MELIES BRASSERIE CAFE

What MELIES BRASSERIE CAFE does

Le Méliès is an independent, privately-held cinema and brasserie operating in Saint-Étienne, France since 1983. It runs two locations within the city: the flagship Le Méliès Jean Jaurès (4 screens in a 1933 Art Deco building on Place Jean Jaurès, paired with an on-site brasserie and café), and Le Méliès Saint-François (2 screens on Rue de la Valse, acquired in 2014 from Cinéma Le France). The business is positioned as an 'épicerie fine en cinéma' (cinema delicatessen), curating independent, art-house, documentary, and world cinema rather than mainstream blockbusters, and pairs screenings with community programming such as Ciné-Bébé, Ciné-Débat, festivals, and special-event retransmissions.

The underlying technology stack is conventional: standard digital cinema projection systems, a content-management-driven website (lemelies.com) for film listings and online ticketing, and active social-media accounts across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn supported by an email newsletter and monthly La Gazette du Méliès print/online editorial. There is no proprietary technology product, no app, no API, and no disclosed AI or data capabilities.

Le Méliès generates revenue from four streams: cinema ticket sales (€4–€8.90 per ticket), on-site brasserie and café dining, takeaway meals ('Vente à emporter'), and private cinema room rentals for events. Distribution is fully direct-to-consumer through on-site box offices, the on-site restaurant, and the website. The customer base is fragmented across individual cinema-goers, families, brasserie patrons, and local cultural/community organizations. Institutional support comes from memberships in Europa Cinemas, AFCAE (Art et Essai), CNC, SCARE, Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Ville de Saint-Étienne. The firm is founder-influenced (co-founder Marie-Christine Cramier remains active), privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, and operates with a small team of approximately 5 employees.

Name

MELIES BRASSERIE CAFE

Legal name

LE MELIES

Website

https://lemelies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Le Méliès is an independent art-house cinema and brasserie in Saint-Étienne, France, operating 6 screens across two locations since 1983, serving cinephiles and diners with curated independent film programming, on-site French brasserie dining, takeaway, and private event rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art-house Cinema & Brasserie Services

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent & Art-house Cinemas (MPADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Screenings & Venue Rentals (Corporate, Parties) (MPADAKAJ), Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC)

Keywords

• Art-house cinema screenings
• Independent film programming
• Traditional French brasserie
• Private cinema room hire
• Food takeaway service

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Étienne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Cinema ticket sales: Revenue from ticket sales for film screenings across 6 screens at two locations (Jean Jaurès and Saint-François)
2. Restaurant and café dining: Revenue from on-site dining at the brasserie and café located at the Jean Jaurès cinema, including meals and beverages
3. Food takeaway: Takeaway food service ('Vente à emporter') offering meals to go
4. Room rental and private events: Revenue from renting out cinema rooms for private screenings and events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Le Méliès operates an independent art-house cinema across two locations in Saint-Étienne (4 screens at Place Jean Jaurès and 2 screens at Rue de la Valse in Saint-François), screening curated independent, documentary, and world cinema. The cinema is paired with an on-site traditional French brasserie and café offering dine-in and takeaway meals. Additional services include private cinema room rentals for events, special screenings such as ciné-débats and children's programming, and a monthly print and online film gazette.

Product overview

Le Méliès is an independent art-house cinema and brasserie established in 1983, operating two cinema locations in Saint-Étienne: Le Méliès Jean Jaurès (4 screens on Place Jean Jaurès in a 1933 Art Deco building) and Le Méliès Saint-François (2 screens on Rue de la Valse, acquired in 2014). The venue pairs its cinema operations with an on-site brasserie and café, and also publishes a monthly gazette. Additional services include private room hire for events and an online ticketing platform for advance booking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cinéma Le Méliès Saint-Étienne (Jean Jaurès and Saint-François)
• Le Méliès Brasserie et Café
• Location de salles (Private Cinema Room Hire)
• La Gazette du Méliès Monthly 32-page film gazette available in print and online, featuring curated film selections, screening schedules, the film's coup de cœur, and editorial content on cinema programming.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Europa CinemasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the Europa Cinemas network, a European cinema network promoting European films. Displayed as a partner logo on the website footer alongside other institutional partners.
• AFCAE (Art et Essai)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation Française des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai membership, representing art-house cinemas in France. Displayed as a partner logo indicating art-house cinema certification and support.
• CNC (Centre National du Cinéma)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the French National Center for Cinema and Animated Image, the governmental agency supporting French cinema. Displayed as an institutional partner.
• Région Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council partnership providing institutional support. Displayed as a partner logo on the website.
• Ville de Saint-ÉtienneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Saint-Étienne partnership, with the city recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Design. Displayed as an institutional partner.
• SCAREminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cinema organization (Syndicat Concurrent des Cinémas Arts et Essai de Rhône-Alpes). Displayed as a partner logo on the website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Reflet Médicis: Reflet Médicis is a small independent Parisian art-house cinema known for auteur programming and special events. Comparable to Le Méliès as a boutique operator relying on curation and community engagement rather than multiplex scale.
• Le Champo: Le Champo is a historic independent art-house cinema in the Latin Quarter of Paris with multiple screens and a strong repertory/curated identity. Like Le Méliès, it programs independent, classic, and art-house films and is part of the French 'Art et Essai' ecosystem.
• MK2 Curiosa: MK2 is a leading French independent art-house cinema chain and one of the most directly comparable operators to Le Méliès. Both focus on curated, repertory, and auteur programming rather than mainstream blockbusters, and operate multi-screen venues in French cities; MK2 is simply a much larger version of Le Méliès' model.

Broad incumbents

• Kinepolis Group: Kinepolis is a major European cinema exhibitor operating premium multiplexes in France and Belgium. Its scale, premium-format investments, and consolidated buying power pose a competitive threat to smaller independent operators like Le Méliès in shared local markets.
• Pathé Gaumont: Pathé is the dominant French cinema operator with multiplex venues across major cities. While its core offering is mainstream and premium-format, it competes with Le Méliès for the same local film-going audiences in Saint-Étienne and for distributor relationships.
• UGC Cinémas: UGC is one of the largest cinema operators in France and Europe, with a broad portfolio spanning multiplexes and some art-house-style programming. It represents the scale competitor against which Le Méliès' curated positioning must differentiate.

Others

• Europa Cinemas Network: Europa Cinemas is the pan-European network of art-house cinemas of which Le Méliès is a member. The network is not a competitor but a peer-group reference and institutional counterpart, providing programming support and visibility to similar independent cinemas across Europe.
• Association Française des Cinémas Art et Essai (AFCAE): AFCAE is the French national body that certifies and supports art-house cinemas like Le Méliès. It is an institutional peer ecosystem rather than a competitor, but it defines the regulatory and labeling framework within which Le Méliès operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/le_melies
• Facebookfacebook.com/CinemaLeMeliesSaintEtienne
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/melies-cafe
• Instagraminstagram.com/cinemaslemelies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 MELIES BRASSERIE CAFE