MK2 (Marin Karmitz)

Overview

MK2 is a Paris-based integrated arthouse cinema group founded in 1974 by Marin Karmitz and now run by his sons, co-CEOs Nathanael and Elisha Karmitz, who took over in 2005. The company operates five divisions: mk2 Films (production financing and international sales), mk2 Cinemas (24 cinemas across France and Spain), mk2+ (an advertising agency and creative studio), mk2 Editions (a publishing house), and mk2 Innovation (an incubator for the future of cinema). The group employs 450 people globally and holds a catalog of approximately 1,250 titles.

MK2 has produced or distributed films that have won 14 Oscars and 152 prizes at international festivals, including three Palmes d'Or at Cannes, three Golden Lions at Venice, and a Golden Bear at Berlin. The company's catalog includes works by Kieslowski, Kiarostami, Haneke, Chabrol, Resnais, Malle, the Taviani brothers, Angelopoulos, and Dolan. Marin Karmitz personally produced 108 films and distributed over 350 in theaters across his career.

In 2026, MK2 opened its capital to the public for the first time in its 52-year history, launching a crowdfunding campaign on the Lita investment platform to raise up to 5 million euros ($5.8 million). The funds will finance an overhaul of the MK2 Bibliotheque, a 20-screen complex in Paris's 13th arrondissement that ranks as the city's third-largest movie theater. The renovation includes new image and sound technologies, redesigned interiors, a museum with five exhibition galleries scheduled to open in early 2027, and a second cinema-themed hotel targeted for summer 2027.

History and Founding

Marin Karmitz founded MK2 in 1974 after graduating from IDHEC (the French national film school) and working as assistant director to Jean-Luc Godard, Agnes Varda, and Jacques Rozier. He launched the company because he could not find distributors or cinema operators willing to show his politically charged films. He opened the 14-juillet Bastille cinema (later mk2 Bastille) in 1974 with three screens in an area then dominated by karate and pornographic theaters. The cinema became a forum for debate and established the MK2 model: screening films in their original version, combining theaters with bookstores and exhibition spaces.

MK2 won its first Palme d'Or in 1977 with Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's Padre Padrone. The company produced Claude Chabrol's Cop Au Vin (1985, the first of 11 Chabrol collaborations), Alain Resnais's Melo (1986), and Louis Malle's Au revoir les enfants (1987, Golden Lion at Venice, seven Cesars). In 1988, MK2 distributed Percy Adlon's Bagdad Cafe and became France's leading arthouse distributor.

The company expanded into cinema exhibition throughout the 1980s and 1990s, taking over Studio Parnasse (1976), opening mk2 Beaugrenelle (1979), mk2 Odeon (1986), and the mk2 Bibliotheque (1996, built on Gustave Eiffel's boathouses from the 1878 World's Fair). MK2 became the first fully digital cinema network in France in 2009. In 2014, the company acquired Spanish cinema chain Cinesur, expanding its exhibition footprint to 11 cinemas in Spain.

International Sales and Production

MK2 stopped distributing films in France in 2012, pivoting to focus on international film sales, financing, and production. The international sales division, mk2 Films, is headed by Fionnuala Jamison, an Ireland-born, Paris-based executive who has led the division since 2012. The company takes on 15 to 20 films per year in a production, financing, or sales capacity, often offering all-in-one packages for auteurs with ambitious projects.

MK2 Films had a record presence at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, with six films in competition and 12 total across the Official Selection - likely more than any other sales outfit. The lineup included Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall (2023 Palme d'Or winner), Jafar Panahi's It Was Just An Accident (2025 Palme d'Or winner), Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, Kleber Mendonca Filho's The Secret Agent, Carla Simon's Romeria, and Mascha Schilinski's Sound of Falling. At the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, MK2 had five films in competition and 11 total across the Official Selection, including Andrey Zviagintsev's Minotaur (which won the Grand Prize), Lea Mysius's The Birthday Party, Marie Kreutzer's Gentle Monster, Ira Sachs's The Man I Love, and Koji Fukada's Nagi Notes.

The company is increasingly involved as a co-producer, not just a sales agent. MK2 co-produced Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent through its MK Productions banner. Upcoming projects include Justine Triet's Fonda and Todd Haynes's De noche, starring Pedro Pascal and Danny Ramirez. The company has been expanding its English-language portfolio while maintaining its core European arthouse identity.

Approximately 70% of MK2's revenue comes from international activities, a figure the Karmitz brothers expect to rise to 80% by 2027.

Cinema Exhibition and Hospitality

MK2 operates 24 cinemas: 13 in France (making it the largest arthouse cinema network in the country) and 11 in Spain (the third-largest chain). The cinemas house restaurants, cafes, and shops, reflecting the company's vision of cinemas as cultural hubs rather than just screening rooms. MK2's cinemas generate approximately 7 million admissions annually.

The group has invested in hospitality, including Hotel Paradiso in Paris's 12th arrondissement, described as the first cinema-hotel. A second cinema-themed hotel is under construction at the MK2 Bibliotheque site. The company also hosts Cinema Paradiso, a festival dedicated to movies, food, and clubbing, which has been held at venues including the Grand Palais and the Louvre. The 2025 edition at the Louvre featured filmmaker Wes Anderson among its guests.

In February 2025, MK2+ became the exclusive Letterboxd advertising sales partner in France, connecting the social film discovery platform with French cinema audiences. The company's YouTube Cine-Club initiative, in partnership with Belgian YouTuber Average Rob, has sold nearly 10,000 cinema tickets across Europe for a documentary about the creator's Mount Everest climb.

What Filmmakers Should Know

MK2 Films is a selective company that works primarily within its established network of filmmaker relationships. The company's 15 to 20 annual slots are highly competitive, and emerging filmmakers without festival premieres or agent representation are unlikely to secure a deal directly. However, for established directors whose work fits the MK2 editorial line - politically engaged, auteur-driven cinema with international appeal - the company offers a comprehensive package: production financing through MK Productions, international sales through mk2 Films, and in some cases French theatrical distribution through partner exhibitors.

MK2's international sales commission typically ranges from 20 to 25% of gross sales, in line with industry standards. The company's depth of buyer relationships across Europe, Asia, and North America provides access to distribution markets that individual filmmakers cannot efficiently navigate independently. For co-production projects, MK2 can bring French co-production status, unlocking CNC and Arte funding eligibility.

The company's dual focus on sales and exhibition gives it a unique market position: it understands both the buyer side (what distributors and cinemas want) and the seller side (what sales agents need to deliver). This perspective informs its acquisition decisions and its approach to packaging projects for the international market.

For the separate MK2 Films international sales entry with additional details on current slate and deal structures, see the MK2 Films entry in this directory.

Watch: Trailers and Interviews

See Also

For the MK2 Films international sales division, see MK2 Films in this directory. For how European co-production and distribution structures differ from US independent models, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model the revenue structure of an international sales deal across European theatrical territories, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For how French theatrical distribution combines with international sales representation, see Streaming vs Theatrical Revenue.