Since the start of 2007, over 30 French productions have won over spectators in Quebec.
With such a large number of French films released this year, at times several titles have competed for audiences… Three titles were released in Quebec on July 27: Taxi 4 by Gérard Krawczyk, The Love of My Life by Zabou Breitman, and Blame It On Fidel by Julie Gavras. The month of August is also action-packed for French films in this territory, with Family Hero by Thierry Klifa released August 3, and Une Vieille Maîtresse by Catherine Breillat released August 10. They will be followed by Two Days in Paris by Julie Delpy, due to hit screens on the 24th , and Lady Chatterley by Pascale Ferran to be released on the 31st. It seems that Quebec is clearly living up to its reputation as one of French films’ most favorable markets.
A number of French titles have met with success since the start of the year, including La Vie en Rose by Olivier Dahan, released mid-March on 43 prints by TVA Films. This film has attracted over 300,000 spectators, the best score for a French production since Christophe Barratier’s smash hit Chorists in 2004, released on a similar scale.
Arthur et les Minimoys (Arthur and the Invisibles) by Luc Besson hit Quebec theaters mid-January on 62 prints, the most ambitious release for a majority-French film in the past three years (since the release of another EuropaCorp. production, Taxi 3). Results for Arthur appear to match its distributor Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm’s expectations, with 200,000 admissions registered to date.
Two other films exported by EuropaCorp. and released late April are also putting in a fine performance in Quebec: Tell No One by Guillaume Canet (over 50,000 admissions from 19 theaters), and Quand J'étais Chanteur (I Did It My Way) by Xavier Giannoli (25,000 admissions from 7 theaters).
Screen idol Guillaume Canet is enjoying a high profile in this territory, with Ensemble, C'est Tout (Hunting and Gathering) by Claude Berri attracting 75,000 moviegoers after one month on the screens. The film is distributed by Christal Films/Lions Gate Films, who remain active supporters of French films, with a number of hit French titles released in recent months, including Moliere by Laurent Tirard (68,000 admissions on 30 prints), the collective film Paris, je t'aime (21,000
admissions), and Private Fears in Public Places by Alain Resnais (18,000 admissions on 5 prints).
Other films offered more a modest release have also made their mark, such as Days of Glory by Rachid Bouchareb (15,000 admissions in 5 theaters) and Je vais bien ne t'en fais pas by Philippe Lioret (11,000 admissions in 4 theaters).
Initiatives by Unifrance aimed at developing this market over the past three years have focused mainly on providing support to Quebec distributors in their efforts to win back a significant market share for French films.
