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French studio Pathé has seen its marketing and programming strategy pay off with “The Count of Monte Cristo,” an epic adventure film adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ classic which struck box office gold in France during a competitive summer marked by the Olympics.

Helmed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière (“The Three Musketeers”), the sweeping three-hour movie has become a proper French blockbuster, selling more than 8 million tickets locally (as of Sept. 9) and grossing over $75 million internationally with most major markets yet to open. These include the U.S where Samuel Goldwyn Films will release “The Count of Monte Cristo” in December.

The movie, produced by Dimitri Rassam’s Chapter 2 with a budget of €43 million, world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it earned unanimous praise with Variety’s Peter Debruge calling it a “genuine triumph” and “a stunning, emotionally satisfying adventure tale.”

Although it’s based on a classic of French literature,...

The Count of Monte Cristo, directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, made its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it received a resounding 11-minute standing ovation.

Produced by Pathé Films, the same company behind the acclaimed The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (2023), this film continues the studio’s tradition of bringing classic French literature to life with grandiosity and meticulous attention to detail. In France, the film has been both a box office success and a cultural event, celebrated for its faithful adaptation of a beloved classic.

The film follows the tragic tale of Edmond Dantès (played by Pierre Niney), a young and promising sailor who is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned in the dreaded Château d’If. After years of enduring unimaginable hardship, he escapes and reinvents himself as the mysterious and wealthy Count of Monte Cristo, bent on exacting revenge against those who betrayed him.

Get ready for a riveting adventure as “The Three Musketeers: Milady” charges into Indian cinemas on May 17, 2024. This highly anticipated second and final installment of the thrilling Three Musketeers franchise stars the talented Eva Green, promising audiences an exhilarating cinematic experience.

Following the success of the first installment, “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan,” which is set to re-release on May 3, 2024, the collaboration between France’s esteemed Pathé and India’s M International continues to captivate viewers. With Pen Marudhar taking charge of distribution, fans can expect nothing short of a grand spectacle.

Eva Green Leads the Charge in ‘The Three Musketeers: Milady’

Set against the backdrop of 17th-century France, “The Three Musketeers: Milady” promises to delve deeper into the intrigue, romance, and swashbuckling action that made the franchise a worldwide sensation. Eva Green’s portrayal of the enigmatic and dangerous Milady is sure to leave audiences on the edge of their seats.

Adapting a widely popular classic like The Three Musketeers in cinema is never an easy thing. With as many as seven film adaptations of Alexander Dumas’ iconic novel before, director Martin Bourboulon had to do something extraordinary to make the latest two-part French adaptation work. And to think he has actually achieved that! Of course, we haven’t seen the second half of the epic saga yet, but if we go by the glorious first part, titled The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan, it can fairly be said that Bourboulon’s adaptation is not only on the right track; it might just end up being the greatest. In this article, we’re going to shed some light on the cliffhanger ending of The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan. But a quick summary of the events before does seem like a necessity.

Spoilers Ahead

What Happens In The Film?

I think the best thing about...

After a challenging start to the year, the French box office steadied in March with 15 million tickets sold, led by Warner Bros’ Dune: Part Two.

This was a dip of just 4.8% on March 2023. While not desirable, this is much less than the dip of 16.4% in February 2024 compared to the same month the year before which was buoyed by crowd-pleasing French titles Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom and Alibi.com 2 that dominated the box office in early 2023. Disney’s Avatar: The Way Of Water was also still in cinemas through February 2023.

Admissions for the first quarter of 2024 reached 43.7 million. 10% less...

The Kinepolis Group – which operates 109 cinemas worldwide with 1,131 screens and more than 200,000 seats – has posted record results for 2023.

The Belgium-based international exhibitor said it had achieved its highest ever revenue, thanks to a 20.6% hike in visitors to 35.3M, adding that the results were a sign that it had “completely recovered” from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Revenue increased by 21.1% to $657M (€605.5M), with Ebitdal increasing by 32.8% to $164M (€151.4M). Net profit doubled to $60.8M (€56.1M).

