A selection of market statistics for French films this fall season.
Babylon A.D. is France’s largest-scale international release since the summer season. By the end of September, after just one month on the screens, the film had raked in €27.5 million outside France, which represents over one half of its production budget. It has been well received in Germany (360,000 admissions), Great Britain (230,000 admissions), Mexico (760,000 admissions), and Portugal (140,000 admissions). The reaction has also been positive in Eastern Europe, where this film genre generally attracts enthusiastic audiences, with 130,000 admissions registered in Poland, 75,000 in Ukraine, and over 1 million in Russia!
Taken stands out as the big winner of the start to the fall season. With box office receipts on par with Babylon A.D. (€27.7 million), the film by Pierre Morel continues to surprise with its strong performance, after a triumphant summer season in Spain and Australia, and an impressive score in spring in China and Korea. It now boasts 230,000 admissions in its opening week in Great Britain (released September 26), 1.225 million admissions in Mexico (released August 22), 110,000 admissions in Russia (released September 18), 75,000 admissions in New Zealand, and 32 000 admissions in Chile (released in both countries September 4).
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (I’ve Loved You So Long) is the unexpected hit in the art house category. Released in Spain on August 29, the film by Philippe Claudel has attracted 60,000 spectators from 38 theaters. In Great Britain, where it hit the screens on September 26, it clocked up 23,000 admissions in its opening week, from 29 sites. Il y a longtemps que je t’aime is due for release in the USA on October 24 and in Germany on November 13.
It is also worth mentioning fine debuts made by Le Silence de Lorna (Lorna’s Silence) in Italy (20,000 admissions, with 38 prints released September 19) and Un Secret (A Secret) in the USA (26,000 admissions, with 8 prints released September 5).
Le Vilain petit canard et moi (The Ugly Duckling and Me!) also continues its world tour, currently wooing Latin America: 100,000 admissions in Mexico (released August 29) and 34,000 in Chile (released September 4).
This Franco-British co-production has proved an international success, with 1.525 million spectators registered, which is four times higher than results in French theaters.
Last but not least, Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One) is still winning over American audiences, with 775,000 admissions registered to date and around 100 prints of the film still showing in theaters.
