This French SF film is finally successful in the United States after its world failure

After being a real failure at the box office, this French SF film experiences a late triumph in the United States. We tell you everything!

Valérian's late success

As with fantasy, France has brilliantly illustrated in science fiction. Of The Planet of the Apes From Pierre Boule to the novels of Alain Damasio (The outside zone, The stews), passing through the comic strip L’Incal from Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius, the literary work of René Barjavel or the film The city of lost children From Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, we no longer count the major works of SF made in France. It is also to a huge monument of the French SF that the director Luc Besson wanted to pay tribute by adapting for the cinema the comic strip Valérian and Laureline by Jean-Claude Mézières and Pierre Christie In Valérian and the City of the Thousand Planets.

Published for the first time in 1967 in the review Pilot directed by René Goscinny, The comic strip Valérian and Laureline had a major influence on American science fiction, starting with the saga Star Wars by George Lucas who takes up many elements. We can also cite The fifth element by Luc Besson or Independance Day by Michael Bay. However, despite the importance of Valérian and Laurelineand despite having opted for an international casting, Valérian and the City of the Thousand Planets was a real oven at the box office, reporting only $ 225 million at the end of its operation in October 2017 for a budget estimated at $ 197 million (which does not take into account the huge sum allocated for marketing).

The financial failure of Valérian and the City of the Thousand Planets placed the French production company Europacorp under safeguard procedurefollowing a decision of the commercial court dated May 2019. The French company created by Luc Besson was then bought by the American group Vine Alternative Investment. But it seems that Valérian and the City of the Thousand Planets is being rehabilitated on American soil through streaming. Indeed, The feature film is currently the fifth most viewed film on the Max platform in the United Stateswhen there is no news about Valerian.

How to explain this late success of Valérian and the City of the Thousand Planets ? If, like our American colleagues to ComicBookwe like to imagine that Luc Besson's film follows the same path of masterpieces of the SF who first failed in theaters before becoming cult such as Blade Runner by Ridley Scott or John Carter from Andrew Stanton, it is more likely that The presence of the actor in Dehaan in the casting of the Western series At the dawn of America (in English, American Primeval), broadcast on Netflix and which is also a great success Since its launch in early January, is responsible for this highlighting Valérian and the City of the Thousand Planets.

And you, what did you think of Valérian and the City of the Thousand Planets by Luc Besson? Do not hesitate to tell us in the commentary space. And if this article has interested you, we recommend that you discover our selection of the greatest masterpieces of the French SF.