Within the overall revenue figure, there had been a 22.1% increase in box office returns to $372M (€318.6M) and a 24.2% increase in revenue from sale of drinks and snacks to $225M (€192.8M), as a result of higher consumption per visitor and inflation-compensating price increases in almost all the countries.

The exhibitor said that alongside the increase in admissions, its performance had also been boosted by higher spending per visitor, as a result of its investment...

After keeping a fairly low profile as president of France’s leading commercial network TF1 Group for seven years, Gilles Pelisson, the discreet Harvard-educated executive, is ready for showtime. He has been propelled into the spotlight to promote French film and TV in his new role as president of Unifrance, succeeding Serge Toubiana last summer.

While participating in his first big gig for Unifrance at the Rendez-Vous showcase in Paris (which wraps Tuesday), Pelisson showed he had enough swagger to mingle with French stars and industry professionals alike, as well as deliver speeches about the prospects for French movies and TV series with both authority and conviction.

In the space of one week during the Rendez-Vous, he handed out the French Film Award to “By the Grace of God” actor Melvil Poupaud, and presented Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan with the best international co-production prize at the Lumiere Award on Monday.

French cinema saw its fortunes rise at the international box office in 2023 after three difficult Covid-19 and post pandemic years, according to the annual report of export agency Unifrance released on Tuesday.

The new figures showed that worldwide admissions for all feature films involving a French partner generated 37.4M admissions in 2023, representing a 38.5% rise year-on-year, for a 37.8% jump in receipts to $256M (€234M)

Within this, entries for majority French productions rose 74.7% to 29.7M. French language features saw a 53.6% rise in spectators year-on-year to 30.1M spectators.

Across 2023, 220 new French films hit the international market in 2,800 separate release campaigns.

Animated feature Miraculous The Movie by Jeremy Zag led the charge drawing 7.15M spectators in 26 territories for a gross of $34.8 (€31.8M) as of December 31, 2023.

In terms of admissions, it was followed by Guillaume Canet’s Astérix And Obélix: The Middle Kingdom, with 2.74M entries for a $19.9M gross and feature animation Epic Tails,...

The French box office jumped 19% in 2023 with an estimated €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) grossed from 181.2 million tickets, according to Comscore France.

Unlike in 2022, when the top 10 was exclusively dominated by U.S. movies, 2023 was bolstered by a mix of Hollywood blockbusters and French fare. Notably, “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom” — Pathé’s big-budget comedy adventure inspired by the cult French comics — sold slightly more tickets than Christopher Nolan’s epic “Oppenheimer” from Universal.

Two other French movies ranked in the top 10: Studiocanal’s “Alibi.com 2,” the second installment of Philippe Laucheau’s comedy series riffing on adultery, and Pathé’s “The Three Musketeers: d’Artagnan” (pictured), the first of a two-part adventure saga based on Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel. The three top-grossers of 2023 in France were “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” the animated video game adaptation from Universal, Illumination and Nintendo; Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” from Warner Bros.; and James Cameron...

“The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan” only just arrived in US theaters, but its sequel “Part II: Milady” hit theaters on the continent this week. And that means a new trailer for the pulse-pounding second part in the latest adaptation of Alexandre Dumas‘s epic story.

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024

This rendition of “The Three Musketeers” features a “who’s who” of contemporary French cinema, including Vincent Cassel, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, and more.

Continue reading ‘The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady’ Trailer: The Latest Adaptation Of The Epic Tale Ends In 2024 at The Playlist.

Also opening is Meg Ryan’s ‘What Happens Later’ and ’The Three Musketeers – Milady’.

Toho Studios’ Godzilla Minus One is aiming to scare away the competition at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend as the Japanese monster epic opens in 469 cinemas for Anime Ltd.

It is an impressively wide opening for a non-English language film and is the widest opening for Anime Ltd, which specialises in distributing Japanese titles. The film was originally reported to be opening in 200-250 sites but was expanded due to critical acclaim, including a recent Critics Choice award nomination, and box office success...

