10/09/2003

80 French screens are preparing to show the cult German film, Good Bye Lenin! [+see also:
trailer
interview: Wolfgang Becker
film profile] by Wolfgang Becker. It had an audience of 6.2m in Germany and also enjoyed a great success in Italy, where it took €1m, with the film staying in the box office top 10 for 6 weeks. It also went down extremely well when it was released in Britain: it took £576,000 in just 2 weeks with only 26 prints in cinemas. These figures make Good Bye Lenin! one of the most popular European productions of the year. The French release of the film, in its original version, is an interesting test to evaluate the improvement of the distribution of European films across the old continent. It will be certainly be something to watch given that the French usually have a lukewarm response to German films.

The premieres held in the provinces organised by the distributor Océan Films have already shown promising results, and the media coverage has positive. One further reason that this film should have appeal for the French public is the soundtrack, by the French composer Yann Tiersen (Amélie).

(Translated from French)