22/10/2003 - Today sees the French release of Ruby and Quentin, the new comedy by Francis Veber, the box office king. There are 550 prints for the 2nd French mega production of the year

Ruby and Quentin by Francis Veber, the French large scale production starring the dynamite couple Gérard Depardieu/Jean Reno is being released in French cinemas from today in a combination of 550 prints. It has a budget of €27.44 million, making it the second biggest domestic production of the year, and it’s showing at the box office will be a crucial factor in the 2003 audience figures.

The blockbuster is directed by the box office maestro, the director Francis Veber. His last film, The Closet, had an audience of 8 million in France and 3.2 million abroad. And this is just one of the many successes he’s enjoyed in a triumphant career, starting with his first feature length film The Toy in 1976, The Dinner Game in 1998 (registering an audience of 9 million in France) and the trilogy starring Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu (The Goat, ComDads, Les Fugitifs). All this goes to show that this filmmaker-screenwriter, the master of comedy, has more than proved himself at the box office.

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Jean Reno and Gérard Depardieu are believed to have been paid around €2 million (rights included) for Ruby and Quentin, which co-stars André Dussolier and Richard Berry.
It is produced by UGC Images (€11.7 million) and the Italian company Filmauro (€2.7 million), TF1 Productions and Francis Veber’s company (EFVE) and Gérard Depardieu (DD productions). The film has been bought by Canal + for €6.2 million and will also be released in Belgium and Italy from October 31.

(Translated from French)