A box office phenomenon that has real-life impacts

TELEVISION – An evening with “ one more thing “. For those who missed this historic hit or for those who simply wish to see it again, the Canal+ channel broadcasts A little something extra this Friday, November 15 at 9:10 p.m. Artus' comedy, which broke box office records, is followed by a documentary called Artus: his little extra thing which goes behind the scenes of the film through interviews with members of the team and never-before-seen images from the making-of.

Six months after its cinema release, subscribers to the encrypted channel can discover (or rediscover) this film about the trivialization of disability. It tells the story of Paulo and Lucien, two father and son robbers, who infiltrate a summer camp for disabled adults in order to escape the police. To remain discreet, Paulo and Lucien respectively pose as Sylvain, a disabled person who is taking part in the stay, and Orpi, the educator who accompanies him.

Starring the comedy is director and actor Artus (The Legends Office) finds himself alongside Clovis Cornillac (Lies and betrayals and more if affinities…), Alice Belaïdi (Hippocrates), Marc Riso and Céline Groussard. The film mainly highlights 11 amateur actors with disabilities, including Arnaud Toupense and Ludovic Boul, who performed on the steps of the Cannes Film Festival this year.

A little something extrathe success of 2024

Upon its theatrical release, A little something extra created a surprise by attracting nearly 280,000 spectators on the first day. The second best start in the history of French cinema behind Welcome to the Ch'tis. Then we only had to wait six days for the feature film to reach one million admissions. In total, approximately 10.8 million tickets were sold during the 24 weeks it was on display. Which makes it the most seen film at the cinema this year compared to blockbusters like Le Comte de Monte Cristo or Dune, part two.

These impressive figures raise the comedy to ninth place among the greatest French hits. It thus surpasses cult films such as The idiots' dinner or The Big Blue. And the icing on the cake, Artus can boast of setting a 50-year-old record. It is the best first film by a director in terms of admissions since it did better than the 8.89 million tickets sold by Emmanuelle de Just Jaeckin.

Artus, spokesperson on disability

Artus is very committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities. And the significant success ofA little something extra made its director a spokesperson for the general public. For example, he shot short videos to promote the Paris Paralympic Games and its para-athletes. He was also invited to the Senate on October 8 to participate in a debate on disability.

That day, in front of the press, the comedian announced that he was setting up his foundation to create inclusive holiday centers. “I would like there to be a mix. I would like there to be able-bodied young people with young people with disabilities, because I think that the more we are mixed, the more commonplace it will become”he explained. Artus detailed his project by saying he wanted centers “with a real Club Med, luxury hotel feel”. Before adding: “I want us to stop rhyming medicalized with gloomy”.

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