Flemish and French "boost" figures (Part II)

by Anne Feuillère

31/01/2007 - There was little change in domestic production in 2006, with 27 Belgian films released, compared to 26 in 2005.

Nineteen of these of were French-speaking and almost half of the Top 15 Belgian films of 2006 were Flemish productions. Family films held the third and fourth spots: K3 en het ijsprinsesje (see news) and Piet Piraat en het vliegende schip, both distributed by KFD.

Admissions for French-speaking Belgian productions registered a slight rise, up from 457,857 in 2005 to 475,000 in 2006, while their market share remained stable at approximately 2%.

Despite these results, some films did very well at the box office. Thierry Michel’s documentary Congo River [trailer], for example, has attracted 40,174 filmgoers and grossed €237,889 to date, after 43 weeks in cinemas. This is a good result for a film whose genre and subject did not predestine it for such box office success.

A look at domestic titles due for release in the first half of 2007 – among which a number of eagerly awaited Belgian titles (see news) – gives further reason for optimism.

Also noteworthy is the success of local films in France, where French-language Belgian titles are attracting awards, recognition and audiences: 7.65m admissions in 2006 compared to 6.4m in 2005 and a 4.6% market share.

While Lucas Belvaux’s The Weakest is Always Right [trailer] was given the cold shoulder in Belgium, it proved the most popular Belgian film in France with 180,000 admissions. Dikkenek also fared well, with 175,042 admissions in France and 52,171 in Belgium, where it finished in eighth position in the Top 15.

Two co-productions – Days of Glory [trailer, film focus] and One Fine Day [trailer] – also put up fine performances, with 780,756 admissions after 13 weeks on screens as of December 31, and 72,467 admissions and takings of €433,430 after 12 weeks, respectively.

Another joint production to triumph at the box office was Azur and Asmar [trailer], which between Belgium and Luxembourg had clocked up 66,182 admissions and grossed €355,142 as of December 31, when the film was still on release.

(Translated from French)