We present interviews for The Three Musketeers: Milady, directed by Martin Bourboulon based on Alexandre Dumas’s 1844 novel The Three Musketeers.

It is the second film of a two-part epic saga and was preceded by The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan. The film stars François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï, Romain Duris, and Eva Green. It also stars Lyna Khoudri as Constance Bonacieux, Louis Garrel as King Louis Xiii, Vicky Krieps as Anne of Austria, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Duke of Buckingham, Alexis Michalik as Villeneuve de Radis, Patrick Mille as Henri de Talleyrand-Périgord, and Ivan Franek as Ardanza.

The film will be released on the 15th of December, 2023, here are the interviews.

Plot:

Constance Bonacieux is kidnapped before D’Artagnan’s very eyes. In a frantic quest to save her, the young musketeer, aided by Athos, Porthos and Aramis, is forced to join forces with the mysterious Milady de Winter.

The post The Three Musketeers...

Less than three months after being tapped CEO of Banijay France, Alexia Laroche-Joubert, a well-known industry figure, has enlisted Authentic Media, a leading French premium scripted banner that will join the “Peaky Blinders” production-distribution powerhouse.

The acquisition of Authentic Media, who produced hit French adaptations of series such as “Rita” and “This is Us,” took a couple of years to materialize and will further bolster Banijay France’s portfolio of scripted labels. These include the in-house outfits Banijay Studio France and Shine Fiction; as well as Fiction’Air (“Les Disparus de la Forêt Noire”); Terence Films (“Rivière-Perdue”); Montmartre; Screen Line (“Trash”); and Marathon, which has three series in development.

Founded in 2011 by Aline Panel, Authentic Media’s production output spans drama, film, and documentary. With 15 projects in development, the company has developed seven seasons of “Sam,” based on the Nordic series hit “Rita” which was created by Christian Torpe for...

"We're killers, D'Artagnan, like it or not." Pathe has revealed the first official trailer for the epic sequel The Three Musketeers 2: Milady, arriving in theaters in Europe this December. This is the next follow-up to the new French version of The Three Musketeers story by Alexandre Dumas, adapted for the big screen by filmmaker Martin Bourboulon. The first The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan movie opened earlier in 2023, and reviews were quite good. Milady is the second film of a two-part epic saga, wrapping up this emotional story with both movies out by the end of the year. D'Artagnan is forced to join forces with Milady to save Constance, who was kidnapped before his eyes. But as war is declared and Athos, Porthos and Aramis have already joined the front, a secret from the past shatters old alliances. The cast once again feature François Civil as D'Artagnan, Vincent Cassel as Athos,...

International sales are handled by Brussels-based Be For Film.

Belgian director and screenwriter Guillaume Senez has started shooting A Missing Part starring Romain Duris in Japan today (October 16).

It will film in locations including Tokyo, Sagami Bay and Yokohama until December 3.

Duris stars as Jay, alongside Judith Chemla and Mei Cirne-Masuki. The film sees Jay driving his cab every day through Tokyo in search of his daughter, Lily. Separated for nine years, he has never been able to get custody of her. Just as he’s given up hope of seeing her again and is about to return to France,...

San Sebastian — Blessed by blowsy sun, two Conferences and a Co-Pro Forum, which brought the highest caliber and number of U.S., European execs and Latin American producers ever seen in festival history, San Sebastian rounded its final bend Friday after a packed, busy and upbeat event, also suggesting a stability in contrast to other major European events, such as Berlin.

Below, eight takeaways, some 24 hours before Saturday night’s closing gala and prize ceremony.

Women Rule Still

Coming into the festival, many of the biggest main competition buzz pictures were directed by women. Many now figure, according to a El Diario Vasco Spanish critics’ poll, as Golden Shell frontrunners: Isabel Helguera’s animated pic “Sultana’s Dream,” Raven Jackson’s Sundance hit “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” Jaione Camborda’s Toronto platform screener “The Rye Horn” and Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang’s “A Journey in Spring.”

New...

