the first time in its 52-year history.
Led by brothers Nathanaël and Elisha Karmitz, the company runs a revered arthouse exhibition chain across Paris and has launched a crowdfunding campaign aimed at financing an ambitious overhaul of its flagship MK2 Bibliothèque multiplex in the French capital.
MK2 is seeking to raise up to €5 million ($5.8 million) from the public through a campaign launched on investment platform Lita to help bankroll the modernization and expansion of the MK2 Bibliothèque, a 20-screen complex in the 13th arrondissement which is believed to rank as Paris’ third largest movie theater.
The fundraising campaign will allow members of the public to invest in MK2 Cinemas from as little as €100 through non-voting shares. Investors will be eligible for annual returns ranging from 4% to 8%, depending on the company’s performance, with a guaranteed buyback of the shares after five years.
The project comes as exhibitors across Europe continue investing in premium cinema experiences and alternative cultural offerings in an effort to attract audiences and diversify revenue streams beyond traditional moviegoing. In France, Pathé, which welcomed shipping tycoon Rodolphe Saadé as its new shareholder with a 20-percent stake in 2024, recently unveiled the luxury Pathé Palace cinema in central Paris. MK2, meanwhile, is betting on a broader transformation of its flagship site to create what Elisha Karmitz calls a “cultureplex.” As such, the venue is being upgraded with new image and sound technologies, redesigned interiors and expanded cultural offerings.
