The luck of the Irish was with Christal Films this week, which rang up nearly $100,000 on the strength of Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley following its March 15 debut, an opening that put the Palme d’Or winner about Ireland’s war of independence in theaters one day ahead of St. Patrick’s Day.

Barley opened on nine screens in Toronto, Vancouver and other markets, averaging approximately $11,000, according to Thursday numbers provided by Christal. It received a particularly warm reception at Toronto’s Cumberland Theatre, where it grossed $20,000 over its debut weekend — beating the title’s performances in New York and Los Angeles. It expands on Friday to 26 screens in markets including Winnipeg, Edmonton, Halifax, Sherbrooke and Gatineau.

Christal VP Joanne Senécal tells Playback Daily they’re ‘ecstatic,’ and put some credit for the numbers on the picture’s vigorous advertising campaign.

Meanwhile, Toronto filmmaker Rob Stewart’s critically acclaimed Sharkwater bows on 25 screens this week via Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution in markets including Edmonton, Halifax, Toronto and Montreal.

Named one of the Top 10 Canadian films of 2006 by the Toronto International Film Festival, the documentary follows Stewart on his journey to expose the illegal underworld of shark finning.

Sharkwater and the expanded Barley will be up against new U.S. releases including the historical drama Amazing Grace from Odeon Films, 20th Century Fox’s The Hills Have Eyes 2, The Last Mimzy via Alliance Atlantis, the Mark Wahlberg action picture Shooter and TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

Meanwhile, Christal Films’ comedy drama Congorama, from director Philippe Falardeau, will open on one screen each in Toronto and Vancouver on March 30. ‘We have some promos in both cities, but it’s mostly a critics-driven film,’ Senécal says.

The distributor also recently set a date for Who Loves the Sun, by Montreal director Matt Bissonnette, due April 6 in markets including Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. The film, about three friends struggling to find the meaning of life, stars Molly Parker, Lukas Haas and Wendy Crewson.