A snowbound but promising start to the year for French films
With the success of "The Last Trapper" (close to 2 million admissions) and the excellent debut of "The Emperor's Journey" (just under 450,000 admissions in its opening week), not to mention the fine results of "Les Sœurs Fâchées" (over 1.3 million admissions) and "L’Un reste l’autre part" (already topping 700,000 admissions), 2005 has got off to a strong start for French films in the home market.
After a fine debut in December, 2004, "The Last Trapper," the third feature by Nicolas Vanier, continues to make its mark on French screens, with an increased number of theaters at its disposal (upped most recently to 521). Right from its opening week, the film featuring Norman Winther and his huskies succeeded in winning the hearts of local audiences. After 7 days on the screens, the documentary tallied almost 850,000 admissions, with a per-print average of over 850 spectators. The cold and icy world of this director has once again hit the spot with French moviegoers, with this film, produced by Jean-Pierre Bailly (MC4 Productions) and distributed by TFM Distribution now poised to cross the 2 million admissions mark and sitting at number 3 in the charts for the month of January.
As observed in 1996 with "Microcosmos" (3,515,336 admissions) and confirmed in 2001 with "The Travelling Birds" (also released as "Winged Migration," 2,750,459 admissions), the nature documentary is thriving, and the release of "The Last Trapper" adds momentum to this trend. Foreign distributors who have acquired the film rights from TF1 International, some of whom have already released the film, can rest assured that their choice was a wise one.
In a similar vein to "The Last Trapper," "The Emperor's Journey," the debut film by Luc Jacquet, has also got off to a flying start, with close to 450,000 tickets sold in its opening week. The film produced by Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud and Emmanuel Priou (Bonne Pioche) boasts an excellent average of 1,097 spectators per print, and despite its January 26 release, it jumped to number 11 in the charts for this month! Tapping in on French audiences' current infatuation with nature/adventure films, this feature, co-produced by l'Alliance de Production Cinématographique and distributed in France by Buena Vista International, looks set to break the million admissions barrier, with further success sure to follow. "The Emperor's Journey" should do particularly well with the school vacation period approaching, as it appeals primarily to young audiences and families. All these factors will no doubt delight foreign buyers who have already secured the film rights from Exception - Wild Bunch: in their countries too, audiences will be captivated by the life of penguins!
In another vein altogether, "Les Sœurs Fâchées," featuring the Isabelle Huppert/Catherine Frot duo, has charmed French moviegoers, with 1.3 million spectators registered at the end of January. This first feature by Alexandra Leclère, produced and distributed by Pan-européenne, was released December 22 on an ambitious 340-print release.
With a star-studded cast and a 432-print release, "L’Un reste l’autre part," the newest feature produced and directed by Claude Berri (Hirsch), has shot straight to the top spot for French films released in 2005. The film has already registered over 700,000 admissions in its third week on local screens.
Another hit this month is "Rois et Reine" by Arnaud Desplechin, which was released December 22 and has passed the 415,000 admissions mark with a per-print average of 1,010 admissions after 7 days on the screens. Emmanuelle Devos and Mathieu Amalric take top billing in this film, which was awarded the Louis Delluc Prize, produced by Why Not Productions and distributed by Bac Films.
And finally, "Nèg Maron" by Jean-Claude Flamand-Barny has already been seen by 75,183 moviegoers – a fine score for this debut film, which registered an excellent average of 1,407 admissions per print in its opening week.
TOP 5 FRENCH FILMS RELEASED SINCE JANUARY 1st, 2005
Film Released No. of prints* Admissions Box office (€ million)
L’Un reste l’autre part January 12 260 703,020 3.8
The Emperor's Journey January 26 408 447,512 2.46
Tu vas rire mais je te quitte January 5 231 170,511 0.93
Mon Ange January 19 307 168,416 0.92
Le plus beau jour de ma vie January 5 234 122,137 0.67
*Number of prints in circulation at release date.
