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Xavier Gens, the popular genre filmmaker behind Netflix’s hit shark movie “Under Paris,” “Mayhem!” and “Gangs of London,” will next direct “Lady Chang.” The Thailand-set psychological thriller will be headlined by up-and-comer Anais Parello (“Under Paris”). Studiocanal will distribute in France and will handle international sales.

The film will also star Pascale Arbillot and Anne Marivin, as well as Franck Dubosc (“Rolling to You”), an actor well known for starring in successful French comedies who will make a rare incursion in a non-comedic role.

“Lady Chang” is produced by Vincent Roget via his and Gens’ Same Player outfit, and co-produced by genre specialists Wtf films. Set to start shooting on location on May 12 for nine weeks, the film has also been acquired by Amazon Prime Video, as well as the broadcaster France Televisions and pay TV channel Ocs. It will shoot in English, French and Thai.

The film follows Léna,...

International film biz pros may be gearing up for the Berlinale and its European Film Market in February, but most of Europe’s top buyers were already back on the circuit last week for the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris showcasing French movies, series and talent.

The market component of the 27th edition, running January 14 to 17, swapped its recent location of the swanky Champs-Elysées Avenue eighth arrondissement for the grittier but storied Left Bank neighborhood of Montparnasse.

More than 80 French film and TV sales companies set up residence in the hangar-like Espace Pullman in the shadow of the Montparnasse Tower, to showcase their new French-language wares to 500 buyers from roughly 40 mainly European territories.

After years of being crammed into separate rooms, it was the first time France’s film and TV sales sectors were together in the same space and there was a different kind of energy.

“There’s a real market feel this year,...

Family Pack on Netflix must be one of the weirdest fantasy fiction comedies out there. There are board games, mythical creatures, time travel, and a family that has no clue how to navigate through another timeline. There are only a few characters in the film primarily from the family itself who are trying to win the game. It is essential to win, and the family goes out of their way to do that.

Jerome

Veteran actor Franck Dubosc is Jerome, father of Louise and Clara and stepfather to Theo. Jerome comes across as someone who wants to spend some time with the family. He claims to be a fan of the board game “Werewolves,” something his father has forgotten about thanks to his dementia. After unsuccessfully convincing his family to play, all of them inadvertently fall into this 15th-century board game. It took a while for Jerome to conclude that...

Netflix’s Family Pack—originally titled Loups-Garous—is a French adventure-comedy that takes audiences on a time-traveling journey to the Middle Ages. Directed by François Uzan, known for his work on Lupin, this family-friendly thriller centers on a modern family who unexpectedly finds themselves transported back to the year 1497 after playing an old board game, The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow. Here’s a complete breakdown of the cast and characters in Family Pack, a fantastical medieval tale.

What is the Netflix movie ‘Family Pack’ about?

When Jérôme, Marie, and their kids travel to the countryside to visit Gilbert, they uncover a dusty board game, The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow. An earthquake soon throws them into a different era, where their modern-day instincts and skills are tested in the 15th century. They discover they’ve been thrust into a dangerous game where they must use newfound powers to battle werewolves each night,...

After dusting off an old board game, one family is transported to the year 1497. They can’t quite figure out why — until they realize they’ve become players in an all-too-real game of Werewolf. Can they save themselves from the deadly medieval werewolves in their midst? Directed and co-written by François Uzan (Lupin), the French film Family Pack (Loups-Garous) stars Jean Reno, Franck Dubosc, and Suzanne Clément. It’s based on the board game The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow.

Stream it now.

Watch it at the top of this article.

Jérôme Vassier (Dubosc) and his wife, Marie (Clément), are spending a few days with Jérôme’s father, Gilbert (Reno), at the old family house in the countryside. They’ve brought their children, Clara (Do Couto), Théo (Romand), and Louise (Caugnies), along with them, and the trip’s already a little chaotic — elderly Gilbert’s having trouble remembering much of...

With Halloween now less than a week away, the new horror releases are showing no signs of slowing down. This week alone, 10 more new movies have arrived to haunt and entertain you.