Spanish film-tv’s good and great joined illustrious international figures to sketch out a roadmap for Europe’s film-tv future at a Conference on Sunday at San Sebastian.

Hosted by Spain’s government, coinciding with its E.U. Council Presidency, the event delivered a bullish vote of confidence in film, TV and audiovisual in general.

Such confidence is natural given the panelists, such as Movistar Plus’ Domingo Corral, Morena Films’ Pilar Benito and Atresmedia TV’s José Antonio Antón, Beta Film’s Jan Mojto and Mario Gianani, at Italy’s Wildside at a first session turning on the consolidation of business models.

Another panel broke down three European hits – Netflix’s “The Snow Girl” and animated pic franchise “Tadeo Jones,” both from Spain, and mega European co-production “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan,” led by France’s Pathé.

Below, eight takeaways:

Size Matters

99% of companies in Europe’s Av sector are SMEs,...

Louis Garrel worked under the direction of Greta Gerwig in 2019’s Little Women and shared credits with many great actors, something that the French star was seemingly intimidated by initially.

The film adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel starred Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Chris Cooper, among others.

Garrel is recalling his time on the set of the Gerwig film and feeling stressed and telling The Independent, “I am the most anxious French guy you can meet. Believe me, I want to be more brave than I am. I am… what do you say? Effrayé they say in French… a scared guy.”

The actor said that it was his talented co-stars that added to his anxiety saying, “I was super stressed because I knew that all of the actors in it were better than me.

Catch all the blood, guts and glory in the brand new R-rated trailer for EXPEND4BLES.

A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.

Directed by Scott Waugh, with a score from Guillaume Roussel, EXPEND4BLES is rated R and opens in theaters...

Stars: François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, Pio Marmai, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Vicky Krieps, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Lyna Khoudri, Eric Ruf, Marc Barbé | Written by Matthieu Delaporte, Alexandre de La Patellière | Directed by Martin Bourboulon

Directed by Martin Bourboulon, this French adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel is part one of two, with the second (Milady) due to be released in France in December. Positively bursting with French talent, it’s a swashbuckling treat from start to finish, and the best Dumas adaptation in decades.

Set in 1627, the film begins with young Charles D’Artagnan (François Civil) arriving in Paris from Gascony, his heart set on becoming one of the King’s Musketeers. However, things don’t quite go according to plan, and by noon, he’s accidentally offended three of them – nobleman Athos (Vincent Cassel), fun-loving Porthos (Pio Marmai) and elegant Aramis (Romain Duris) – and been challenged to three separate duels.

Key French tax credits aimed at the cinema, audiovisual and video game sectors generated $3.2 billion (€2.9 billion) worth of extra spending in France from 2017 to 2021, according to a study released by Ey Consulting.

The report commissioned by France’s National Cinema Centre (Cnc) focused on four incentives: the cinema tax credit, offering a 30% rebate on eligible spend; the 25% audiovisual tax credit; the 30% Tax Rebate for International Productions (Trip), to which an additional 10% can be added if VFX or animation work is done on the territory, and 30% video game tax credit.

Breaking down the contribution of each the incentives, it said the cinema credit had generated €373 million ($414 million) in extra spending; the audiovisual credit, €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion); the Trip, €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion), and the video games incentive, €116 million ($129 million) from 2017 to 2021.

“Each of these measures has achieved its set objectives… and for a relatively low net cost given the additional revenue, in particular fiscal,...

Founded in 1966, Cgr Cinemas has since grown into France’s second-largest exhibition chain, boasting more than 700 screens across the country and a premium export branch in the guise of Ice Theaters. Since the beginning, the business has both remained in the hands of the Raymond family and stayed anchored in the southwest town of La Rochelle.

After putting the company up for sale in 2022, its owners Jean-Luc and Charles Raymond decided to hold on to it when the B.O. showed clear signs of post-pandemic recovery this past May. Along with abruptly canceling a sales deal, the owners also laid off its leadership, including its managing director Jocelyn Bouyssy, who had been at the company for 37 years and launched the Ice premium format, among other successful diversification initiatives. Bouyssy has been replaced by Laurent Desmoulins as directing manager. Both Desmoulins and Charles Raymond will be on-hand at this year’s CineEurope,...

Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that the company has acquired U.S. rights to the “The Three Musketeers,” a two-part adaptation of the swashbuckling French adventure story by Alexandre Dumas.

The two films were shot back-to-back, with the first film “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan” released in France this past April, earning $35 million at the international box office. The sequel “The Three Musketeers: Milady” will open in the country on Dec. 13.

The period epic boasts a top-shelf ensemble of European stars such as Francois Civil (“Call My Agent!”), Vincent Cassel (“Black Swan”), Romain Duris (“Eiffel”), Pio Marmaï ((“Happening”), Eva Green (“Casino Royale”), Vicky Krieps (“Phantom Thread”) and Louis Garrel (“The Dreamers”). Both films were directed by Martin Bourboulon, with screenplay by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière.

The two films are produced by Dimitri Rassam for Chapter 2, a Mediawan Company, and Pathé with M6 Films, Constantin Film, and DeAPlaneta coproducing.

Apple TV+ will be tapping into France’s lavish culinary heritage with “Carême,” a new original series about the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême, which will be directed by Martin Bourboulon (“The Three Musketeers: d’Artagnan”).

Set in the 19th century, the eight-episode French drama will chart the sprawling story of Carême, who rose from humble beginnings in Paris to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. He not only became an iconic chef, he also became a spy for France as his talent and ambitions attracted the attention of powerful politicians, including Napoleon. The series will shed light on the miserable reality of 19th century kitchens, contrasting with the opulence of the mansions and sophisticated of aristocrats.

“Carême” will be led by a starry French cast, including Benjamin Voisin, the Cesar-winning actor of “Lost Illusions” and “Summer of 85″ in the title role. Voisin will star opposite...

After a few pandemic-addled years, the global box office is finally ready to feel the warmth of the studios’ tentpole releases.

Though the swing-back to pre-pandemic release schedules is happening at different speeds in each market, the quartet of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Fast X,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” — not to mention “The Super Mario Bros Movie” before them — have announced the arrival of Hollywood’s version of summer across much of the planet.

France saw admissions climb by 33% in the first five months of 2023, compared with the equivalent period last year, according to data from the Cnc (National Film Board). Compared with an average figure for 2017 to 2019, the performance of the 2023 box office is (only) 12% behind. France’s recovery has been powered by a string of successful local films including “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom,” “Alibi.com 2,” “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan,” “The Crime Is Mine...

Aside from its Palme d’Or for Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” the French cinema world is also celebrating the near-complete recovery of French box office after the pandemic.

Ticket sales are still 11.6 % down on the average levels of 2017 to 2019, but the good news is that the B.O. jumped by 33% with 82.38 million admissions during the first five months of 2023, according to the Cnc (National Film Board).

The upward trend is driven by the spike in anticipated U.S. movies being released — they skyrocketed from 29 in 2022 to 51 in 2023 during the first five months, according to Comscore France. There’s also been a tide of successful French movies, ranging from big-budget, franchise-based movies like Guillaume Canet’s “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom,” Philippe Lacheau’s “Alibi.com 2” and Martin Bourboulon’s “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan,” to original fare like the Omar Sy starrer “Father and Soldier” and François Ozon...

Partnership

Entertainment One (eOne) has solidified its collaboration with U.K. independent production company Hardcash Productions through an exclusive first-look agreement. Under the deal, brokered by Kate Cundall, eOne’s VP of acquisitions, and Robin Barty-King, Hardcash’s business affairs consultant, the partnership aims to develop and produce investigative factual content for the global market. eOne will handle international rights for all projects resulting from this collaboration.

Previously, eOne and Hardcash worked together on the distribution of award-winning documentaries such as “Inside China,” “Fearless: The Women Fighting Putin” and “Outbreak: The Virus that Shook the World,” which have been sold to over 160 territories worldwide.

