Two French films made greater strides on the European level during April and May: "The Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse" and "Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran."
It is in Germany that the second episode of "The Crimson Rivers," directed by Olivier Dahan, is achieving its best results at this time. Released on 251 prints April 8 by Tobis Film, the film ranked in 4th place at the box office in its opening week. By the end of May, it had lapped up 479,000 admissions and €2.9 million in receipts.
In Italy, the film got off to an excellent start after its March 26 launch by Filmauro, released on 402 prints. It boasts a running total of €3.9 million in receipts for 657,000 admissions. The film is also showing in theaters in Austria and Switzerland, as well as in Spain, where it is coming close to hitting the 100,000 spectators mark.
"Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran" continues to attract attention abroad. Released in Germany late March, the film by François Dupeyron grossed €2.3 million for 390,000 admissions at the end of May. Its distributor, Falcom Media, had released 71 prints of the film on March 25, with 77 prints still in circulation at the end of May.
The film is enjoying an extended run in the United States after its launch in December 2003. In the months of April and May alone, the film raked in $1.4 million and attracted 239,000 spectators. Its total now stands at $2.6 million for 444,000 admissions.
Another French film gaining ground in the USA is "Bon Voyage" by Jean-Paul Rappeneau, which has generated $1.8 million at the box office in the past two months. It is currently released on 90 prints, and tallies 300,000 admissions.
Also in the United States, "The Triplets of Belleville" is coming to the end of its run, with impressive results all up: close to $7 million in receipts and 1.2 million spectators registered. The film was still running on 14 prints at the end of May. "The Dreamers" by Bernardo Bertolucci is also drawing to a close in the USA, with this majority French co-production topping $2.5 million at the box office and tallying 433,000 admissions.
Finally, we can add to this the triumphant score of "Two Brothers" by Jean-Jacques Annaud in Belgium. The film has taken €880,000 in receipts for 162,000 spectators since its release by Alternative on 61 prints on April 7.
In the spotlight:
"Immortel"
The third feature by Enki Bilal was released in Japan on May 1st, 2004. Released by the Japanese distributor, Nippon Herald, on 47 copies, it has attracted 47,000 spectators and raked in 63 million yen in receipts (€485,000). Also released in Belgium and Switzerland, the film has pulled in more than 20,000 spectators in both countries.
Otar has left
The debut film by Julie Bertuccelli, "Since Otar Left," has been released in 8 territories in the past 2 months. This includes the United States, where it is currently distributed by Zeitgeist Films, with around 10 prints in circulation, and where it has already posted $187,000 in receipts. The film was also released in Belgium on April 22, on 10 prints, by ABC distribution, in the UK on April 6 by Optimum Releasing and in Germany on May 6 by Movienet.