Here’s all the new horror released from October 21 – October 27, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

In the wake of Mr. Crocket, Hulu’s “Huluween” lineup continues this week with the original horror-comedy Carved, which spewed pumpkin guts onto the platform beginning Monday.

“When a heartbroken teenage playwright, her younger brother, and a disparate group of survivors become trapped in a historical reenactment village on Halloween night, they must band together to survive a relentless assault by a sentient and vengeful pumpkin.”

Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Corey Fogelmanis, Wyatt Lindner, Carla Jimenez, Sasha Mason, Jonah Lees, DJ Qualls, Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur, Elvis Nolasco, Matty Cardarople, Jackson Kelly, and Chris Elliott star in the Halloween horror movie Carved.

Does A board game transporting the players to another world, where they would have to use their predetermined powers and wits to foil the plan of a mystical evil sound familiar? Well, because it is. Now, if I tell you there is a pack of werewolves involved and a version of Leonardo da Vinci in the same world. However silly it sounds, you cannot help but feel intrigued by the sheer absurdness of this premise. That is what Francois Uzan’s “Family Pack” (Original title: Loups-Garous) has in its strength column. That helps the French film rise above the obvious familiarity with “Jumanji.” The goofy texture of the story elevates the otherwise generic medieval fantasy tale, helping it become a classic escapist funfair for the holiday seasons.

Family Pack ‘Netflix’ Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis: A Journey into a Medieval Game Reality

“Family Pack” starts with an introduction of the family via casual conversations.

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Family Pack is a French adventure fantasy comedy film directed by François Uzan who also co-wrote the screenplay with Céleste Balin and Hervé Marly. Based on the best-selling game The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow, the Netflix film follows a family who are transported back in time after playing a card game where they have to unmask werewolves if they want to return home. Family Pack stars Franck Dubosc, Jean Reno, Suzanne Clément, Grégory Fitoussi, Bruno Gouery, Jonathan Lambert, and Lisa Do Couto. So, if you loved the fun adventure, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in Netflix’s Family Pack here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Sony Pictures

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is an adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan from...

Netflix’s Family Pack, based on the game Werewolves of Millers Hollow created by Philippe Des Pallières & Hervé Marly and published by Asmodee Group, isn’t the first feature based on a werewolf whodunnit mystery game that’s designed to induce paranoia amongst players. It’s also not the first to mine that setup for laughs over scares, either. It’s not the core concept that sets Family Pack apart, but rather writer/director François Uzan‘s enchanting and heartwarming interpretation of the werewolf whodunnit board game. Nothing unites or delights quite like a family bonding through time travel and hunting werewolves together.

Family Pack introduces its central family amidst a chaotic gathering. Dad Jérôme (Franck Dubosc) has corralled his wife Marie (Suzanne Clément), aspiring influencer daughter Clara (Lisa Do Couto Texeira), stepson Théo (Raphael Romand), and young daughter Louise (Alizée Caugnies) together at grandpa Gilbert’s (Jean Reno) house...

“Family Pack” is a Netflix movie starring Franck Dubosc and Jean Reno. It is directed by François Uzan.

“Family Pack” is a delightful family movie that doesn’t aim to challenge anyone’s mental frameworks: it’s a fun family entertainment featuring a family that travels back in time to the 15th century. The film is entertaining, amusing, and without too many aesthetic aspirations. It’s a good family comedy designed to fulfill its purpose without any ambition to become a classic in the history of cinema.

Plot

The story follows a French family who, through a magical book, finds themselves playing a mystical game where each member is assigned a unique role and special ability. They must navigate the challenges of the Middle Ages and protect their daughter, who has been transformed into a werewolf by the game.

About the Film

Entertaining and unpretentious, “Family Pack” is a solid...

Ever wish you could travel back in time for a magical adventure? A French family gets just that experience when an old board game transports them to a village full of mysteries and monsters.

Family Pack tells the story of a group struggling to connect who find themselves in a truly unexpected situation. When they decide to play an antique game one of the grandfathers owned, suddenly they’re thrown back centuries to a very different world.

