In the months of July and August, 2004, “Two Brothers” by Jean-Jacques Annaud put in the strongest performance at the box office abroad.
The film’s results in Great Britain and the United States have propelled it to the top spot in our charts. Boasting box office takings of €4.4 million and 688,000 admissions, “Two Brothers” accounts for 35% of all admissions to French films outside France in this two-month period.
Universal released the film in the USA on June 25, and since then it has crossed the $18 million mark and attracted around 3 million spectators. It was released in Great Britain
by Pathé UK on July 23, on 270 prints. Its running total on August 29 was €1.7 million, for around 200,000 admissions. The film has also been released in the Netherlands and Quebec, and is winding up its run in Belgium, where it currently posts receipts valued at €900,000 and registers around 167,000 admissions.
In second position in our Top 15 majority-French productions is “Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran” by François Dupeyron. The combined effects of its release in Spain and a good run in Germany can account for this fine performance. The film was released in Spain by Wanda Film on July 30, with 33 prints in circulation. It achieved a good per-print average right from its opening week (1077 spectators). In the space of one month, the film tallied €557,000 at the box office, for 112,750 admissions. In Germany, an extended run has allowed the film to pursue a fine career since its release by Flacom on March 25, with 57,000 spectators registered for the months of July and August. The film thus posted €2.9 million at the end of August, for 501,500 admissions!
Still in Germany, “Nathalie…” by Anne Fontaine hit the screens on August 5, released on 50 prints by Concorde, and currently tallies around 80,000 admissions. The film is still showing in theaters in Great Britain, Quebec, Romania and Switzerland.
Another surprise hit of recent months is “RRRrrr!!!” by Alain Chabat in Poland. The film was released on July 23 by SPI International on 56 prints, and jumped to number 3 at the box office in its opening week. By August 26, the film totaled €608 000 and 151,000 admissions, a more than respectable score for a French film in this country.
Spotlight on:
“Love Me IF You Dare”
Yann Samuell’s film has just been released in Germany, launched on August 12. It is distributed by Alamode, with 49 prints in circulation. After two weeks on the screens, it attracted 83,836 spectators, holding promise for a successful career in the long term. The film is still showing in the USA, where it has raked in $540,000, as well as in Switzerland, where it has taken €425,000.
“Les Choristes” hits the international circuit
Will the film by Christophe Barratier meet with as much success abroad as it has attracted in France? Results for its release in Belgium and Switzerland appear to show promise for a comparable performance in French-speaking territories. Launched in Belgium on March 19 by Alternative Film, “Les Choristes” registered €760,000, for 138,000 spectators at the end of August. In French-speaking Switzerland, the film was released by Monopole Pathé on March 31, and has passed the million euros mark, for 80,000 spectators.
Julien Gaulier
