13/12/2006

EuropaCorp are adopting the strategy of the US majors this Wednesday with a massive saturation of French screens, opening animated film Arthur and the Invisibles [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Luc Besson (see news) on an impressive 956 screens (almost 18% of French screens).

A tale of the adventures of a 10 year-old boy who escapes into the imaginary world of the Minimoys, a voyage that could save the family home under threat from an unscrupulous property developer, the record-breaking €65.2m budget mega-production is monopolising twice as many screens as US title Deja Vu, its closest competitor today.

Another major French release this week is the comedy title Priceless [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Pierre Salvadori (After You [+see also:
trailer
film profile], 2003), starring Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh (Chouchou, The Valet [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). Recounting the trials and tribulations of a waiter in a big hotel and a con artist in need of cash (see article), the feature – produced by Les Films Pelléas – is opening on 442 screens through TFM Distribution.

Two gems of European cinema are also trying their chances. Océan Films are releasing 21 prints of German helmer Hans-Christian Schmid’s Requiem [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hans-Christian Schmid
interview: Hans-Christian Schmid
interview: Sandra Hueller
film profile], a film that won Sandra Hüller the Best Actress award at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival (see Focus), while Les Films du Losange are releasing The Magic Flute [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by UK director Kenneth Branagh on 101 screens. The film adaptation of Mozart’s opera was presented out of competition at the 2006 Venice Film Festival (see article).

(Translated from French)