They awaken to find they’ve been moved to a medieval French hamlet, but something isn’t quite right. Strange happenings have been occurring every night, with villagers being attacked by an unseen menace. It seems this sleepy community is dealing with a wolf problem of the supernatural variety. Now werewolves prowl under the moonlight, instilling terror among the townsfolk. With no way to identify the creatures, paranoia runs high.

Trying to uncover...

A family playing a game are sent back in time to a medieval village where they must kill werewolves in order to return to the future

This rather sweet time-travelling comedy raises welcome memories of French classic Les Visiteurs, especially with the latter’s star Jean Reno on board. On this occasion, he’s headed in the opposite direction, as a grandfather with dementia sent back to 1497 after finishing a round of a Jumanji-style magical game with his family. The film is based on the card game Werewolves of Millers Hollow, but manages to be not too cynical for a giant extended advert, with a certain bubbly spontaneity.

Despite his house being transmogrified into a timber cottage, Gilbert (Reno) finds that his mind has been restored after crash landing in the medieval era. And that’s not all: each family member has been gifted a power related to the...

“Family Pack” is a new France-produced feature film adaptation of the fantasy card game “The Werewolves of Millers Hollow” by Philippe des Pallières and Hervé Marly, directed by François Uzan, starring Jean Reno, Franck Dubosc, Suzanne Clément, Jonathan Lambert, Gregory Fitoussi, Bruno Gouery, Lisa Do Couto Texeira, Raphael Romand and Alizée Caugnies, streaming October 23, 2024 on Netflix:

“… a family of six gets transported back in time to a medieval village while playing an old card game about finding the hidden ‘werewolves’ within the village. In order to get back to their time, they must win the game by unmasking all of the werewolves…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

In the board game The Werewolves of Millers Hollow, paranoia and mistrust ensue as players seek to uncover the hidden identity of a werewolf in their midst. Coming to Netflix on the road to Halloween, the French comedy feature Family Pack adapts the horror board game.

Family Pack debuts October 23 on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.

François Uzan (“Lupin”) helms the family-friendly feature.

In the film, “After discovering a mysterious card game, a family is thrust back in time to a medieval village where they must fend off dangerous werewolves each night.”

Franck Dubosc, Jean Reno, and Suzanne Clément star.

The post ‘Family Pack’ – ‘Jumanji’ Meets Werewolves in Family-Friendly Netflix Horror Movie [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

"To win the game, we must identify all the Werewolves and kill them before they kill us." Let's play! Netflix has unveiled the full official trailer for a French adventure comedy movie titled Family Pack, and even though it has werewolves in it, it's less of a horror than it is an action movie. Set for a streaming release on Netflix this October. Made by a French filmmaker named François Uzan, not to be confused with the other French filmmaker François Ozon. When night falls, and the players have their eyes closed, werewolves make victims among the villagers. The film is based a board game (known as "The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow" from Zygomatic), and it's about a family that is sent back to medieval times when they start playing the game. Kind of like the Jumanji movies, where they get sucked into the game - but this has werewolves in it they must kill.

Netflix has just announced its complete Fall 2024 lineup, giving us premiere dates for a small handful of horror movies coming to the streaming service this Halloween season.

Netflix previews in an official statement, “Netflix is firing up a new slate of thrilling titles just in time for autumn, and you’re invited to sit down and warm up. So turn on the TV and take a peek at your options — there are plenty of new movies just around the corner this fall.”

Here are the horror highlights from Netflix’s Fall 2024 schedule…

It’S What’S Inside – October 4

Fresh off the film’s premiere at Sundance earlier this year, Netflix opened up their check book and shelled out a whopping $17 million to acquire worldwide rights to It’s What’s Inside.

Oscar nominee Colman Domingo is an Exec Producer on It’s What’s Inside, the thriller that drew raves at...

Gaumont has added French-language action feature The Orphans starring Dali Benssalah, Alban Lenoir, Anouk Grinberg and Sonia Faidi, to its Cannes slate.

