“Amelie’s” $20,891,879 take to date makes it the highest-grossing French-language pic released in North America and topples the previous record of $20,424,259 held since 1979 by “La cage aux folles.”
Pic about a shy Paris waitress who tries to bring happiness to others has already crossed the $100 million mark for worldwide box office and was the top French earner for 2001. “Amelie” is France’s contender for the foreign-language film Oscar nom and was nominated in the foreign-lingo pic for a Golden Globe. Pic won four European Film Awards as well as a People’s Choice Award for director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. “Amelie,” distributed by Miramax Zoe, is playing on 298 screens.