36 good reasons to believe in the success of French cinema:
Thanks to the excellent debut of "36 quai des Orfèvres" (over 652,000 admissions in its opening week) and to the ongoing success of "A Very Long Engagement," French films commanded 38% of the domestic market at the end of November. With October also standing out as a triumphant month for local productions, the last quarter of 2004 promises to be highly satisfying.
Boasting a stellar cast and an ambitious 549-print release, "36 quai des Orfèvres" by Olivier Marchal, released November 24 by Gaumont, was programmed for success, and initial results have certainly lived up to expectations. Produced by LGM and Gaumont and sold and distributed by Gaumont, the film attracted 652,000 spectators in its opening week and jumped to the number 2 slot at the weekly box office charts. With an excellent per-print average of 1,188 admissions, it should not be long before "36 quai des Orfèvres" hits the million admissions mark in France, which is no doubt only the first step in a fine career for this film. Gérard Depardieu's star power is once again drawing the crowds, all the more so here since he plays opposite Daniel Auteuil and André Dussollier. This film goes to show that, despite what some may believe, the detective genre still has a bright future in the movies. These results are also highly encouraging for the numerous foreign buyers who have already acquired the rights to the film from Gaumont.
As predicted in October, "A Very Long Engagement" is also proving to be a hit on French screens. With over 4 million admissions to its credit in its 5th week, the eagerly-awaited feature by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, distributed by Warner Bros., is now the second biggest French success of the year, behind "Chorists." French audiences have once again given a warm welcome to the Jean-Pierre Jeunet/Audrey Tautou duo, propelling the film to 5th place in the charts for the most successful films of 2004 overall. Hopes are high that by the end of its run, Jenunet's latest offering will join the group of films with admissions scores topping 5 million spectators, as it continued to gain close to 300,000 spectators in its 5th week. "A Very Long Engagement" has also launched a promising international career, already released in some of the numerous countries in which the film has been sold.
Another standout title this month has been "Vipère au poing" ("Viper in the Fist"), the latest feature by Philippe de Broca. The Folcoche character has certainly not scared off local audiences, with the film, distributed in France by Rezo Films and sold internationally by Pyramide International, coming close to the 1.1 million admissions mark. Following the trail of titles such as "Cartouche" ("Swords of Blood"), "L’Homme de Rio" ("That Man from Rio"), "Les Tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine" ("Chinese Adventures in China") and "Le Bossu" ("On Guard"), this film marks a final triumph for director Philippe de Broca, who passed away late November.
"Banlieue 13," written by Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel, also revisits the detective genre, and has crossed the 850,000 spectators mark 24 days after its release. Produced, distributed and sold by EuropaCorp, the film ranks in 3rd place in the monthly box office charts.
And that's not all… "Enquête corse," a comedy by Alain Berberian, released by Gaumont, had already got off to a flying start in October and continues its fine performance, currently brushing with the 2.5 million admissions mark. The film should easily attain this score since it continued to gain close to 55,000 spectators in its 8th week. And let us not forget "Chorists," which has now hit 8.5 million admissions!
Thanks to all these fine results, French films' market share rose to 38% at the end of November, slightly higher than the average for previous years. Movie attendance reflects this, reaching 156.5 million admissions, showing an increase of 15% compared to the same period last year.
TOP 10 FRENCH FILMS RELEASED SINCE JANUARY 2004
Film | Released | No. of prints* | Adms. | Box office (€ million) |
Chorists* | March | 326 | 8,502,027 | 46.8 |
A Very Long Engagement | October | 707 | 4,034,398 | 22.2 |
Podium | February | 554 | 3,559,512 | 19.6 |
Two Brothers | March | 739 | 3,317,679 | 18.2 |
The 11 Commandments | February | 501 | 2,966,348 | 16.3 |
L’Enquête corse | October | 507 | 2,496,990 | 13.7 |
Crimson Rivers 2 – Angels of the Apocalypse | February | 650 | 2,090,010 | 11.5 |
Mariages! | April | 100 | 2,008,119 | 11.0 |
Double zéro | June | 595 | 1,850,031 | 10.2 |
RRRrrrr!!! | January | 775 | 1,703,125 | 9.4 |
*Number of prints in circulation at release date.