The film is the first feature from Olivier Schneider who has worked as stunt coordinator on films including No Time To Die, Spectre, Taken and Fast and Furious X. It is about a cop and a mob fixer who team up to search for the killer of a former friend from their orphanage. Producers are Inoxy Films and Gaumont.

“Our ambition is to rehabilitate the French action movie and bring it back to cinemas,” said Alexis Cassanet, Gaumont’s head of international sales.

"The beasts are coming." "There are beasts, too?" Netflix has revealed the first teaser trailer for a French adventure comedy movie titled Family Pack, and even though it has werewolves in it, it's less of a horror than it is an action movie. Made by a French filmmaker named François Uzan, not to be confused with the other French filmmaker François Ozon. When night falls, and the players have their eyes closed, werewolves make victims among the villagers. The film is based a board game (known as "The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow" from Zygomatic), and it's about a family that is sent back to medieval times when they start playing the game. Kind of like the Jumanji movies, where they get sucked into the game - but this has werewolves in it they must fight off. Family Pack stars Franck Dubosc, Suzanne Clément, Jonathan Lambert, Grégory Fitoussi, Bruno Gouery, and Jean Reno.

“Cat and Dog” is a comedy movie written and directed by Reem Kherici starring Franck Dubosc, Reem Kherici and Philippe Lacheau.

This movie is a mix of human actors where only Reem Kherici stands out. She’s inspired, cheerful, and fluid in her role. The two male protagonists just do their job. However, the film introduces two true stars to save the day: a dog and a kitten, two computer-generated characters that truly steal the show.

The script is simple and unassuming. The special effects are nothing outstanding, but the puppy and kitten are so charming that it’s worth overlooking the film’s cinematic shortcomings and simply bask in the cuteness and charm of these two new pals.

Plot

As Monica and Jack prepared for takeoff, they suddenly realized that their respective pets, Diva and Chichi, were missing on the tarmac. Monica’s famous influencer cat and Jack’s...

In the board game The Werewolves of Thiercelieux, inspired by Werewolf, paranoia and mistrust ensues as players seek to uncover the hidden identity of a werewolf in their midst. Netflix unveiled a first look image at Family Pack this morning, a French comedy that adapts the game for what looks to be a fun werewolf romp.

As if that’s not intriguing enough, the cast includes Léon: The Professional actor Jean Reno!

The logline for Family Pack: “After discovering a mysterious card game, a family is thrust back in time to a medieval village where they must fend off dangerous werewolves each night.”

François Uzan (“Lupin”) helms the family-friendly feature.

The first look image gives us a peek at the cast of players unwittingly thrust into the werewolf fray. That includes Franck Dubosc, Jean Reno, Suzanne Clément, Jonathan Lambert, and Gregory Fitoussi.

Netflix France also unveiled a teaser video that...

French authorities have dismissed the sexual assault complaint filed against Gérard Depardieu by French actress Hélène Darras due to the local statute of limitations.

Darras lodged the complaint, related to events on the set of the 2007 dance comedy Disco, with the Paris Prosecutor’s Office on September 10, 2023. The case was first reported by France 2’s investigative show Complément d’Enquête in teased extracts of an edition devoted to Depardieu and the multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him.

In the show’s interview with Darras, she recounted how Depardieu hounded her on the set of Disco when she was a 26-year-old novice actress. She had a small role as a dance competition contestant in the comedy, directed by Fabien Onteniente and starring Franck Dubosc with Depardieu in a supporting role.

“He was unmanageable,” she said of Depardieu. “He looked at me as if I were a piece of meat. I was...

French actress Hélène Darras has filed an official complaint against Gérard Depardieu, claiming the French star sexually assaulted her on the set of the 2007 film Disco.

Darras is the second woman to go public with allegations against Depardieu, following actress Charlotte Arnould who filed a complaint in 2018, accusing the 74-year-old actor of rape. Arnould’s case is currently working its way through the courts. Depardieu has denied all charges.

Complément d’Enquête, an investigative news show on France 2, broke the Darras news, teasing extracts of an exclusive interview with the actress, which will air on French TV on Thursday night.

