31/01/2011

Jiří Vejdělek's comedy Women in Temptation [+see also:
trailer
film profile] attracted 1.2 million movie-goers in the Czech Republic last year, making it the most attended film in the country in 2010.

Falcon released Women in Temptation March 18. The film saw nearly 17,000 screenings by the end of the year, grossing CZK 123.8m (€5.1m), according to the Czech Union of Film Distributors. Women in Temptation even beat out Avatar for viewers' attention, although the 3D spectacle earned more on higher ticket prices.

Looking forward, Falcon director Jan Bradáč has high hopes for Vejdělek's upcoming release, Men in Hope. Falcon plans to release 40 copies of the film on August 25. Vejdělek partners with Women in Temptation producer Tomáš Hoffman on the new film, a comedy in a similar vein.

Petr Slavik, distribution manager for Czech films at Bontonfilm, expects 2011's local hits to include Jan Hřebejk's Innocence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jan Hrebejk
film profile] and Václav Havel's directorial debut Leaving [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (March 24), and Zdeněk Troška's fairytale Devil's Bride (April 28).

Innocence drew over 34,000 viewers during its opening weekend. Hřebejk's previous film, Kawasaki's Rose [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], released in December 2009, earned €614,000 on 158,000 admissions.

Troška's 2010 comedy The Doctor From Hippopotamus Lake made €1.4m on 359,000 admissions following its February premiere. Devil's Bride should follow more closely the performance of the director's 2008 fairytale The Loveliest Riddle, another February release, which earned €919,000 on 300,000 admissions.

Overall sales at the Czech box office totaled €61.7m in 2010 – up nearly 20% from the previous year. Year-end admissions stood at 13.5 million. Czech films made up half of the Top 10.