American audiences were the first to see The Family (The Family), the new film produced and directed by Luc Besson (a 100% French production). They offered the film an enthusiastic reception, as it jumped to 2nd place at the box office on its opening weekend, with ticket sales reaching $14.5 million (1,730,300 admissions). The Family (released as The Family in the USA) looks set for a successful run, bostered by a stellar cast led by Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer as a mobster and his wife who are taken into witness protection in France, and Martin Scorsese as executive producer.
A screen adaptation of Tonino Benacquista's book Badfellas, the film will hit French screens October 23.
