09/10/2007

Autumn has got off to a great start for French films, with local titles hogging the top box office spots after a summer dominated by US productions. Last week three domestic productions featured in the top four box office spots: Claude Miller’s The Secret [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Jan Kounen’s 99 F [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Florent Emilio Siri’s Intimate Enemies [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

First up, Miller’s subtle The Secret (see news) – released Wednesday on 331 screens through UGC – lured 350,000 filmgoers in only two days. Kounen’s caustic comedy 99 F (see article) also got off to an excellent start, clocking up 730,000 admissions in 11 days on screens, with Pathé Distribution having increased its number of prints from 407 to 444 in its second week.

Intimate Enemies (see article) – Siri’s shocking film on the Algerian War of Independence – has garnered 142,000 admissions in five days (distribution: SND, 362 screens).

Other films in the Top 10 were Laurent Bouhnik’s comedy L'invité [+see also:
trailer
film profile], distributed by EuropaCorp on 460 prints and now in its third week in theatres.

Surprise hits have been Nadine Labaki’s French/Lebanese title Caramel [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (450,000 admissions in seven weeks, Bac Films), Eric Guirado’s Le fils de l’épicier [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (275,000 admissions in seven weeks, Les Films du Losange) and Heartbeat Detector [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Nicolas Klotz (80,000 admissions in three weeks).

European films clearly have the upper hand with UK/US co-production 28 Weeks Later [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo clocking up 92,000 admissions after its third week, while Anton Corbijn’s Control [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see article) charmed 40,000 cinemagoers in its first week (distribution: La Fabrique de Films, 71 screens).

Further titles to have done well include Doug Lefler’s The Last Legion with 183,000 admissions in 11 days (Quinta Communications, 260 prints); Daniele Luchetti’s My Brother Is an Only Child [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniele Luchetti
interview: Riccardo Tozzi
film profile] with 92,000 admissions in three weeks (see Focus, Studio Canal - 62 prints); and Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Oleg Mutu
film profile], which has had an excellent theatrical run, luring 280,000 filmgoers in five weeks (see Focus, distribution Bac Films and Why Not encore - 199 prints).

(Translated from French)