Premiere - Emily In Paris season 5 : A Grand Rex World Premiere Between Fantasy, Fashion, and Cultural Impact

By Mulder, Paris, cinéma Le Grand Rex, 15 december 2025

On December 15, 2025, Paris once again fully embraced its role as the global capital of pop culture when the iconic Le Grand Rex cinema hosted the world premiere of season 5 of Emily In Paris, an event our media outlet attended and which seemed as carefully staged as an episode of the series itself. The choice of venue was no accident: Le Grand Rex, with its Art Deco grandeur and longstanding ties to cinema, provided the perfect setting for a series that has always relied on refined aesthetics and romantic urban mythology. Upon entering the cinema, the atmosphere was undeniably festive, with fans, press, and industry professionals gathered to watch the first two episodes of the new season before its official release on Netflix on December 18, 2025. On stage and on the red carpet, the presence of creator Darren Star, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, and much of the cast, including Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, and Lucien Laviscount reinforced the feeling that Emily in Paris is no longer just a series, but a global brand and cultural export that Netflix continues to cultivate with almost ceremonial care.

Season 5 arrives at a pivotal moment for the series, which, since its debut in 2020, has gone from being a controversial romantic comedy to one of the most powerful drivers of Netflix's soft power. From the outset, Emily in Paris presented a hyper-stylized vision of the French capital, a Paris made up of sunny terraces, natural elegance, and narrative convenience, a version of the city that many Parisians criticized, but which international audiences embraced enthusiastically. This enthusiasm quickly translated into concrete numbers, with Netflix confirming that the first season had been watched by 58 million households in one month, a figure that firmly positioned the series among the platform's biggest hits. Over time, the impact has extended far beyond audience metrics. According to a survey by the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image, 38% of tourists visiting Paris cited Emily in Paris as a factor in their decision, a striking statistic that illustrates how fiction has reshaped travel habits in the real world. The phenomenon of set-jetting has become tangible around iconic sites such as Place de l'Estrapade and the now-famous Boulangerie Moderne, whose owners have had to repeatedly remind visitors that it is first and foremost a neighborhood bakery and not a permanent movie set.

What sets season 5 apart is the expansion of the series' geographical and emotional scope without abandoning its Parisian roots. The season opens in Rome, where Emily now runs Agence Grateau Rome, before gradually bringing her back to Paris and finally Venice, a structure that reflects the character's inner journey. According to Lily Collins, this season reflects a more mature and down-to-earth Emily, who actively chooses Paris as a place to live rather than just passing through. This narrative choice echoes the long-standing tension in the series between escape and belonging, and subtly redefines Paris not only as a dream destination, but also as a place of professional and emotional stability. Visually, the contrast between the warmth of Rome, the dreamlike unreality of Venice, and the sharper lines of Paris becomes a narrative tool in itself, reinforcing the idea that Emily's evolution is inextricably linked to the cities she inhabits.

Nowhere was this evolution more visible than on the red carpet at the Grand Rex, where fashion once again served as an extension of the character. Lily Collins, styled by Andrew Mukamal, walked the red carpet in an Armani Privé velvet dress from the Fall 2025 Couture collection, a look that could very well have been taken directly from the series' wardrobe. The choice seemed symbolic: classic, controlled, and confident, it echoed Emily's transformation in season 5. Around her, the other cast members echoed the same refined Parisian theme. Ashley Park embraced Mindy Chen's signature maximalism in a bold red Dolce & Gabbana gown, while Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu embodied Sylvie Grateau's timeless authority in a sheer black lace dress that combined sensuality and restraint. The arrival of Minnie Driver, introduced this season as Princess Jane, added another layer of fashion history to the evening, as she paid homage to Giorgio Armani in an archival sequined gown from the designer's Fall 1998 collection, a gesture that subtly echoed the series' growing dialogue with classic European cinema and couture.

Beyond the glamour, season 5 continues to fuel the debates that have followed Emily in Paris since day one. The Paris depicted on screen remains conspicuously clean, fluid, and frictionless, a city where commutes are easy, housing is spacious, and daily life is free of the congestion familiar to actual residents. This disconnect is no longer ignored but almost openly acknowledged by audiences, particularly young Parisians on social media who delight in comparing Emily's Paris to their own reality of crowded subways and exorbitant rents. Yet despite, or perhaps because of, this exaggeration, the series has proven remarkably effective as a cultural ambassador. By highlighting fashion, gastronomy, and a stylized art de vivre, it shapes the international perception of France in a way that traditional tourism campaigns rarely manage to match. Even Emmanuel Macron has publicly acknowledged the series' positive impact on France's image, highlighting how deeply Emily in Paris has penetrated the cultural discourse.

As the lights dimmed at the Grand Rex and the first images of season 5 appeared on the giant screen, one thing seemed clear: after five seasons, Emily in Paris has mastered the art of reinventing itself without breaking character. The series remains resolutely glamorous, sometimes caricatural, and decidedly fictional, but it continues to elicit very real economic, cultural, and emotional responses. Season 5 doesn't abandon fantasy, it refines it, pushing it beyond boundaries and anchoring it more firmly in questions of identity and choice. Whether you love it or hate it, Emily in Paris proves once again that few series today understand so well how to transform a city into a character, a brand, and a global invitation all at once.

You can discover our photos in our Flickr page : here and here

Synopsis : 
Now the head of Agence Grateau Rome, Emily faces professional and romantic challenges as she adapts to life in a new city. But just as everything falls into place, a work idea backfires, and the fallout cascades into heartbreak and career setbacks. Seeking stability, Emily leans into her French lifestyle, until a big secret threatens one of her closest relationships. Tackling conflict with honesty, Emily emerges with deeper connections, renewed clarity, and a readiness to embrace new possibilities.

Emily in Paris
Created by Darren Star
Starring  Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Bruno Gouery, Camille Razat, William Abadie, Lucien Laviscount
Theme music composer : James Newton Howard
Composers : Chris Alan Lee, Gabriel Mann
Executive producers : Andrew Fleming, Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns, Darren Star, Robin Schiff, Alison Brown
Producers : Stephen Joel Brown, Shihan Fey, Jake Fuller, Lily Collins, Raphaël Benoliel, Joe Murphy, Ryan McCormick, Joshua Levy & Prathi Srinivasan
Cinematography : Steven Fierberg, Alexander Gruszynski, Stéphane Bourgoin, Seamus Tierney, Jendra Jarnagin
Editors : Alex Minnick, Laura Weinberg, Jesse Gordon, John Rafanelli, Brian Ray, Veronica Rutledge, Jon Higgins, Rachel Ambelang, Elizabeth Merrick, Dylan Eckman
Production companies : Darren Star Productions, Jax Media, MTV Entertainment Studios
Network : Netflix
Release October 2, 2020 –Present
 Running time : 24–46 minutes

Photos (Le Grand Rex – on stage) and video: Boris Colletier / Mulderville
Photos (red carpet – in front of Le Grand Rex): @fannyrlphotography / Mulderville