After its third week on the big screen, Aurore, the directorial debut of screenwriter Luc Dionne (Monica la mitraille), has grossed more than $3 million.

The Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm release brought in $1.04 million from 117 screens in its second week in theaters, July 15-22. As of July 25, Aurore’s box office had grown to over $3.3 million and it remained on 96 screens.

The feature from producers Denise Robert and Daniel Louis of Montreal prodco Cinémaginaire brought in $953,708 over its first three days in theaters, giving it the third-highest opening-weekend box office in Quebec history, just behind the opening grosses of Séraphin: Un homme et son péché and top-rated Les Boys III.

The $7-million drama, which shot in Montreal last fall, is the true story of Aurore Gagnon, who died in 1920 at age 11 due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepmother.

Christal Films recently released Pinocchio 3000, a futuristic take on the original story, which hit 40 Quebec screens July 29. An English version of the $12-million 3D animated feature is due to hit select theaters in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary this month. Pinocchio 3000 is coproduced by Montreal’s CinéGroupe and Spain’s Filmax.

Hitting English-Canadian screens Aug. 5 is the $11-million children’s feature Bailey’s Billion$ from Toronto’s Devine Entertainment. Odeon Films will release it on 10 to 15 Toronto screens. The film, about a talking dog becoming CEO of an animal rights group, will also debut in several U.S. cities as well as Russia.

Shot in late 2003, the feature stars Dean Cain, Laurie Holden, Tim Curry, Jennifer Tilly and the voice of Jon Lovitz.