‘The Intouchables’ Overtakes 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' at German Box Office

COLOGNE, Germany – French culture clash comedy The Intouchables has proved just that in Germany, where ticket sales from directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano have passed blockbuster Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in the territory.

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Intouchables came in at number 5 on the charts this weekend – behind Disney’s The Avengers and fellow new entries American Reunion from Universal and Warner Bros.' The Lucky One as well as Universal's holdover Battleship but ahead of Hunger Games from StudioCanal and Fox's Titanic 3D.

The French dramedy, in which a wealthy white paraplegic (François Cluzet) becomes close friends with his black, ex-con caregiver (Omar Sy) has spent 17 weeks in the German top ten.

Intouchables has sold more than 8 million tickets in Germany, compared to the under 6.5 million German fans who shelled out for Harry Potter 7.2. Potter’s 3D screenings generated a higher take per ticket than Intouchables but preliminary figures suggest the French laffer’s 2D box office take has closed the gap with the €57 million ($78 million) earned by the Warner Bros.' title in Germany and will likely pass Potter by next weekend.

Intouchables has already blown by all other recent studio tentpoles including Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides, Hangover 2 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

According to Intouchables’ German distributor Senator, the French film has even passed Forrest Gump on the list of all-time greatest hits in the territory. Senator has picked up Omar Sy's follow-up to Intouchables - the cop comedy De l'autre côté du périph (On the Other Side of the Freeway) – and plans to bow the film in Germany next January.

Worldwide, The Intouchables has earned some $330 million so far. The Weinstein Co. is bowing the film stateside on May 25.