Mandarin Company
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mandarin Company does
Mandarin Company, operating as Mandarin Production Cinéma & Télévision and later grouped under Mandarin & Compagnie following a 2019 rebrand, is a Paris-headquartered French independent film and television production company founded in 1996 by brothers Éric and Nicolas Altmayer. The group operates two divisions: Mandarin Production, the original cinema arm responsible for an accumulated catalogue of more than 60 feature films spanning auteur cinema and commercial franchises, and Mandarin Télévision, launched in 2009 to develop serialized content for broadcasters and streaming platforms. Mandarin's cinema slate includes the OSS 117 franchise, Brice de Nice, Chocolat, L'Empereur de Paris, Saint Laurent, Été 85, Grâce à Dieu, and the biopic Monsieur Aznavour, with longstanding directorial relationships with François Ozon, Bertrand Bonello, Anne Fontaine, and Franck Gastambide among others.
The company's television business produces scripted series for Canal+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Arte, including Validé, Mortel, La Cage, Cœurs Noirs, Dérapages, and Au Service de la France, with reported audience metrics such as 15 million-plus viewers for Validé and 70 million viewing hours for related properties. Distribution is layered across theatrical distributors (Gaumont, Pathé, StudioCanal, Diaphana), pay-TV broadcasters (Canal+), free-to-air channels (France 2, TF1, Arte), and global streamers (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video), with festival traction at Cannes, Venice, and the Berlinale and a 2017 Daniel Toscan du Plantier Best Producer award validating industry standing.
Mandarin monetizes through a project-based model combining advance license fees, co-production financing (typically with CNC support), distribution minimum guarantees from theatrical and platform buyers, and backend participation in rights. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, revenue, or external investors in the available data, and lists a lean core headcount of 1-10, consistent with a project-staffing operating model.
Mandarin Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mandarin Company
- Legal name
- Mandarin Production Cinéma & Télévision
- Website
- https://mandarin-production.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Mandarin Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mandarin Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Feature Film Production & Distribution: Produces feature films and licenses distribution rights to theatrical distributors. Revenue comes from theatrical distribution deals, international sales, and secondary exploitation rights (VOD, DVD).
- Television Series Production: Produces television series for broadcast and streaming platforms. Revenue generated through pre-sales to channels (Canal+, Arte) and licensing to streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video).
- Co-production Revenue: Co-produces films with other production companies (Playtime Production, Scope Pictures, TF1 Films Production, Kallouche Cinéma) sharing production costs and revenue.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mandarin Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mandarin Compagnie is a French film and television production company that develops, finances, and produces French-language feature films (Mandarin Production Cinéma) and fiction television series (Mandarin Télévision). It licenses completed productions to theatrical distributors and to broadcast and streaming platforms, and shares production costs and revenue with co-production partners. The catalog spans commercial comedies, auteur films, and original series created for Canal+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Arte.
Product overview
Mandarin Compagnie is a French film and television production company comprising two main divisions: Mandarin Production (Cinéma), which produces theatrical feature films, and Mandarin Télévision, which produces TV series. Founded in 1996 by brothers Éric and Nicolas Altmayer, the company has produced over 60 films including major comedies (OSS 117, Brice de Nice), dramatic features (Chocolat, L'Empereur de Paris), and auteur cinema (François Ozon's films, Bertrand Bonello's Saint Laurent). The television division, launched in 2009, produces original series for platforms including Netflix (Mortel, La Cage), Canal+ (Validé), and Amazon Prime Video (Cœurs Noirs, Medellin). The company also operates a streaming label with content available on major VOD platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mandarin Production (Cinéma) Feature film production division producing French long-form films spanning commercial comedies, dramatic features, action films, and auteur cinema; sells and licenses completed films to theatrical distributors (Gaumont, Pathé, StudioCanal, Diaphana).
- Mandarin Télévision Fiction television series production division producing original French-language series for streaming platforms (Netflix, Canal+, Amazon Prime Video) and broadcast networks (Arte, France 2, TF1).
Quantifiable outcome
- 15 million views for Validé S2 on Canal+
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Mandarin Company
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mandarin Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mandarin Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Pathé FilmscoreCo-producer and international sales agent for several Mandarin productions including Jack Mimoun et les secrets de Val Verde and other titles. Pathé Films handles theatrical distribution for selected Mandarin films.
- Playtime ProductioncoreFrench production company co-producing Été 85, Mon Crime, and other François Ozon films with Mandarin.
