Antonin Baudry’s “De Gaulle: Résistance,” Pathé’s ambitious two-part historical epic about the making of Charles de Gaulle as a resistance leader, has fought its way back into a leading position at the French box office after an underwhelming start.
Driven by strong word-of-mouth, younger viewers and a heatwave that sent crowds back into air-conditioned theaters, the saga’s first opus — described by Variety‘s review as “reminiscent of a vintage Hollywood blockbuster“ — has now crossed 1.2 million admissions in France since its June 3 release, following a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Instead of losing steam over time, “De Gaulle: Resistance” saw ticket sales surge 17.2% during its third week, before skyrocketing by 68% last weekend, benefitting from La Fête du Cinéma — France’s annual nationwide discount ticket event — as well as upbeat reactions from the public.
“We really felt the positive buzz kick in during the third week,” Safaee said, adding that the uptick is not only tied to the heatwave. “We were the film that grew by 17%, while others continued on a more normal trajectory,” he said. That momentum has carried into the fourth week. On June 24, admissions were even up by 114%. For Pathé, the late surge is especially important because it released the second installment, “De Gaulle: I Write Your Name,” three weeks after the first, on June 26.
