After only one week at theaters, Dans une galaxie pres de chez vous, a feature from Montreal’s Zone3 based on its popular Quebec youth TV series, passed the $1-million mark at the box office and now boasts the fifth-highest opening-week gross in Quebec history.

Seraphin holds the top position, having grossed over $1.6 million in its first week, with Les Boys III’s opening-week take of $1.5 million-plus making it a close second.

TVA Films released the pic April 9 at 75 theaters, and as of April 15 Galaxie grossed a total of $1.28 million. After the film’s second weekend on the big screen, it expanded to 79 theaters and its take grew to over $1.5 million, almost equaling what Christal Films’ successful release of Le Dernier tunnel grossed in the first five weeks of its release (its total as of April 15 was $1.53 million).

TVA Films executive VP Marie-Claude Poulin says making Galaxie attractive to adults as well as teens was key to the feature’s breakout success.

‘We had high expectations, obviously, but [the film’s first week] went way beyond,’ she says. ‘The hard thing was to get the public to see that this is not just a film for teens but a film for the whole family, and we did that, which has certainly contributed to the success of the film.’

Directed by Claude Desrosiers, the sci-fi comedy stars Guy Jodoin, Sylvie Moreau and Stephane Crete.

TVA also has high hopes for its April 30 release of Guy Maddin’s The Saddest Music in the World. A platform release is planned, with the film opening in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal at a total of five theaters.

‘This is an important Canadian film from [TVA’s] perspective and we’re hoping to break this film in a way none of Guy Maddin’s other movies have,’ says John Fulton, executive director and VP of distribution at TVA’s Toronto office.