Pictured: Quebec box office missed break-out hits such as 2009 cop comedy De père en flic.

Despite the release of a number of potential hits last year, the box office for homegrown Quebec films in 2010 dropped to 9% from 13% the previous year, when cop comedy De père en flic (Fathers and Guns) drew more than $10 million, boosting overall ticket sales for local films.

While six Quebec films pulled in over one million in 2010, including TVA Films story of Quebec pilot Robert Piche’s emergency landing of an Air Transat flight in Portugal, Piché entre ciel et terre ($3,578,400) and Denis Villeneuve’s drama set in the middle-east Incendies (micro_scope), which surprised its producers by earning $2,575,300, other flicks are likely a disappointment for distributors. Alliance Vivafilm’s Filière 13, directed by Patrick Huard and featuring the same cast as the box office smash comedy 3 petits cochons drew $1,747,400, for example.

Other films which pulled in over $1 million were the hockey drama released in November, Lance et Compte ($1,967,800), Le Journal d’Aurélie Laflamme ($1,051,000) and PODZ’s Les Sept Jours du talion ($1,040,000). PODZ’s second release about a young boy living in a group home, the hard hitting 10 1/2, only drew $290,900 at the box office.

A number of well-reviewed, solid flicks just didn’t jump with Quebec audiences, including Jacob Tierney’s The Trotsky (Park Ex Productions) which earned $216,800, and the Denise Robert production Route 132 ($290,900). The critically well-received comedy Cabotins only pulled in $286,300 and L’Appat, starring comic Guy A. Lepage, is proving to be a disappointment for its distributor Alliance Vivafilm. Released in mid-December, the film, which received lukewarm reviews, pulled in a paltry $180,000 its first weekend at the box office, and hasn’t fared much better since.

Industry observers worry that Quebecers are staying home to watch films and only venturing out for 3D blockbusters, such as James Cameron’s Avatar, which pulled in $15 million in Quebec last year.