French media is reporting that Darras lodged her complaint with the Paris Prosecutor’s Office on Sept. 10.

In the show’s interview with Darras, she recounts how Depardieu harassed her on the set of Disco when she was 26 years old and had a walk-on role as a dance competition contestant. The...

A second woman has filed an official complaint against French actor Gérard Depardieu accusing him of sexual assault.

According to local media reports, French actress Hélène Darras lodged a complaint, related to events on the set of the 2007 dance comedy Disco, with the Paris Prosecutor’s Office on September 10.

The case was first reported by France 2’s investigative show Complément d’Enquête in teased extracts of an edition devoted to Depardieu and the mounting sexual misconduct allegations against him, which airs at 11pm Cet this evening.

The show is also set to reveal material capturing Depardieu talking in a sexually inappropriate way to a young female interpreter assigned to him during a visit to North Korea in 2018.

In the show’s interview with Darras, she recounts how Depardieu hounded her on the set of Disco when she was a 26-year-old novice actress. She had a small role as a dance competition contestant in the comedy,...

AFM slate also includes a blend of local drama, comedy and thriller titles.

Orange Studio will kick off sales at AFM for Like A Prince, the debut feature from actor Ali Marhyar about a star boxer attempting a career comeback in a French chateau after a bar fight gone wrong.

Like A Prince stars Ahmed Sylla as the titular athlete who is sentenced to community service at the prestigious Château de Chambord following a bar fight that injures him and threatens his career. There, amidst horses, strange bosses and knight-inspired stunts, he meets a foster child with a knack for...

Line-up includes ’Meet The Leroys’ starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and José Garcia.

Newen Connect has added a trio of star-powered French comedies – Meet The Leroys, Here & There and Karaoké – to its slate and the TF1-owned company will kick off sales for the new films at AFM.

Meet The Leroys is written and directed by International Emmy-nominated Florent Bernard (Le Flambeau) and stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and José Garcia in a story of a man facing divorce who attempts to rekindle his wife’s affections by taking her and their teenage children on a road trip down memory lane.

The film is...

Lucas Bernard’s romantic comedy ’In The Sub For Love’ is another new acquisition for French studio.

French studio Gaumont has unveiled a hefty genre-hopping Cannes slate complete with all new acquisitions Gilles de Maistre’s family adventure Moon The Panda, Stéphane Brizé’s romance drama Out Of Season and Lucas Bernard’s romantic comedy In The Sub For Love in addition to a slew of market premieres and official selection festival titles.

New acquisitions

Moon The Panda is the latest film from the master of the human-animal adventure tale Gilles de Maistre following Mia And The White Lion and The Wolf And The Lion.

French seller will also market premiere ’Magnificat’ and ’All Because Of The Cat’.

Orange Studio will unveil exclusive first footage from Léa Domenach’s Bernadette starring Catherine Deneuve as former French first lady Bernadette Chirac and from Philippe Lefebvre’s star-powered comedy New Beginnings at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris this week.

Set to be released via Warner Bros. France later in 2023, Bernadette has been one of the French film world’s buzziest titles in recent months since the legendary Deneuve took on the role.

The film follows a fictionalised Bernadette Chirac as she navigates stepping out of the shadows of her husband,...

Gaumont is set to unveil sprawling period thriller “The Colors of Fire,” based on Pierre Lemaitre’s international bestseller.

Directed by Clovis Cornillac, “The Colors of Fire” is headlined by a prestigious cast, including Lea Drucker (pictured), the Cesar-winning actor of “Custody,” as well as Benoit Poelvoorde (“Sink or Swim”), Olivier Gourmet (“Karl Marx”), Fanny Ardant (“DNA”), Alice Isaaz (“Elle”) and Cornillac.

Set for delivery in the second half of 2021, “The Colors of Fire” is budgeted at $16 million — a big budget by French standards — and is being produced in-house by Gaumont, as part of the company’s recent mandate to fully finance and produce select films. The movie is in post and shot entirely in Paris.

