Miryam Bouchard’s holiday feature 23 décembre (Two Days Before Christmas) has become the highest-grossing Quebec film since 2019, according to distributor Immina Films.

The comedy, released on Nov. 25, 2022, has crossed the $2.1 million threshold at the Canadian box office as of Friday (Jan. 13), making it the highest-grossing Quebec film since Émile Gaudreault’s comedy Menteur (Cinémaginaire), which earned $6.3 million in 2019. The total box office earnings came to $2,132,240 as of Monday (Jan. 16), according to Comscore.

The previous record-holder was Ricardo Trogi’s Le Guide de la famille parfaite (KO24), which earned $2.1 million in 2021.

The film is the first feature release by Immina Films, the newly launched distribution company from former Les Films Séville president Patrick Roy. It is directed by Bouchard, written by India Desjardins, and produced by Guillaume Lespérance of A Média.

Financial support for 23 décembre was provided by SODEC, the Quebecor Fund, Radio-Canada, Telefilm Canada, and Crave.

Roy tells Playback Daily that releasing 23 décembre was a more than 10-year journey, beginning with a direct message on Twitter. “[Desjardins said ] ‘I just lived a Christmas movie. I’m going to write a script and we are gonna do a Christmas film together.'”

The film follows an ensemble cast of characters who experience a unique set of circumstances in the lead-up to Dec. 25. Roy says he originally acquired the film while at Les Films Séville. It became Immina’s first release following a deal with the Entertainment One subsidiary to handle distribution for its Quebec titles.

Roy attributes the box office success to several factors: 23 décembre depicts Quebec City at Christmas, which is a domestic cinema rarity, according to Roy; the ensemble cast gave it a wider appeal for audiences; and the timing was right, with more consumers going back to movie theatres following widespread closures due to COVID-19.

The distributor held Q&A events with Bouchard, Desjardins and several cast members to better engage with audiences as well, says Roy, who adds that the film generated a lot of word of mouth. “People were really happy to see something that looks like them and looks like their reality,” he says.

Immina Films’ next release will be Francis Leclerc’s Le Plongeur, which will make its world premiere as the opening film of the film festival Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma on Feb. 22. The film is directed and co-written by Leclerc, co-written by Eric K. Boulianne, and produced by Marie-Claude Poulin. It will be released in theatres on Feb. 24.

Other upcoming films include Louise Archambault’s Le temps d’un été, produced by Attraction, and scheduled for an August release, and Charles-Olivier Michaud’s Ru, based on the bestselling novel from Kim Thúy.

Image courtesy of Immina Films