Three weeks after its release in Germany, the latest film by François Ozon has attracted close to 300,000 spectators.
"Swimming Pool" made a splash in Germany right from the start, registering more than 75,000 admissions and taking close to €500,000 on its opening weekend. Launched August 14 by Constantin Film on a generous 119-print release, the film jumped to 5th place at the box office on its opening weekend, boasting the second highest per-print average (636 spectators). Bolstered by such a successful launch, its distributor has increased the number of prints released to 157.
These fine results are all the more significant considering that movie admissions in Germany are currently relatively low, due in particular to the recent heat wave. Media attention is now focusing on arthouse films such as "Swimming Pool" and the New Zealander "Whale Rider" as the new hopes for raising admissions figures at the start of the fall season. A reminder that François Ozon's previous film, "8 Women," which was released by the same distributor in July 2002 on 154 prints, finished its run with 1.3 million admissions to its credit.
"Swimming Pool"'s German release has received exceptional media attention, as much in terms of scale as quality, with numerous interviews and profiles devoted to François Ozon, acclaimed as a "virtuoso of French cinema," Charlotte Rampling, with her "inexhaustible repertoire," and Ludivine Sagnier, hailed as the new "French goddess." Critics have been singing the film's praises, and numerous articles covered its preview screening in Berlin.
Elizabeth Conter