- Kallouche CinémamajorProduction company co-producing films like La Vie Scolaire, Les Segpa series with Mandarin.
- La Station AnimationcoreAnimation studio co-producing Chien et Chat with Mandarin & Compagnie.
- GaumontcoreMajor French film studio and distributor handling theatrical distribution for OSS 117 films, Mon Crime, and other titles.
- StudioCanalcoreFrench production and distribution company co-producing and distributing Les Segpa au ski, L'École est à nous, and other titles.
- Scope PicturesmajorBelgian production company co-producing Été 85, OSS 117 Alerte Rouge, and other titles.
- TF1 Films ProductionmajorFrench production company co-producing Monsieur Aznavour with Mandarin.
- NetflixcoreGlobal streaming platform distributing Mandarin productions including Mortel series, La Cage, Chien et Chat. Mandarin produces original series exclusively for Netflix.
- Canal+coreFrench pay-TV broadcaster distributing Validé series. Season 1 generated 20M+ views, Season 2 achieved 15M+ views. Season 3 in production.
- Amazon Prime VideocoreStreaming platform distributing Cœurs Noirs (S1 & S2), Medellín, and Sirènes.
- ArtecoreFrench-German public broadcaster distributing series Dérapages (Cadres Noirs) and Au Service de la France.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Mandarin Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wild Bunch: Major French international sales and distribution company that handles monetization of auteur French films in the same festival and awards circuit as Mandarin. Comparable as a value-chain partner serving overlapping content types and buyers.
- Pathé Films: Major French production and distribution group that co-produces with Mandarin (Jack Mimoun et les secrets de Val Verde) and handles theatrical distribution of selected Mandarin titles. Comparable as a French film producer-distributor, though at significantly larger scale.
- Gaumont: Historic French film production and distribution major and a long-standing Mandarin distribution partner (OSS 117, Mon Crime). Operates a much broader portfolio across cinema and television globally, but shares the same core business of producing and monetizing French-language film and series.
Direct peers
- EuropaCorp: Iconic French film and television production company operating in the same French-language content market with overlapping buyer relationships (Canal+, Netflix). Comparable business model though materially larger and more commercially oriented.
- StudioCanal: French production and distribution company co-producing and distributing Mandarin titles (Les Segpa au ski, L'École est à nous). Directly comparable as a French producer-distributor working with the same talent pool and platform partners.
- MK2 Productions: French independent film production and distribution company focused on auteur cinema. Operates in the same Parisian production ecosystem with similar distribution relationships and prestige positioning as Mandarin.
- Why Not Productions: French boutique production company known for auteur cinema and international co-productions. Comparable in size and creative positioning to Mandarin, with overlapping festival and awards profile.
- Scope Pictures: Belgian production company that has co-produced Mandarin titles including Été 85 and OSS 117 Alerte Rouge. Directly comparable as a European boutique film/TV producer co-financing French-language productions.
- Playtime Production: French production company that has repeatedly co-produced with Mandarin on François Ozon titles (Été 85, Mon Crime) and other projects. Closest like-for-like boutique French producer in size, scope, and creative positioning.
- TF1 Films Production: French production arm of TF1 Group and co-producer of Mandarin's Monsieur Aznavour. Operates the same producer-distributor-broadcaster model and is a frequent partner on Mandarin projects.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mandarin Company social profiles
Digital presenceMandarin Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mandarin Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Mandarin Company subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Mandarin Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mandarin Company M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mandarin Company
What does Mandarin Company do?
Mandarin Compagnie is a French film and television production company that develops, finances, and produces French-language feature films (Mandarin Production Cinéma) and fiction television series (Mandarin Télévision). It licenses completed productions to theatrical distributors and to broadcast and streaming platforms, and shares production costs and revenue with co-production partners. The catalog spans commercial comedies, auteur films, and original series created for Canal+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Arte.
Is Mandarin Company a public or private company?
Mandarin Company is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Mandarin Company founded?
Mandarin Company was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mandarin Company based?
Mandarin Company is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Mandarin Company make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Feature Film Production & Distribution is the primary driver. The others are television Series Production and co-production Revenue.
Who are Mandarin Company's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wild Bunch, Pathé Films and Gaumont. Direct peers are EuropaCorp, StudioCanal, MK2 Productions, Why Not Productions, Scope Pictures, Playtime Production and TF1 Films Production.
Does Mandarin Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mandarin Company.