France Weekly Box-Office (Wed-Tues) March 18-24

Printemps du Cinéma

With the box-office in a slump last week, is a discount just what the doctor ordered ? Le Printemps du Cinéma (ie, Cinema Spring) is the first of two annual events during which filmgoers nationwide get to see first run films for a discounted price of 5€ (excluding add-ons, for ex 3D). The three-day event typically lines up with at least one highly anticipated film & even a few straggling releases get a boost. Did that hold true ?

Kind of, but not amazingly. The holds for existing releases are OK with only Hoppers & The Womens’ Shelter holding strong in WoW weekly ticket sales. Meanwhile, Scream 7 & Marsupilami, respectively 1 & 2 months old, staunched the bleeding somewhat from last week : at this point, I expect final admissions around 1,2M & 6M respectively, but the release of Mario Galaxy should leave both dead to rights.

Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary was the biggest release with 413k adm. way above the competition and generating a lot of word of mouth. Its dominance in IMAX & other prestige screens was an added incentive – a gorgeous-looking sci-fi movie on the best screen you can for 8-9€ remains a great value proposition. Multiplexes will feel good overall. The performance was a little weak early on, but then defied all expectations on Sunday-Tuesday: not unusual when there’s a highly publicised three-day discount. What makes me think this could have great legs is the early numbers today, after the discount ended. The press & audiences have given the film a great reception (a 3,8 & 4 respectively on Allociné), so next week's numbers should be worth analysing.

The Rays & Shadows

Second at the box-office, but just as well received, The Rays & Shadows is a 1940s period-piece positioned half-way between prestige biopic & hard-hitting historical film. That balance puts it alongside something like Schindler’s List. Maybe a bit of an overstatement – then again, audiences & critics have responded with rave reviews on all sides. The 31 M€ budget raises a lot of flashing red lights, however. The muted promotion screams lack of confidence and, despite good early numbers, this can’t realistically break out. The film eagerly embraces playing the equal opportunity offender. Even in France, political vitriol, strong sexual content & recurring body horror isn’t a recipe to get crowds lining up. Besides, I can see the three-hour & fifteen minute duration alienating some viewers & theatre owners, evident in this not-amazing 405 screen opening. I have a lot of unanswered questions about how the film will perform internationally. There were signs on Tuesday that there is some grass-roots demand building, but that won’t save the film from being a sizeable financial disappointment – though a legacy as a minor classic in parts of Europe, with a cult following overseas is definitely possible.

Other new releases

Police Call Sign 80 is the latest arrival in the crowded field of high-concept French-language comedies. The Starsky & Hutch-style antics hit the sweet spot: better received than last week's Golden K (which is floundering in its second week) & more accessible than Victor Everyman. I see some export potential in other European markets, but it doesn’t have any better odds of making back its budget. Promotion was oddly absent, considering both leading men (François Damiens & Thomas Ngijol, also behind the script) are well-liked, but haven't been seen in comedies in a while. I think a more assertive campaign could've helped this land better – just an observation of mine on the current landscape, but local stars seem to fade fast.

Featuring no stars, Reminders of Him opened to a similarly mediocre performance in France, comparable to Regretting You. With the exception of the UK & Ireland, Colleen Hoover’s limits seem to be on display in Europe – though Monday & Tuesday numbers were a bit better, so perhaps part of its audience prioritised other films at the weekend & will check back later. Whistle totally flopped, placing at #16 with 50k viewers.

David

I want to end with a word about the animated biblical film David, since I believe the trend of faith-based movies in France is worth following. Despite showing on 3 times as many screens as Whistle & after being a surprise hit in the USA, the film somehow bombed atrociously with barely 35k tickets sold, despite a lot of promotion. Oddly, France was not so long ago the third biggest market for King of Kings – and like that film, David managed to book some advertising space from networks that typically refrain from religious material. This is due to official state laicité standards in certain public spaces & these regulations are a critical hurdle to clear. Advertising aside, many publicly-owned or subsidised theatres might simply not be allowed to show a strictly devotional film. That uncertainty will limit this genre's reach for the foreseeable future.

Interestingly, local productions with prominent Catholic themes have taken off lately & are even starting to be exported. Dark horse hit Sacred Heart did decent business in Italy & the musical Bernadette is touring North America. Meanwhile, an upcoming retelling of the life of Saint-Therese has been greenlit in hopes of reaching a worldwide Catholic audience familiar with her writing. More ecumenical spiritual films (for ex. from Angel Studios) have never taken off in France, largely imo due to the existing glut of French dramas leaving very little space for them. The life of modern saints or episodes from Jesus' life seem to resonate, but beyond that I think the French faith-based market is still very narrow. If David hadn’t been a straightforward musical or hadn’t come out so close to King of Kings, could it have stood a better chance ? Or is the Old Testament setting in general just not connecting ?