Despite lukewarm reviews, the French-language biopic Piché, entre ciel et terre pulled in $1.3 million for TVA Films at the Quebec box office after two weeks in theatres.
Directed by Sylvain Archambault (Pour toujours les Canadiens), Piché averaged nearly $11,000 on 95 screens across the province for the week ending July 15.
The film is based on the life of Canadian pilot Robert Piché — played by popular Quebec actor Michel Côté (De père en flic) — who made headlines in 2001 when he successfully landed an Air Transat jet in the Azores after both engines failed.
Piché is the ninth placed title overall for the week, coming in behind Hollywood fare including Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse — E1 Entertainment’s top grosser in Canada for the third week in a row with $21 million. Eclipse continues to play in 375 locations. (The fourth chapter in the franchise, Breaking Dawn, will shoot in Vancouver and other U.S. locations in the fall).
Rounding out the top five among Canadian-mades is IMAX: Hubble 3D with $909,000, followed by E1’s sci-fi drama Splice, with a total box office take of $2 million after six weeks, and Xavier Dolan’s Les amours imaginaires with $434,000 for Alliance Vivafilm after five weeks. Alliance also claimed the fifth spot with the comedy Le baiser du barbu earning $271,000 after four weeks.