'Break-Up Man' Set to Topple 'The Hobbit' in Germany

COLOGNE, Germany -- The Break-Up Man, a romantic comedy starring Matthias Schweighofer, who also wrote and directed the film, is on track to knock The Hobbit off its perch at the top of Germany's box office charts.

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Based on the film's strong start Thursday night, Break-Up Man, released by 20th Century Fox, should take the number one slot on the charts this weekend with around 350,000 admissions. That would be enough to beat out The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey, which has ruled the roost at the German box office for the past month and has grossed around $75 million here for Warner Bros. The Hobbit is forecasted to sell around 200,000 tickets in its fifth weekend, a showing that should secure a strong second-place finish for Peter Jackson's fantasy epic.

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“All the numbers we're seeing, all the indications show that Break-Up Man will be another big hit for Schweighofer,” Vincent de La Tour, managing director for Fox in Germany, told THR.

Break-Up Man is the second film actor Schweighofer has written and directed – following his 2011 hit What a Man, which grossed $16 million here for Fox. The 31-year-old actor/director is in high demand. Schweighofer's Pantaleon production shingle recently signed a four-picture deal with Warner Bros. Germany. Schweighofer will direct and star in all four films for WB.

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Overall, it looks like German films are set for a comeback this weekend. In addition to Break-Up Man, Margarethe von Trotta's biopic Hannah Arendt, starring Barbara Sukowa and the 3D children's film Ritter Rost are expected to make the top ten.

The German film industry is coming off a tough year. While overall box office for 2012 hit a new record, cracking the €1 billion ($1.3 billion) mark for the first time ever, revenue for German-language films fell more than 20 percent with local titles accounting for just 13.7 percent of total box office, down from 18.9 percent a year earlier.