Lemaitre, author of “The Colors of Fire,” previously wrote “See You Up There,” whose film adaptation directed by Albert Dupontel won five César Awards and sold more two million theatrical admissions in France.

“Although...

The fourth series of Call My Agent will close the festival.

Dutch actresses Halina Reijn and Carice van Houten’s new drama Red Light and UK supernatural comedy horror tale Truth Seekers are among 10 upcoming series due to compete in the third edition of Canneseries which is taking place as a hybrid event from October 9 to 14.

The annual television festival was originally set to run last April alongside Miptv until the content market cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The festival was rescheduled for October to run alongside MIPCOM instead, which has since moved online due to ongoing health concerns around the virus.

Gaumont is reteaming with actor-turned-director Franck Dubosc on another comedy: “Rumba Therapy” follows his hit 2018 pic “Rolling to You,” which was one of the highest-grossing films in France and abroad.

“Rumba Therapy” stars Dubosc as a man in his 50s who lives alone after having abandoned his wife and baby decades earlier. He sets off to reconnect with his daughter (Louna Espinosa), who has become a dance teacher. He signs up for her classes, even if he hates dancing.

Like “Rolling to You,” “Rumba Therapy” is a crowd-pleaser weaving comedy and emotion, and centering on a flawed protagonist who draws empathy from the audience.

“Rumba Therapy” is one of the few movies that Gaumont is producing in-house. “Rolling to You,” which was also produced in-house by Gaumont, was a major hit in France where it sold 2.5 million tickets, as well as abroad where it grossed $25 million.

“Rumba Therapy” will start...

Boutonnat is a close associate of French president Emmanuel Macron.

Producer Dominique Boutonnat has been named as the new president of France’s National Cinema Centre (Cnc) in a controversial move by French president Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government.

He replaces long-running chief Frédérique Bredin, who stepped down abruptly on July 10 amid a growing row over government plans to overhaul France’s successful and generous state film funding system.

Many cinema professionals are suspicious of Boutonnat who is a close associate of Macron and financier of his 2017 presidential election campaign, as well as the author of a controversial government-commissioned report...

Following the French box office hit “Rolling to You,” Gaumont is re-teaming with the film’s stars, Franck Dubosc and Alexandra Lamy, on “Family Swap,” a comedy about a dysfunctional family whose members swap bodies.

The film will start shooting in September, with Jean-Patrick Benes (“Ugly Melanie”) directing. The story follows the Morels, including two teenagers and a 7-year-old kid who are driving their parents out of their minds. One morning, they all wake up inside each other’s bodies.

Gaumont worked with Dubosc on his directorial debut, “Rolling to You,” which was one of France’s highest-grossing local films in 2018, with about $20 million locally, and $25 million abroad. Karé Prods. is producing “Swap,” and Gaumont is co-producing, distributing in France and handling international sales.

Gaumont, which is in Cannes with Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s closing night film “The Specials,” has also boarded “Heart of Oak,” a music-filled, 4K-lensed...

TF1 Studio has picked up Ludovic Colbeau-Justin’s “The Lion,” a high-concept action comedy starring Dany Boon (“Welcome to the Ch’tis”) and Philippe Katerine (“Sink or Swim”).

Set to start shooting next week, the movie follows Romain, a psychologist who is fascinated by his patient, Leo Milan, who claims to be a highly-trained international spy, code-named The Lion. When Romain’s fiancée is kidnapped, just as The Lion predicted, Romain realizes that Leo is the only one who seems to know what’s going on and the only one who has the skills to rescue her. Desperate, Romain embarks on a frantic chase across Paris with The Lion to rescue Louise and protect France’s central bank from the heist of the century.

The movie will be lensing in Paris and in Dubai for a few days. Monkey Pack Films is producing the film. TF1 Studio is representing the...

Other Angle has picked up international sales rights to “A Good Doctor” with Michel Blanc, “Just The Three of Us” with Catherine Frot, and “The Father Figure” in the run-up to the UniFrance’s Rendez-Vous in Paris.

