The official figures, provided by Film Matters, speak for themselves. Among the productions released since the beginning of the year (therefore not Wonkafor example, in theaters since December 13, 2023, even if it had a huge number of admissions in 2024), Dune 2 stands out by far in the black-yellow-red box office, with 6.01 million euros in revenue (results as of June 26). A score which would only place it in fifth position in the 2023 box office, very far behind Barbie, Super Mario Bros., Oppenheimer or Wonka.
As for Kung Fu Panda 4, second in our ranking for the last six months with 3.09 million euros, it would not even slip into the top 10 of the two years combined. Even if there is half a year left to turn things around, that says a lot about the lack of blockbusters likely to attract large crowds.
French arthouse films and comedies are popular
Quite paradoxically, the good surprises arrive… right after. With A little something extraa comedy that no producer wanted on the pretext that it would interest no one, Artus occupies third place on the podium with a remarkable score of 2.31 million euros, knowing that it was mainly produced in Wallonia and Brussels.
In a few weeks, it is more than likely that this trio will be shaken up by the event of the moment, Vice-Versa 2. Pixar’s new little gem on emotions is rushing at full speed with joy towards the summits (which it already occupies on a global level…), with 1.95 million euros in entry tickets in just ten days. Proof of the receptivity of the general public when the quality is there.
Vice-Versa 2: a brilliant sequel that will turn your emotions upside down
Another project that no one expected so high in the ranking: the romantic comedy Anyone but you, led by Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. With 1.83 million euros, it barely missed the top 5, barely ahead of a blockbuster which aimed for a better place, Planet of the Apes: The New Kingdom (1,89 million d’euros).
The top 20 is then completed by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (1,78 million d’euros), Bad Boys Ride or Die (1,71 M €), Ghostbusters : Frozen Empire (1,17 M €), Poor Things (1,16 M €), Cocorico (1,10 M €), The Beekeeper (946.000 €), Bob Marley – One Love (914.000 €), Imaginary Friends (887.000 €), The Zone of Interest (848.000 €), Back to Black (769.000 €), The Fall Guy (767.000 €), Challengers (752.000 €), One Life (746.000 €) et Mischief in the museum (717.000 €).
Some great shows left behind
This ranking ultimately differs quite little from that of the world box office (provided that non-American films are removed…) but contains some interesting particularities. Works as original as Poor Things or The Zone of Interest are achieving very good scores here, just like two French comedies (A little something extra et cock-a-doodle Doowith Christian Clavier and Didier Bourdon), which tends to show that Belgian film buffs attach importance to less formatted works and to laughter. On the other hand, in these same two registers, The Fall Guyan action comedy about stuntmen starring Ryan Gosling, is a strange failure, as is the highly successful Challengersabout the very sexy behind-the-scenes of tennis, with Zendaya in the lead role. This says a lot about the difficulty of predicting the success or failure of a production.
Another surprising observation: blockbusters like Angry (12th in the world), Civil War (14e), Mean Girls (15e), Madame Web (16th) or For Argy (20th), have not attracted much attention in our region. The big shows are therefore no longer as popular as they used to be. And this is likely to change the programming in our theatres somewhat in the future.
What is the ideal length of a film?
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