Bon Cop, Bad Cop Finds An Audience (predictably, it's mainly in Quebec)

The Quebec made "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" starring with Patrick Huard and Colm Feore smashed the Quebec provincial box office record raking in $1.4 Million in Quebec on it's opening weekend and has now surpassed $4 million in Quebec. It eclipsed 2001's "Les Boys" by $200,000, ranking as high as the 17th highest grossing film in North America - while released in Quebec only.

It seems however, that English Canadians didn't quite share Quebec's enthusiasm. Opening in English Canada on 114 screens it grossed $292,000 in it's opening weekend.

This is consisent with box office percentages for Canadian films on Canadian screens - up to 20% of the Quebec box office goes to French Canadian made films, while only 1% of the English Canadian box office goes to English Canadian films. A trend this film was hoping to buck with it's nationwide distribution and Ontario locales. Perhaps the box office downer in English Canada was due to a lack of Western representation within the film. Western Canadians seem quite detached and sheltered from the Franco/Anglo rivalry out east, perhaps if the finale focussed on a burning oil rig this might have attracted Albertans, or in a Grain Elevator Saskatchwaners would've felt a connection.

Of course it's unfair to blame the locations. After all, Ontario is the biggest English speaking market in Canada and it still failed to stimulate box office totals there.

Regardless, this film tied all Canadians together with our national sport of Hockey. The pacing was somewhat schizophrenic with an explosion one minute and absurd comedy and heartfelt weeping the next, however, if you're looking for a romp, it fills the role nicely.