Michael Dowse’s Goon owning the local multiplex with $1.2 million in box office during Canada’s Oscar weekend has Telefilm Canada’s Carolle Brabant in a neat comedy groove.

The government’s film financier has delivered a long-promised Canadian chuckler that connects with ordinary Canadians at the local multiplex.

“Goon’s box office performance underlines Telefilm Canada’s objective of developing and promoting a wide portfolio of Canadian films – including high-quality, commercial comedies with broad audience appeal like the latest from Michael Dowse,” Brabant, Telefilm’s executive director, told Playback Daily Monday.

Her comments followed Alliance Films reporting Goon prevailed over its Hollywood competition to score with Canadian cinema-goers coast-to-coast on its opening weekend.

Telefilm’s Features Comedy Lab, a film incubator at the Canadian Film Centre staged in collaboration with the Just For Laughs comedy festival, aims to mentor young Canadian comedy writers, directors and producers to produce a fanboy comedy about a young people neck-deep in crazy that can sell into the world market.

Then along comes Goon, which was co-written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, a frequent collaborator of Seth Rogen.

Brabant said she was confident Dowse’s comedy about a bouncer using his fists and skates to help a downtrodden hockey team would connect with Canadians after earlier international box office success.

Entertainment One released Dowse’s latest comedy in the UK in early January, and the Canadian film has a cumulative international box office to date of $2.3 million.

That’s also where Goon hits another Telefilm Canada sweet spot by racking up international critical and commercial success that gives Canadians added incentive to see a homegrown film at the local multiplex.

Going forward, Magnolia Pictures’ Magnet division is yet to release the Canadian comedy into the U.S. market.

“We expect that its success will crossover to the U.S.,” Brabant predicted.