11/03/2005 - Christophe Barratier’s film is being released today by Pathé Distribution on 65 prints, an unusually big release in the UK for a foreign language film

Christophe Barratier’s The Chorus [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Les Choristes) is being released today by Pathé Distribution on 65 prints, an unusually big release in the UK for a foreign language film. According to Alisdair Nicholson from Pathe’s marketing department, the film will have a quite similar release to Pathe’s previous foreign language hit The Motorcycle Diaries [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (£2.7M at the UK box office) which was shown in 80 cinemas.

Pathé has also orchestrated a strong marketing campaign for the French box office hit, with TV ads (again very unusual for foreign language films), a poster campaign and radio campaign on Classic FM that both started two weeks ago. To build on the word of mouth, several nations press screenings have been organized with the Telegraph newspaper and The Times Education supplement to target schools and teachers. The director Christophe Barratier came several times to the UK to do press interviews to support the film, which is also getting extra press coverage in the UK ‘thanks’ to the current controversy regarding the so-called ‘exploitation’ of children from the chorus by the French production company Galatée Films.

As Pathé’s hopes are high on The Chorus, the production and distribution company is enjoying the success of The Magic Roundabout which will pass the £6M gross in the UK.

The other new European films opening today include Emir Kusturica’s Life is a Miracle released by Artificial Eye on three London screens, and Michael Winterbottom’s erotic film 9 Songs which is being released uncut with an 18 certificate by Optimum Releasing with 28 prints nation-wide.