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BOX OFFICE Belgium

1.7 million viewers for Flemish Belgian films in 2017

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- The Flanders Audiovisual Fund has just published its annual review, highlighting a fall in theatrical attendance levels, but bringing good news for the circulation of Flemish films and series

1.7 million viewers for Flemish Belgian films in 2017
F.C. De Kampioenen 3: Kampioenen Forever by Jan Verheyen

Nearly 1.7 million Belgians went to see a Flemish production or co-production in the movie theatre in 2017, while Flemish films scooped a plethora of awards overseas, the region’s talents continued to be successful abroad, and more than 11 million viewers tuned in to watch televised films and 67 million televised series.

A total of 29 films contributed to the Flemish box office this year, spearheaded by F.C. De Kampioenen 3: Kampioenen Forever [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, with 309,692 viewers (the film, which was released at the end of the year, had racked up 600,000 admissions by April), closely followed by Control [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 (214,048) and Racer and the Jailbird [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Roskam
film profile
]
 (135,546). These figures represent an 11% decrease when compared to those of 2016 (and an even bigger drop when compared to 2015), but they are roughly in line with the average over the last ten years. Nevertheless, we should note that 2018 got off to a flying start, again with F.C. de Kampioenen, but also with titles such as Gangsta [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fal…
interview: Matteo Simoni
film profile
]
K3 Love Cruise and De Buurtpolitie: De tunnel. Even now, at the start of the second quarter, one million tickets have already been sold.

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Flemish Belgian audiovisual creations also stand tall on the international stage, with 236 awards and a huge number of festival selections, most notably for the animated short Catherine by Britt Raes, the feature King of the Belgians [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jessica Woodworth, Peter Br…
film profile
]
 and The Jungle Knows You Better Than You Do, the documentary short by Juanita Onzaga, who has been selected in the Directors’ Fortnight with her new film. 

We should also note that Flemish talents – particularly directors – are doing very well abroad. For instance, Felix van Groeningen has just been shooting his first US film, Beautiful Boy, funded by Amazon Studios, while Pieter Van Hees has directed various episodes of VersaillesHans Herbots has done likewise for Rellik (BBC) and Jakob Verbruggen for The Alienist

In 2017, 86 productions were also aired on television and watched by 11,301,491 viewers, and more than 67 million viewers watched a Flemish TV series (as against 50 million in previous years). This hike is mainly thanks to three series in particular: Beau SéjourTabula rasa and Tytgat Chocolat, which racked up between 1.1 million and 1.5 million viewers per episode.

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(Translated from French)

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