Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (Welcome to the Sticks) has opened to strong box office in Germany and Italy.
Showing in 160 theaters in Germany, Willkommen bei den Scht'is attracted 143,664 spectators on its opening weekend, jumping to number 2 at the box office, with a per-screen average of 898 spectators per screen.
The film also got off to a fine start n Italy, where it was released as Giu al Nord, pulling in 207,000 admissions on 319 prints and raking in third position in its opening weekend.
These encouraging results are accompanied by a veritable "Ch'ti-mania" incited by the film and originally believed to be a Gallic phenomenon only, but which has extended well beyond national borders: 1,130,000 admissions have been registered in Belgium, 630,000 in Switzerland, 200,000 in Québec (Montreal-Quebec), 61,000 in Poland, 60,000 in Australia, 26,000 in Great Britain, and 36,000 in the Netherlands.
