After a relatively slow opening weekend, Roger Cantin’s Matusalem has chalked up box office receipts of $610,000 in just under three weeks. The film opened Dec. 17 on 41 Cineplex Odeon and independent screens across Quebec, earning $88,000 in its first week.

Strong word of mouth combined with a high-profile tv campaign and discount coupons for adults from the film’s sponsor, McDonald’s Restaurants, helped push the second week total to $270,000. Week three topped the $252,000 mark. At the end of the third week, Allegro Films Distribution president Franco Battista says two additional suburban screens were added, bringing the Quebec-wide total to an unprecedented 44.

Matusalem is a $3.6 million children’s fantasy adventure produced by Claude Bonin of Films Vision 4 in association with the National Film Board.