Cundall said: “Through this collaboration, we’ve secured a unique access to one of the most prestigious documentary makers in the world of factual and documentary programming, and we look forward to continuing to provide award-winning unscripted storytelling to audiences worldwide.”

Esella Hawkey, creative director at Hardcash Productions,...

Imax is ramping up its operations in France, as well as expanding its long-standing relationship with Kinepolis in Europe and North America. In France, Imax will aim to nearly triple the number of its systems from the 22 currently in operation to more than 60. One of those will be in partnership with Belgian exhibitor Kinepolis in Nimes.

Also with Kinepolis, a further seven Imax with Laser systems are due to roll out in Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, Michigan and Ontario.

With regard to France, Imax has been driving strong momentum across box office, network growth and its content portfolio. The market has seen one of the strongest post-pandemic rebounds and is Imax’s No. 7 market globally so far in 2023. The company delivered its best first quarter ever at the French box office with $9.3M — on the heels of its highest-grossing quarter of all time in France with $9.5M in Q4 2022.

So far this year,...

Based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula as well as an Irish legend, the upcoming vampire movie Feed is being launched at the Cannes Market this month, Deadline reports today.

Daisy Jelley (How to Have Sex), Clinton Liberty (Red Election), and Niamh McCormack (“The Witcher”) will star in Feed, which is centered on a female vampiress.

“Inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the Irish legend of Dearg-Due, the film will see a group of twentysomething social media influencers battle for their lives at a remote contemporary mansion when they awaken the world’s original female vampire.”

Deadline notes, “Metro International Entertainment is handling international sales on the project from writer and director Marco van Belle (Arthur & Merlin).

“Ripple World’s Jac Kerrin and Dominic Wright (The Last Rifleman) are producing with Umedia (The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan) as co-producers. Niamh Fagan is executive producer for Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann, which are providing production and development financing.

Exclusive: Daisy Jelley, one of the stars of buzzy Cannes Film Festival debut How to Have Sex, Normal People and Red Election star Clinton Liberty, and The Witcher and Willow actress Niamh McCormack are among the rising Irish and British actors aboard for vampire horror Feed, which is being launched for the Cannes Market.

Inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the Irish legend of Dearg-Due, the film will see a group of twentysomething social media influencers battle for their lives at a remote contemporary mansion when they awaken the world’s original female vampire.

Metro International Entertainment is handling international sales on on the project from writer and director Marco van Belle (Arthur & Merlin).

Ripple World’s Jac Kerrin and Dominic Wright (The Last Rifleman) are producing with Umedia (The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan) as co-producers. Niamh Fagan is executive producer for Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann, which are providing production and development financing.

Film has £15.8m including the Bank Holiday Monday.

Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (May 5-May 7) Total gross to date Week 1. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney) £12.1m £15.8m 1 2. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) £1.3m £50m 5 3. Evil Dead Rise (Studiocanal) £493,732 £4.6m 3 4. The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry (eOne) £336,000 £2.2m 2 5. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) £195,057 £17.1m 7

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26

Disney’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 opened top of the UK-Ireland box office chart this weekend with a powerful £12.1m start – the highest opening of the year to date, and just behind the £13.1m of the second Guardians film.

‘Evil Dead Rise’ started with £1.5m – a healthy result for an 18-rated title.

Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Apr 21-23) Total gross to date Week 1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) £4.3m £41.6m 3 2. Evil Dead Rise (Studiocanal) £1.5m £1.5m 1 3. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (eOne) £769,000 £11.9m 4 4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) £589,676 £15.8m 5 5. Air (Warner Bros) £516,000 £3.7m 3

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.24

Studiocanal’s Evil Dead Rise slashed into the top five of the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, as The Super Mario Bros. Movie stayed in pole position for a third session.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie comfortably held top spot,...

Hail to the King, baby! No, we haven't gone all Coronation crazy, folks. Instead, this week's Empire Podcast sees the return of Chris Hewitt's beloved possessed Goat boy, and all-time favourite filmmaker, Sam Raimi, who rocks up on Zoom to talk about the return of the Evil Dead in Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise. Plus, they talk about -- you'll never guess -- a little film called Evil Dead II, that Chris might have mentioned once or twice on the podcast. But also, hail to the Queen, baby! Chris also has a fun chat, about Deadites, dreams and snakes, with the star of Evil Dead Rise, Australian actress Alyssa Sutherland. Perhaps best listen to that once you've seen the movie.

