Alliance Films - Canada is Number 2

Alliance Films, Canada’s largest distributor, today announced that its 2008 domestic Canadian box office was $131,600,000 (14% market share) and that its ranking amongst all distributors, including the US major studios, climbed to second place, behind only Paramount Pictures. Alliance improved its position in 2008, moving up in the rankings from third position in 2007.

In 2008, the top 5 distributors in Canada by box office gross were Paramount Pictures, Alliance Films, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures Entertainment and 20th Century Fox.

Victor Loewy, Chairman of Alliance Films said, “We’re very pleased with the results from our Canadian operation. The success of such films as Sex and the City, Burn After Reading, Righteous Kill, Zach and Miri Make a Porno and the top grossing Canadian film of the year, Passchendaele, led us to a great year. We’re very grateful to all of our producer partners and our dedicated teams in Montreal and Toronto.”

Passchendaele, the World War One epic directed by and starring Paul Gross became a national sensation upon it’s October release, praised by editorialists and seen by hundreds of thousands of Canadians. Alliance will release a deluxe DVD edition in 2009. 

Current Alliance Films’ releases include such Oscar® hopefuls as Milk, The Wrestler and The Reader, all nominees for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards and critical favourites across North America. Upcoming films include the family-adventure Inkheart starring Brendan Fraser, the digital 3D animation Coraline, Last Chance Harvey starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson and 17 Again starring Zac Efron and Matthew Perry.

united kingdom

In the UK, Momentum Pictures earned its highest cumulative box office in its history with £32.9 million from its diverse slate which included PS I Love You with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, Mike Leigh’s Happy Go Lucky and the 3D animated Fly Me To The Moon. Upcoming releases include Sean Penn in the Oscar® touted Milk, the award-winning hit Let The Right One In, and the Golden Globe nominated Last Chance Harvey starring Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman.

spain

In Spain, Alliance’s Aurum was again the country’s largest independent distributor and the sixth highest grossing overall on the strength of excellent box office results, led by its release of the international sensation Twilight at €11.3m in 2008 which is still playing well. It was the 7th highest grossing film in 2008 beating such competitors as The Dark Knight and Quantum of Solace.

Xavier Marchand, President of International Distribution said, “Our Spanish and UK teams have done an outstanding job in 2008 in a very difficult marketplace and have managed once again to earn the top places amongst independent distributors.”