MONTREAL: Distrib Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm reports the Charles Biname historical drama Seraphin: Un homme et son peche ranked second overall at the Quebec box office over the Jan. 10-12 weekend, taking in receipts of $326,497 on 76 screens. The film had total receipts of $6.6 million as it started its seventh week in theatres, surpassing the all-time high set by the hockey comedy Les Boys I, which earned $6.1 million on local screens back in 1997/98.

Seraphin, produced by Cite-Amerique, opened on 123 screens on Nov. 29 and had pulled in $5 million by the end of the year.

A spokesperson for Vivafilm says more than $1 million has been spent marketing Seraphin and she expects ongoing print, radio and TV advertising to keep the film near the top of the charts for at least another month.

A limited release in the English-Canadian market is in the works.

French-language Quebec films grossed approximately $15 million at the box office in 2002, up 50% from last year’s $10-million total take and increasing the French-track market share for homegrown films from 9% to 12%.