In April, French films attracted good audience numbers to international theaters, where new titles did particularly well in French-speaking markets.
Rank | Title | Admissions | B.O Revenues | No. of Prints | No. of Countries | Total admissions |
1 | Superchondriac | 377,842 | 3,058,372 | 505 | 8 | 848,853 |
2 | The Beauty and the Beast | 288,716 | 1,520,776 | 1,061 | 12 | 1,919,797 |
3 | Yves Saint Laurent | 183,796 | 1,446,168 | 309 | 9 | 445,774 |
4 | Serial (Bad) Weddings | 167,742 | 1,414,704 | 50 | 2 | 167,742 |
5 | Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants | 98,406 | 539,265 | 340 | 6 | 496,661 |
6 | ニューヨークの巴里夫(パリジャン) | 94,968 | 574,106 | 252 | 7 | 202,113 |
7 | Me, Myself and Mum | 83,695 | 521,308 | 120 | 6 | 400,187 |
8 | The Past | 51,411 | 328,371 | 120 | 9 | 711,639 |
9 | Cycling with Moliere | 48,604 | 326,783 | 121 | 5 | 367,221 |
10 | 9 Month Stretch | 43,427 | 271,103 | 82 | 2 | 102,789 |
11 | Quai d'Orsay | 40,959 | 255,498 | 65 | 4 | 98,221 |
12 | The Yellow Eyes of the Crocodiles | 40,505 | 347,882 | 39 | 2 | 40,505 |
13 | Stranger by the Lake | 38,270 | 144,967 | 37 | 5 | 173,750 |
14 | Renoir | 31,932 | 105,122 | 44 | 1 | 830,479 |
15 | Green Planet | 29,088 | 169,626 | 176 | 4 | 60,625 |
16 | On My Way | 25,233 | 126,571 | 39 | 3 | 259,725 |
17 | Barbecue | 24,192 | 199,683 | 37 | 2 | 24,192 |
18 | On the Way to School | 15,939 | 103,760 | 29 | 5 | 330,933 |
19 | Ernest & Celestine | 15,432 | 89,542 | 42 | 3 | 313,454 |
20 | Une rencontre | 15,312 | 126,635 | 25 | 2 | 15,312 |
In April 2014, four majority French films attracted more than 100,000 admissions to international theaters, among which there were three films that had already ranked well in previous months and which maintained a steady level of admissions: Superchondriac, Yves Saint Laurent and The Beauty and the Beast. During the month, the latter title become the majority French production to score the highest number of admissions in 2014 in theaters abroad.
New titles such as Serial (Bad) Weddings also performed well at the box office, particularly in French-speaking markets. Brick Mansions, a minority co-production given a multi-print release, raked in more than 2.6 million admissions in its opening week in no less than 13 international territories.
Spotlight on a selection of standout majority French titles in April 2014
Serial (Bad) Weddings achieved the best release for a French film this year in two French-speaking European markets. In ベルギー (Cinéart ), the film attracted almost 47,000 spectators from 30 prints during its opening week, an excellent average, which guaranteed a print increase the following week (31,000 admissions from 34 prints during the second week). This launch is comparable to those of comedies released in 2012, such as La Vérité si je mens 3 (Les Films de l'Elysée – 50,000 admissions in its opening week from 30 prints – 138,000 total admissions), or What's in a Name (Alternative Films – 45,000 admissions in its opening week from 35 prints – 186,000 total admissions). In French-speaking Switzerland (Frenetic Films), Serial (Bad) Weddings claimed 15,000 admissions from 11 prints during its opening week. The number of prints increased to 16 in the film's second week in the theaters, attracting another 15,000 spectators. Superchondriac (Pathé Films AG) launched in this territory with 18,000 admssions from 15 prints. At the end of April, Dany Boon's film had racked up 97,000 spectators, after 9 weeks in foreign theaters.
Out on release in 11 foreign territories since February, The Beauty and the Beast began its run in German theaters (Leonine (Concorde Filmverleih)) with a solid 250-print release and attracted 50,000 spectators during its opening week. A decent start for the year's second highest print run, behind Superchondriac (Prokino Filmverleih – 300 prints upon its release). In セルビア and モンテネグロ (MegaCom Film (MCF)), The Beauty and the Beast registered 10,000 admissions after 6 weeks on screens, a threshold that a French-language film had not crossed over since Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia in 2012 (Taramount Film – 15,000 admissions). At the end of April, Christophe Gans' film had accumulated 1,920,000 admissions abroad and became the majority French film to have garnered the most admissions in foreign theaters since the beginning of 2014.
After a noteworthy release in イタリア (Lucky Red), with almost 100,000 admissions in 3 weeks from a maximum of 109 prints, Yves Saint Laurent registered an encouraging launch in ドイツ (Leonine (Universum)), with 27,000 admissions during its opening week from a considerable 95-print run, being the period's third highest per-print average in this territory. By the end of April, a total of 86,000 admissions had been recorded. In オーストリア (Constantin Film), the film got off to a more discreet start with 1,900 admissions from 17 prints for its first weekend in theaters. It reached 6,000 admissions after 2 weeks. While awaiting its release in the アメリカ合衆国 (TWC) and 日本 (Kadokawa Shoten ) in the coming months, Yves Saint Laurent was credited with 445,000 admissions in 13 international territoiries by the end of 2014.
On My Way pursues its international career in アルゼンチン (CDI Films), where its first-week admissions almost reached 6,000 from 11 prints (8,400 admissions all up by the end of April). This can be compared to the score achieved by 危険なプロット (Ifa Argentina), which garnered 12,000 admissions after 7 weeks in the theaters. In the アメリカ合衆国 (Cohen Media Group), Emmanuelle Bercot's film tallied 35,000 admissions after 7 weeks, in a release that went from 1 to 32 prints. The film has now finished its run in ドイツ (Wild Bunch (Germany)), attracting more than 50,000 spectators in 7 weeks. On My Way went on to accumulate 260,000 admissions in 14 international territories by the end of April.
ニューヨークの巴里夫(パリジャン) continues its run in foreign theaters, releasing in ドイツ (StudioCanal Germany), where the film scored the second best per-print average by gathering 33,000 spectators from 78 prints the weekend it released. A fine start, in the same vein as ロシアン・ドールズ in 2005 (Tobis Film – 107,000 admissions by the end of its run). In Quebec (Les Films Séville), the last episode in Cédric Klapisch's trilogy succeeded in attracting almost 19,000 admissions from 21 prints, in the territory where スパニッシュ・アパートメント (Christal Films / Lions Gate Films) had totalled more than 180,000 admissions 11 years ago. Slated for release in May in the アメリカ合衆国 (Cohen Media Group), スペイン (A Contracorriente Films) and also in タイ (United Home Entertainment Co., Ltd), at the end of April, ニューヨークの巴里夫(パリジャン)'s foreign admissions stood at 202,000, of which 55,000 were in ベルギー (Cinéart Cinéart ) and more than 13,000 were in ポーランド (Best Film Co) and ロシア (Cinema Prestige).
Stranger by the Lake launched well in Mexican theaters (Mantarraya Producciones), where the film pulled in more than 15,000 spectateurs from 14 prints in its opening week, an excellent per-print average, with 27,000 admissions by the end of April. Released in スペイン (Karma Films) a week earlier, the film had clocked up 7,000 admissions after 4 weeks in theaters, from a similar number of prints (14). Released in nearly 20 territories since summer 2013, Stranger by the Lake currently totals 175,000 admissions abroad, of which 39,000 were registered in the アメリカ合衆国 (Strand Releasing) and 24,000 in the イギリス (Peccadillo Pictures).