Then, afflicted by the lurgy and dodgy air con, this week's pod was recorded in the virtual podbooth, with Chris joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for...

Stars: François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, Pio Marmai, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Vicky Krieps, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Lyna Khoudri, Eric Ruf, Marc Barbé | Written by Matthieu Delaporte, Alexandre de La Patellière | Directed by Martin Bourboulon

Directed by Martin Bourboulon, this French adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel is part one of two, with the second (Milady) due to be released in France in December. Positively bursting with French talent, it’s a swashbuckling treat from start to finish, and the best Dumas adaptation in decades.

Set in 1627, the film begins with young Charles D’Artagnan (François Civil) arriving in Paris from Gascony, his heart set on becoming one of the King’s Musketeers. However, things don’t quite go according to plan, and by noon, he’s accidentally offended three of them – nobleman Athos (Vincent Cassel), fun-loving Porthos (Pio Marmai) and elegant Aramis (Romain Duris) – and been challenged to three separate duels.

Another busy week sees 18 new titles in cinemas.

A major horror franchise resurrects itself at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, as Studiocanal’s Evil Dead Rise opens in 587 cinemas – the eighth-widest opening ever for an 18-rated film.

Written and directed by Lee Cronin, Evil Dead Rise follows two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by flesh-possessing demons thrusting them into a battle for survival.

The film stars Australian actresses Lily Sullivan, who starred in Amazon Studios series Picnic At Hanging Rock and features including Galore; and Alyssa Sutherland, from Amazon’s Vikings series.

Rise is the fifth film in the Evil Dead franchise,...

Imax and French exhibitor Megarama have expanded their business relationship with a new three-theater deal.

Megarama is set to launch two large format theaters with laser projection in France, in Givors and Boulogne-Sur-Mer, while opening a third location in Rabat, Morocco. The latest deal will triple Imax’s footprint in France with Megarama and bring the number of Imax theater systems in that rebounding European market to 29.

That includes 23 Imax screens currently operating in France and another six set for installation. Paris-based Megarama recently opened its first Imax location in Bordeaux in Dec. 2022, just in time for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water to play on its giant screen.

Imax is also targeting France with more local content, including Indochine’s Central Tour, the first concert filmed live for Imax and released via its Filmed for Imax camera program, and the more recent release of The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan.

First three months of 2023 also produced company’s highest grossing quarter for local language films.

Imax Corporation has reported the best first quarter box office in its history with $282.2m and its highest grossing quarter for local language films.

Powered by Avatar: The Way Of Water, the quarter beat the company’s previous best effort in 2016 by more than $10m. James Cameron’s tentpole has generated $255m on Imax, making it the company’s highest grossing first-run release of all time.

Creed III has become the highest grossing sports film of all time on Imax with an $18.2m and counting...

Creed III was the top title of the month.

France’s box office continued its year-on-year climb in March, but ended another month still below pre-pandemic levels with 15.77 million ticket sales, up 18.1% from 2022, but down 19.8% from the pre-pandemic 2017-2019 average.

Adonis Creed emerged victorious with Creed III (Warner Bros) holding down the competition as the top title of the month following its March 1 release with 2.1 million ticket and a 16% market share. Entering the ring was Alibi.com 2 (Studiocanal), Philippe Lacheau’s ensemble comedy still going strong since its February 8 release. The film sold 1.1 million tickets in March alone and has...

"The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan" is the new action adventure feature and the first of a two-part 'epic saga' directed by Martin Bourboulon, based on Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel, starring François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï, Romain Duris and Eva Green, opening April 5, 2023 in theaters:

"...the sequel, 'The Three Musketeers: Milady', is set to be released on December 13, 2023. 

