The recent U.S. releases of “Amelie” and “Who Knows” have given a new boost to the already exceptional performance of French films in the United States during 2001.
“Amelie” (distributed by Miramax) continues its brilliant career in the U.S.A. Already tallying $10 million at the box office and distributed in around 200 theaters, the film is heading for a record-breaking performance for a French-language film. “Who Knows” (Sony Classics) has raked in close to $750,000 in receipts and is distributed in around 40 theaters.
Other films have also achieved impressive results. An overview of some of them gives a clear idea of the popularity of French fare. “Fat Girl” (totaing $400,000), "Lubumba" ($680,000), “The Closet ($6.7 million), “The Adventures of Felix” ($354,000), “Come Undone” ($302,000), “Himalaya” ($2.4 million), “Vengo” ($104,000), “Vertical Ray of the Sun” ($450,000), “Under the Sand” ($1.4 million).
Results for French films in the United States in 2001 should thus double the total achieved in 2000.
