02/02/2006

A record 950 French screens were flooded yesterday with the release of Bronzés 3, amis pour la vie [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Patrice Leconte (read interview). Now a cult force on TV -where an average 10m viewers watch each of its numerous reruns- the first episode of the comic adventures of Christian Clavier, Michel Blanc, Gérard Jugnot, Thierry Lhermitte, Josiane Balasko and Anne-Marie Chazel attracted 2.5m cinemagoers in 1978 (Les bronzés) and 1.5m in 1979 (Les bronzés font du ski). Produced by Les Films Christian Fechner with a budget of €35m, the new film included an investment of €5.9m from TF1 Films Production and a record €7m pre-sale from TPS. The challenge for the film’s distributor, Warner Bros France is enormous since below 6 million admissions, the film would be considered as a failure as less than 6m admissions would be considered a failure – 538,000 admissions were recorded on February 1.

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Another 12 films will try their luck this week alongside the colossus: five American, one Hong Kong title and six European productions or co-productions.Three French features are among the latter: Sheitan by Kim Chapiron with Vincent Cassel (200 prints – Mars Distribution ), Peekaboo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Yves Caumon (Read review) released on 36 screens by Les Films du Losange, and the documentary on prison life 9 m2 pour deux (Literally :"9 m2 for two") by Joseph Cesarini and Jimmy Glasberg (15 screens, Shellac). Also of note are the medium-length Swedish animated film Franz and the conductor by Uzi and Lotta Geffenblad (22 screens, Les Films du Préau), German/Mongolian documentary The Cave of the Yellow Dog (82 screens, ARP Sélection); and the Mexican/French co-production Sangre [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Amat Escalante (8 screens, Ad Vitam).

(Translated from French)