"The two-part saga was co-produced by France, Germany and Spain on a $70 million budget and filmed back to back..."

Click the images to enlarge...

"The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan" is the new action adventure feature and the first of a two-part 'epic saga' directed by Martin Bourboulon, based on Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel, starring François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï, Romain Duris and Eva Green, opening April 5, 2023 in theaters:

"...the sequel, 'The Three Musketeers: Milady', is set to be released on December 13, 2023. 

"The two-part saga was co-produced by France, Germany and Spain on a $70 million budget and filmed back to back..."

Click the images to enlarge...

"The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan" is the new action adventure feature and the first of a two-part 'epic saga' directed by Martin Bourboulon, based on Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel, starring François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï, Romain Duris and Eva Green, opening internationally April 2023 in theaters:

"...the sequel, 'The Three Musketeers: Milady', is set to be released on December 13, 2023. 

"The two-part saga was co-produced by France, Germany and Spain on a $70 million budget and filmed back to back..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Vincent Cassel plays Gabriel Delage, a mercenary hired by the French government to extricate two Syrian hackers in “Liaison.” Naturally, the mission goes wrong and he’s got to find the hackers before agents from England get to them and the explosive secrets they’ve uncovered in the globetrotting thriller that premiered its first episode on Apple TV+ on Friday.

In “Liaison,” Cassel’s Gabriel and Eva Green’s character Alison Rowdy, who are on opposite sides of the thorny political situation, work together to stop a series of devastating cyberattacks.

Ahead of the premiere, TheWrap talked to the French actor about the action-packed series. Cassel, who met with real mercenaries to prepare for the role, explained that he didn’t want the fight scenes to be too “flashy.” “I had a particular approach about all these fight scenes in the series, because, [I wanted to make it] realistic. I didn’t want to do anything flashy or long,...

For the first time since 1989, there were no French movies among the country’s top 10 box officers grossers, which was exclusively dominated by U.S. studio movies.

James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” led the 2022 chart with an estimated 54 million grossed from 7.8 million admissions since its Dec. 14 release, followed by “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Minions: the Rise of Gru,” “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “The Batman,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”

But even these blockbusters failed to lift the French box office back to its pre-pandemic levels. It was down 28 on 2019.

Ticket sales reached 152 million in 2022, a 60 year-on increase, but that’s because theaters were shut down for more than 5 months in 2021. Comscore France says the French box office was impacted by several factors, including the threat of Covid variants,...

Entertainment industry heavyweights from France are sharing thoughts on their successes, the challenges they faced in a year overshadowed by Covid, as well as predicting what’s in store for the movie business in 2022.

Some of the country’s milestones in 2021 include the implementation of the E.U.’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (Avms) to get global streamers like Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV Plus to start investing 20% of their annual revenues in French content, which broadcasting authorities (CSA) expect to be from €250 million ($282 million) to €300 million ($330 million) on average annually.

The country’s strict windowing rules are also getting a significant revamp which will allow streamers to have an earlier access — possibly 15 months — to newly released movies, compared with the current 36 months. While the indie film biz and the box office have been weakened by the pandemic, the French industry managed to get local pay TV group Canal Plus...

“The Three Musketeers – d’Artagnan” and “The Three Musketeers – Milady,” the $85 million epic two-part saga based on Alexandre Dumas’ masterpiece produced by Dimitri Rassam’s Paris-based banner Chapter 2 and Pathé Films, has kicked off filming in France. Variety can reveal a first still of the movie (pictured).

The ambitious two-part feature, directed by Martin Bourboulon (“Eiffel”), and based on a script by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière (“What’s in the Name?”), will be shooting entirely in France for 27 weeks through May 2022 for an expected release on Oct. 13.

Prestige locations will be featured in the movie franchise, such as the Louvre Palace, the Hôtel des Invalides, the Castles of Fontainebleau and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Fort la Latte and Chantilly, as well as the citadel of Saint-Malo and the historic city center of Troyes. The star-studded cast is headlined by François Civil, Eva Green and Vincent Cassel as D’Artagnan, Milady and Athos.