In the wake of the 3rd Panorama of French Cinema organized by Unifrance in February this year, presided by Jérôme Seydoux and Jean Reno, two French films are enjoying fine careers in China: "Empire of the Wolves" and "Transporter 2."
Released February 10 on 80 prints, "Empire of the Wolves" by Chris Nahon, starring Jean Reno and Jocelyn Quivrin, has attracted close to RMB13 million (570,000 admissions), while "Transporter 2" by Louis Leterrier, released February 14 on 290 prints (including 70 subtitled prints) has pulled in RMB30 million. The film has already registered 1,305,000 admissions.
With total receipts credited to the six French films released in China in 2005 almost reaching the RMB30 million mark, 2006 looks set to be a promising year.
Christine Pernin, head of Unifrance's Beijing Office, states that "Chinese distributors are delighted with these excellent results for French films, and are actively preparing for the release of 'Just Friends,' 'Oliver Twist' and 'Sky Fighters' before the summer season begins…"
