Mandarin Company

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.

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. 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).
2. 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).
3. 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

Core 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

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Pathé FilmscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-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 ProductioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench production company co-producing Été 85, Mon Crime, and other François Ozon films with Mandarin.
• Kallouche CinémamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduction company co-producing films like La Vie Scolaire, Les Segpa series with Mandarin.
• La Station AnimationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimation studio co-producing Chien et Chat with Mandarin & Compagnie.
• GaumontcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor French film studio and distributor handling theatrical distribution for OSS 117 films, Mon Crime, and other titles.
• StudioCanalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench production and distribution company co-producing and distributing Les Segpa au ski, L'École est à nous, and other titles.
• Scope PicturesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBelgian production company co-producing Été 85, OSS 117 Alerte Rouge, and other titles.
• TF1 Films ProductionmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench production company co-producing Monsieur Aznavour with Mandarin.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal streaming platform distributing Mandarin productions including Mortel series, La Cage, Chien et Chat. Mandarin produces original series exclusively for Netflix.
• Canal+coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench pay-TV broadcaster distributing Validé series. Season 1 generated 20M+ views, Season 2 achieved 15M+ views. Season 3 in production.
• Amazon Prime VideocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStreaming platform distributing Cœurs Noirs (S1 & S2), Medellín, and Sirènes.
• ArtecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench-German public broadcaster distributing series Dérapages (Cadres Noirs) and Au Service de la France.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad 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

• Xx.com/mandarinprod
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=5F5UjXk7enQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/MandarinCompagnie
• Instagraminstagram.com/mandarin_cietv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mandarin-television

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mandarin Company