A host of French films have enjoyed successful international debuts this summer season.
Starting with the United States, where audience enthusiasm for French fare has not waned, the co-production “Silent Hill” by Christophe Gans has stamped itself as the big winner of this period. It has registered 7.7 million spectators, representing close to $47 million in receipts. Other excellent US launches include “13th District” by Pierre Morel and “Heading South” by Laurent Cantet. The former was released June 2 by Magnolia Pictures, and has clocked up almost 200,000 admissions on 20 prints. The latter kicked off in July on 24 prints and boasts a running total of 70,000 admissions.
In other welcome news, French films’ performance in several territories has crossed the 100,000 admissions mark after only a few weeks on the screens. “Silent Hill” leads these titles, notably in Mexico, where the film has pulled in 809,000 spectators, Spain (578,000 spectators), the UK (513,000 spectators), Germany (410,000 spectators), and Italy (387,000 spectators). “Asterix and the Vikings” by Stefan Fjeldmark and Jesper Moller is drawing crowds north and south in Europe: 130,000 admissions in Denmark, 42,000 in Norway (two countries with a population of around 5 million), 140,000 in Spain, and over 52,000 admissions in Portugal.
We can also note the fine results of “The Valet” by Francis Veber, which has attracted 121,000 moviegoers in Spain since June 9, and those of “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” by Michel Hazanavicius and its 166,000 admissions score in Canada (Quebec) since July 21.
