Beetlejuice and Kaizen's dizzying rise at the French box office

The Count of Monte Cristo, who until now triumphed at the top, is no longer a match for a bio-exorcist and a YouTuber who does not suffer from vertigo. (Source: Le Film Français)

The climb towards the peak of the box office has seen many ups and downs during the week – especially for new releases – but also some sometimes dizzying falls.

Halloween is still a long way off, but already, ghosts from beyond are haunting the scores, with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice which reaches the top. For its first week of operation, the return of Tim Burton's bio exorcist sold almost 638,000 tickets. Enough to bring the franchise back to life while the first part released in 1988 had brought 628,000 spectators to theaters… at the end of the race. With such a score, this sequel is therefore doing better than its predecessor, but also Dumbo (550,574 admissions), the latest feature film by the gothic filmmaker released in theaters in 2019. It still falls short from Sleepy Hollow, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Childrenas well as the million exceeded in the space of just one week by Planet of the Apes (2001) and Alice in Wonderland (2010). Let us recall that the latter remains Tim Burton's biggest success in the world, and in France with more than 4.5 million admissions in total.

He had aimed for the highest point of this box office, and he almost succeeded. The YouTuber Inoxtag will have to honorably settle for second place. His documentary Kaizen, 1 year to climb Everest, staging his personal challenge, sold a total of 311,710 tickets following the unique sessions organized on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 September. Now available for free on his YouTube channel, Kaizen benefited from an exceptional theatrical release, distributed by MK2. With a violation of the temporary visa granted to event outings – which has created controversy in the professional world.

To close the podium, fallen, The Count of Monte Cristo loses its title. The hype surrounding the film gradually fades as the days go by. After its twelfth week of operation, it is losing momentum, but is gradually approaching a new milestone in its ascent – ​​that of nine thousand admissions. To surpass the significant ten thousand mark, we will have to hang on a little longer. All hope is not lost.

At his heels, we find The Threadofficial selection at the special screenings of the Cannes Film Festival, with 212,000 spectators gathered in the theater. Directed by and with Daniel Auteuil, the film relates a particular case in the career of a lawyer, convinced of the innocence of his client accused of the murder of his wife. It is half as many admissions as LThe Well-Digger's Daughter (2011), by the same director/actor.

For Emilia Perez, the musical that plays with genres, it's a tumble. Hanging on to the podium since its release four weeks ago, it has to settle for fifth place with 760,000 tickets sold over the period. It should be noted, however, that there has been a slight increase in the number of copies made available in theaters, going over one hundred. Added to its recent selection to represent France at the 2025 Oscars for best foreign film, the new Jacques Audiard could get back into the race and climb to the 868,000 admissions of its predecessor The Sisters Brothers (2018) ?

Three feature films have arrived, three have left. Exit Tatami – which only lasted one week in the top 10 – Despicable Me 4, as well as Jim's Novel.

Halfway through, Blake Lively, Jamais Plus – It Ends wih Uswho until then closed the podium, lost three places and finished sixth with a million tickets sold. Never one without the other, Ryan Reynolds follows very closely behind his wife with Deadpool & Wolverine. For the first time, the two heroes fall below 100,000 tickets sold per week and accumulate more than 3,623,000 admissions. It is therefore not far from surpassing the original opus released in 2016. Within this weekly top, it is the third most successful film, present since the beginning of its operation, behind the 8.3 million admissions of the Count of Monte Cristotherefore, and the 10.6 ofA little something extra, which is starting its 20th week in theaters. But Artus' comedy falls to the penultimate place, sensing its imminent exit from the game.

Just like the Marvel, Alien: Romulusthe latest addition to the franchise, has not reached 100,000 viewers for the first time since its release, but is holding on to eighth place. At the foot of Everest, the duo Didier Bourdon and Gérard Darmon, present in In the old way, have accumulated 174,370 entries. Mountaineering may not be their strong point.

New climbers coming soon. James McAvoy terrifying in Speak No Evil Will he be able to scare Michael Keaton? Not to mention the anticipation around Seeds of the wild fig treeSpecial Prize at Cannes, whose release coincides with the anniversary of the Iranian Movement Women, Life, Freedom, at the heart of the story, which could allow it to confidently climb the box office?

Here is the weekly French box office from September 11 to 17, 2024 :