They came to the meeting. In France, after seven months of deprivation, 1.6 million spectators went to cinemas, from May 19 to 23. A very good comeback for this week of reopening which brought to the poster some thirty films (new or returning after a shortened exploitation in October 2020) but which also had to deal with health constraints – gauges limited to 35% of reception capacity and curfew at 9 p.m. It would have taken more to discourage lovers of the 7e art which, from the first day, were more than 300,000 to sit in front of the big screens. Or as much as a “classic” Wednesday. They had indeed missed the cinema.
Among the acclaimed novelties comes first the animated film Demon Slayer: Infinity Train, by Haruo Sotozaki who managed to drag 265,000 fans behind his demon hunters in five days. The Japanese manga was closely followed by the American animated comedy, and family Tom & Jerry by Tim Story. The tribulations of the cat and the mouse brought together 166,788 spectators. Still on the first outing, the French feel-good movie by Christophe Barratier, Fly Me, with Victor Belmondo, Yoann Eloundou and Gérard Lanvin, achieved 98,673 admissions.
“Goodbye idiots” on the first step of the podium
The desire for lightness and the desire to rediscover the buffoonish and absurd fantasy of troublemaker Quentin Dupieux led 95,242 followers in the rooms, to the discovery of Mandibles, of his two larcars (David Marsais and Grégoire Ludig) and their giant fly. A very promising score, because it is higher than those achieved by the filmmaker’s previous films: The deer having recorded 72,641 admissions on 1er operating weekend in June 2019, At office ! (78,837 admissions, in July 2018), Reality (32,354 entries, as of February 2015).
The time, which passed between its first (shortened) release in October 2020, where it had recorded 719,365 admissions in nine days, did not play against the feature film by Albert Dupontel, Goodbye idiots. On the contrary. Back on the big screens and this time crowned with its seven trophies won at the Césars ceremony in March, the film attracted 357,293 new spectators. With its 1.1 million cumulative admissions, it is on the first step of the podium.
Another survivor of the last confinement, the film by Maïwen DNA, whose two days of operation, in October, had brought together 55,552 people, is resuming good momentum with 80,011 additional admissions (ie a total of 142,221). Drunk, by Danish director Thomas Vinterberg, with Mads Mikkelsen, who has meanwhile won several awards (including an Awards, an Oscar for best foreign film and a César in the same category) makes a return to 70,100 admissions, which are added to the 83,576 tickets purchased between October 14 and 18. He also interrupted with 7,321 admissions, the first feature film by Nicolas Maury, Rag boy won, meanwhile, 18,190 additional spectators.