Bernadette tames The Animal Kingdom at the French box office

The comedy about Bernadette Chirac got off to a good start on Wednesday in France. (Source: Le Film Français)

Three French films make up the podium on October 4. With 55,834 tickets sold, including previews (and 37,076 without), Bernadette took the lead among Wednesday’s new releases. We then find The Animal Kingdomthe fantastic thriller by Thomas Cailley, seen by 35,982 curious people, including 23,075 during the day, then Between the linesby Eva Husson, completes the top 3 thanks to 3,121 tickets sold, including 2,485 on the day of its release.

Overall, it’s a great first day in France. The film with Catherine Deneuve cannot be compared to the previous ones of the director, Léa Domenach, since here she signs her first production for the cinema, but we can for example recall the figures of another political comedy, Presidents, by Anne Fontaine (2021). On the day of its release, it attracted 41,241 curious people in 446 theaters, then 250,000 in the first week and finally just over 400,000 at the end of the run. Bernadette has a chance of doing better, especially since the film is available on 613 prints.

Thanks to Animal KingdomThomas Cailley does better than with The fighters, his first production released in 2014, which attracted 16,511 people at the start in 156 cinemas, then passed the 500,000 admissions mark thanks to excellent word of mouth. Here, his film with Romain Duris is almost double, on more than 400 screens, but it was expensive, particularly for the production of stunning special effects to create his creatures.

By comparison, another French genre film dealing with ecology, Acidfrom Just Philippot, had sold 21,105 tickets on September 20 for a number of nearby theaters (480). The Animal Kingdom will he be able to repay himself? Its release is in any case accompanied by very good reviews.

The Animal Kingdom: a feat of special effects for this French SF gem

Between the lines is quite far behind with its 2485 admissions and its low average of 15 spectators per copy. The director did a little better in 2018 with Daughters of the Sunseen by 2599 people at start-up, then 32,979 in total.

Here is the ranking “first day France” from Wednesday October 4, 2023: