2005: 17 national films with more than 1 million admissions

by Fabien Lemercier

03/01/2006 - While the 2005 cinema year ended in France with a fall in audience numbers estimated at 11 - 12%, which is due for the most part to a lack of film offerings, the share in the French film market remained high at approximately 39%, with 17 national films surpassing the 1 million admissions mark. Among the Top 10 in the annual classification were three French feature-length films, with at the top of the list on the third step of the 2005 podium Brice de Nice by James Huth (produced by Mandarin Films and distributed by TFM Distribution) which received total admissions of 4.3 million. In 9th position is The Russian Dolls [trailer] by Cédric Klapisch (production Ce Qui Me Meut Motion Picture - Mars Distribution ) which attracted an audience of 2.8 million, followed by Iznogoud by Patrick Braoudé which sold 2.5 million tickets (Vertigo Production - TFM Distribution). Still showing after four weeks of running is Palais Royal! by Valérie Lemercier (produced by Rectangle Productions and distributed by Gaumont Columbia TriStar) is in 14th place of last year's films with 2.2 million admissions and comes in ahread of the French trio : March of the Penguins [trailer] by Luc Jacquet (1.8 million – produced by Bonne Pioche, distributed by BVI), Joyeux Noël [trailer, film focus] by Christian Carion (1.8 million - Nord-Ouest Production - UGC Distribution ) et Espace détente by Yvan Le Bolloc'h and Bruno Solo (1.7 million - Calc Production - ARP Sélection).

Among the pleasant surprises of 2005 was the first feature-length film by Cécile Telerman, Tout pour plaire [trailer], which comes in at 28th position with an audience of 1.4 million (a La Mouche du Coche and Les Films de la Greluche production - Diaphana Distribution), one place ahead is Oliver Twist [trailer] by Roman Polanski (1.3 million - RP Productions - Pathé Distribution). Les chevaliers du ciel by Gérard Pirès (produced by Mandarin Films - Pathé Distribution (FR)) comes in at 34th place with 1.2 million admissions, a figure almost equal to that for Mon petit doigt m'a dit by Pascal Thomas (36th – produced by Ah! Victoria! Films - UGC Distribution), Alexander [trailer] by Oliver Stone (37th – minority co-production by Pathé Renn Productions - Pathé Distribution) and Transporter 2 by Louis Leterrier (39th - produced et distributed by EuropaCorp. Distribution). And with more than 1.1 million tickets, Boudu by Gérard Jugnot (41st – produced by GMT and Novo - Arturo Films, distributed by Pathé) rightly surpassed Kirikou et les bêtes sauvages [trailer] by Michel Ocelot (production Les Armateurs - distribution Gebeka Films) which continued its popularity after three weeks of showing. Finally, Jacques Audiard gets the best audience numbers of his career thanks to The Beat That My Heart Skipped [trailer] (Why Not Productions - UGC Distribution) which drew more than 1 million cinephiles and finished the year in 45th position.

(Translated from French)