09/03/2006

After a disappointing 2005, a smile has returned to the face of French distribution. According to estimates published yesterday by the National Film Centre (CNC), admissions to French cinemas leapt 19.8% in the first two months of 2006 as compared to the same period in 2005, which proved to be the worse year in French theatres since 1999. With 37.2m admissions, the 2006 figures are, on the contrary, close to the best starts of 2001 and 2002 (38.97m and 39.46m admissions, respectively). Better still, February experienced a 36.5% increase compared its figures for 2005.

This favourable upward tendency is due largely to local production since the market share for French films amounted to 50.9% for the first two months of this year. Meanwhile, American features dropped to 37.8% in January and February 2006, as opposed to 40.2% for the same period in 2005. However, the landslide that is Les Bronzés 3 - Amis pour la vie [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Patrice Leconte (see interview) crushed everything in its path, remaining on top of the box office for five consecutive weeks with a grand total of 9.6m admissions.

The weekly podium has looked the same for two weeks now, with Danièle Thompson’s Orchestra Seats [+see also:
trailer
film profile] in second place (1.3m admissions) behind Claude Chabrol’s A Comedy of Power [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (665,000), while Isabelle Mergault’s You Are So Beautiful [+see also:
trailer
film profile] continues its fine performance in fifth place with a cumulative total of 2.8m admissions in eight weeks. It should not be overlooked that four French films are still available on a combined total of 2,218 prints, equal to 40% of all national screens.

(Translated from French)