Directed by Eric Besnard, “The Father Figure” is a supernatural comedy drama following a writer who mourns the death of his father and starts seeing him reappear; but he turns out to be the only one able to see him. The film stars François Berleand, Guillaume de Tonquedec and Josiane Balasko.

“Just the Three of Us,” which marks the feature debut of José Alcala, is a love-triangle comedy starring Daniel Auteuil and Catherine Frot. Auteuil stars a man on a mission to get his wife back after she leaves him for another man. Both “The Father Figure” and “Just The Three of Us” will be released by Apollo Films in France.

“A Good Doctor,...

After recording its third-highest number in the last 50 years in 2017, French theatrical admissions are on track for a 4% drop this year, with an estimated 201 million sold. In dollar terms, however, the French box office is expected to clock in at about €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion), on par with last year, bolstered by the increase of ticket sales for premium large formats such as Imax, Dolby Cinema and 4Dx.

While fewer Hollywood blockbusters drew in French audiences compared with last year, two domestic films managed to sell more than 5 million tickets (grossing more than $37 million each) and four ranked in the top 10. A pair of French comedies released by Pathé, “Les Tuche 3” and Dany Boon’s “La ch’tite famille,” ranked second and third, behind Disney’s “Incredibles 2,” which took in about $44.5 million.

The other top-grossing French films of 2018 were Gilles Lellouche’s “Sink or Swim” (pictured), a star-driven dramedy about a men’s synchronized swimming team,...

Comic-Con isn’t the only movie convention generating buzz this week. Fledgling Italian distributor Vision, the potent collaboration between Sky Italia and leading local producers Cattleya, Wildside, Lucisano Media Group, Palomar and Indiana Production Company, revealed an impressive upcoming movie slate this week at Italian trade event Cinema Days.

Among buzzy projects revealed on the lineup was crime pic La Paranza Dei Bambini (literally Kids Gang), Gomorrah writer Roberto Saviano’s adaptation of his best-selling novel about youth gangs in Naples.

In the book, a new kind of gang rules the streets, the Paranze are groups of teenage boys who divide their time between Facebook or Call of Duty, and stalking the streets armed with pistols and Ak-47s in order to mark out their mafia bosses’ territories.

It tells the story of the rise of one such gang and its leader, Nicolas, known to his friends and enemies as...

Exclusive: Co-stars Jean Reno and Christian Clavier to hit Cannes today (May 15).

Gaumont’s The Visitors: Bastille Day, a reboot of the popular French 1990s film franchise starring Jean Reno and Christian Clavier, has been racking up buyers since its launch at the Efm.

The film, which is in post-production, has sold to Benelux (Paradiso Filmed Entertainment), Spain (A Contracorriente Films), Switzerland (Jmh Distributions), Cis (Luxor Entertainment), Greece (Odeon), Turkey (Ozen Film), China (H.G.C. Entertainment), Middle East (Four Star), Portugal (Outsider Films) and Gaumont has done a pan-European deal with Monolith/Freeman.

The cast of the film, led by Reno and Clavier as comic time travellers Godefroy the Hardy and Jacquasse the Crass, will hit the Croisette today (May 15) to meet buyers.

“The franchise is back…fresh, modern and blending all generations of actors for a large audience,” said Gaumont sales chief Cécile Gaget.

Directed by franchise creator Jean-Marie Poire, The Visitors:...

Exclusive: Kill Your Friends, Return to Sender among pick-ups.

Ascot Elite has acquired a trio of films for German-speaking Europe including UK thriller Kill Your Friends from Altitude.

Nicholas Hoult, James Corden and Rosanna Arquette star in the thriller about an A&R man working at the height of the Britpop music craze who goes to extremes in order to find his next hit.

The outfit also acquired thriller Return to Sender from Voltage for German-speaking Europe including all Switzerland.

Rosamund Pike and Nick Nolte are among the cast of the film in which a nurse living in a small town goes on a blind date with a man who is not all he seems.

Ascot has also taken all rights in German-speaking Europe, excluding Switzerland, for the French comedy Bis from Europacorp.

