Pundits looked upon last year as an aberration in the Quebec feature film business, with an inordinate amount of domestic releases achieving blockbuster status at the local box office. Leading the pack were Seraphin: un homme et son peche (the unprecedented success of which carried over from 2002), La Grande seduction, Les Invasions barbares and Mambo Italiano, each taking in more than $5 million.

So there was a common expectation of a significant drop in overall box office in 2004, but that has not quite been the case. Compared to this time last year, overall box office for Quebec films is down only 4.5%, while the market share for Quebec films is down only 0.4%. While there are no real blockbusters, so far five films have surpassed the $2 million plateau, one more than in 2003.

The numbers speak to a foundation of capable filmmakers in the province, and the continued willingness of Quebec moviegoers to support a wide variety of local releases, from comedies (Camping sauvage, Elvis Gratton XXX) to sci fi (Dans une galaxie pres de chez nous), to drama (Elles etaient cinq) to family films (The Blue Butterfly).

Mark Dillon