French Audiences Following 'HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami'

PARIS – A yellow, black-spotted monkey-like creature has attacked the French box office with Alain Chabat’s HOUBA! On the Trail of The Marsupilami a huge hit in the territory. The film, currently at the top of the Gallic box office, boasted the second best opening of the year when it launched on April 4 in 800 cinemas across France. Marsupilami has sold 1,728,270 tickets after just one week in theaters.

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HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami (Sur la piste du Marsupilami): Film Review

The live action film, featuring adorable fictional character the marsupilami, has charmed audiences outside of French borders in Belgium via Alternative Films and in Switzerland where it sold 43,000 tickets to bring it to the top of the Swiss box office.

Marsupilami is Chabat’s fourth feature film in the director’s chair. Chabat also produced the film via his Chez Wam production company and co-stars opposite Gallic megastar Jamel Debbouze and an A-list Gallic cast including Lambert Wilson, Geraldine Nakache, and Fred Testot.

HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami is based on the popular comic book series written by Andre Franquin that has cult status across the globe, is now an international franchise and has been adapted into several animated series, including a Disney version stateside in the early 1990s. Chabat’s movie version pits the actor as a journalist who teams up with a good-hearted con artist hot on the trail of the elusive title character.

The film has received positive reviews from critics in France, but the film’s sales agent Pathe International is still on the trail of a US distributor.