Kad Merad and Franck Dubosc star in the comedy about two friends, unsatisfied with their current lives, who accidentally...

Exclusive: New sequel to hit French time travel film starring Jean Reno and Christian Clavier set for 2016.

Some 20 years after Gaumont’s comic time travellers Godefroy the Hardy and Jacquasse the Crass first touched down in 1990s France, they are set to hit the big screen again next year in The Visitors: Bastille Day.

Gaumont International will launch sales on the third instalment of the highly successful time travel franchise at Berlin’s European Film Market (Efm) (Feb 5-13).

“The first two films were hits at home and also did well across Europe. We’re expecting it to be one of our top-selling titles at the Efm,” said Gaumont deputy head of sales Yohann Comte.

Popular French actor Christian Clavier, who is on a roll at the moment after the success of Serial (Bad) Weddings and Do Not Disturb, will reprise his role as Jacquasse the Crass, the uncouth servant of bumbling knight Godefroy the Hardy, played...

Best known for directing Marion Cotillard to worldwide fame and an Oscar win in "La Vie En Rose," director Olivier Dahan has lined up his project and unlike his latest effort--the largely forgotten country music drama "My Own Love Song" which is heading straight-to-dvd--he's getting out of the music world and stepping into sports instead. Tout Le Cine reports that an ensemble cast including José Garcia, Gad Elmaleh (who will be seen in Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris"), Ramzy Bedia, Franck Dubosc, Omar Sy, Joey Starr and Jean-Pierre Marielle have been assembled for the soccer comedy "Les Seigneurs." The film…...

Sam Worthington in Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans (top); Mia Wasikowska in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (upper middle); Franck Dubosc, Mathilde Seigner, Claude Brasseur, Mylène Demongeot in Fabien Onteniente’s Camping 2 (lower middle); Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu in Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine’s Mammuth (bottom) Robert Pattinson’s Remember Me Surprisingly Jumps 17%; Kristen Stewart’s The Runaways Down: Box Office Internationally, Clash of the Titans, starring Avatar’s Sam Worthington, remained the #1 movie this past weekend with an estimated $32 million in 60 markets, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Overseas total to date: $240.4 million. Clash of the Titans‘ month-long reign, however, will likely end when Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr, opens in several markets next week [...]...

Rounding out a month as the No. 1 title on the foreign theatrical circuit, "Clash of the Titans" claimed an estimated $32 million from 10,075 screens in 60 markets on the weekend, raising its overseas boxoffice total to $240.4 million.

"Titans'" offshore domination ends this week as an early-to-arrive summer season, thanks to the June 11-July 11 World Cup, kicks off this week. Paramount's "Iron Man 2" begins its overseas run on Wed. in six markets, including France, Belgium, Sweden and Norway.

A Japan opening at 481 screens generated for the 3D update of MGM's 1981 action fantasy based on Greek mythology $3.1 million, including paid previews. In all, said distributor Warner Bros., 3D venues provided 64% of "Titans'" overseas gross.

Taking second place on the weekend was Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," which tallied $26.7 million in its eighth round on the foreign circuit from 7,233 venues in 54 markets. A Brazil bow generated $5.7 million from 649 locations, Disney's biggest market gross ever for this market.

From French funnyman, director Yann Moix, comes Cineman, an exorcise in meta-cinematic hi-jinx that I'm truly hoping will do a better job at bringing the laughs than Michel Gondry did with Be Kind Rewind. It definitely looks vibrant, playful and full of a ton of cinephilic-fun.

Synopsis:

A bumbling professor of Mathematics at Montreuil-sous-Bois, Regis Deloux was suddenly able to travel in the film where he finally meets the woman of his dreams.

Besides the hilarious Franck Dubosc, Cineman also stars British actress Lucy Gordon who is playing Jane Birkin in the upcoming biopic, Serge Gainsbourg, vie héroïque. Gordon was sadly found dead in her Paris apartment back in May.

Cineman sees release in France on 28 October 2009.

Trailer after the break, plus see more zany poster art at cineman-lefilm.com

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