Our year in review party . A different list each day! Here's Nathaniel R...
With Parasite sucking up so much awards oxygen, it's easy to let the good news slip by that it was hardly the only great film out there that played with subtitles. Pedro Almodóvar and Zhang Yimou's return to triumphant form (and box office success) with Pain & Glory and Shadow, respectively, were just two of many other goodies that delighted cinephiles and critics at movie theaters and festivals this year.
Yes, it's time for our annual look back at international non-English language fare in cinemas. [For comparisons sake here are the lists from 2018, 2017 and 2016] For the purposes of the following list we skipped documentaries and animated films to keep the list more focused (and avoid arguments about dubbed versions or whatnot). Please note: This list does not include Portrait of a Lady on Fire since it's not getting a proper release until 2020. It made a very strong $118k in its Qualifying Week before getting pulled.
TOP 100 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS OF 2019
Domestic Box Office Grosses Only - Figures as of March 12th, 2020
🔺= still in theaters | ★ = TFE recommends
01 ★🔺 Parasite (Neon, South Korea, October 11th) $53.1
Bong Joon-ho's Palme D'Or winner took American arthouse theaters by storm and expanded beautifully through word of mouth and aggressive smart publicity from Neon, making it the biggest foreign hit in the States since Hero (2002/2004)...
Parasite was an even bigger hit overseas, grossing over $253+ million globally. It's what the movie deserves. [PARASITE AND CLASS WARFARE | MEMORABLE HOUSE | POSTERIZED: BONG JOON HO | PODCAST | NATHANIEL'S TOP TEN LIST 2019]
02 ★ The Farewell (A24, US... but mostly in Chinese, July 12th) $17.6
The other most successful foreign language film in the US this year was an American picture! Lulu Wang's beautifully judged movie told the story of a young woman travelling to China to visit her sick 'Nai Nai'. How did it do so well at the box office? Well, it helped that the movie was a) brilliant and b) served as a vehicle for a rapidly rising American star. Go Awkwafina! [REVIEW | SUNDANCE REVIEW | INTERVIEW | SAG SCREENING | LULU WANG | NATHANIEL'S TOP TEN LIST 2019]
More after the jump...
The $1 Million Plus Club
(Other Success Stories)
03 No Manches Frida 2 (Pantelion, US...but in Spanish, March 15th) $9.2
Another American film that wasn't in English. This was a sequel to the 2nd highest grossing foreign language feature of 2016 in the US. But the States accounted for only a third of its success. It grossed nearly $17 million elsewhere for a $26.4 global gross.
04 The Wandering Earth (CMC, China, Feb 5th) $5.8
This Chinese sci-fi picture about the effort to move earth to a new solar system was a massive hit in the global sense, earning $699 million, making it a bigger hit worldwide then American blockbusters like Us or It: Chapter Two. Globally speaking it's the highest grossing non-English language film of the year but the US accounted for only 1% of its success. [Streaming on Netflix]
05 Gully Boy (Viva Pictures, India, Feb 14th) $5.5
Ranveer Singh stars in this film about street rappers in Mumbai. It has earned nearly $25 million globally but despite being the biggest Hindi language film in the States this past year, it was only the 5th biggest Bollywood film elsewhere in the world (see entry #13 below for more info) [OSCAR SUBMISSION 2019 |Streaming on Amazon Prime]
06 Menteur (EOne, Canada, July 12th) $4.6
US box office websites include Canadian grosses in their figures which could account for this film's high ranking though we literally hadn't heard of it before perusing the box office charts.
07 War (Yash Raj, India, Oct 2nd) $4.6
This action drama featuring rising star Tiger Shroff as a soldier assigned to eliminate his former mentor, longtime Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan, is the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2019, both globally (and at home) with $67 million. Even though it's an action picture there's naturally a huge musical number (embedded above) because it's against the law -- or at least against common sense -- to deny these hunks their musical show-off spectacle.
08 ★ Pain and Glory (SPC, Spain, Oct 4th) $4.5
Pedro Almodóvar reflects on his childhood, declining health, and possible retirement via his chief muse (Antonio Banderas) who plays surrogate auteur "Salvador Mallo". The film won exceptional reviews, a Best Actor prize at Cannes and at the EFAs for Banderas, and returned Almodóvar to international success; Pain & Glory is Almodóvar's biggest hit, both in the US and abroad, since Volver (which was, give or take Women on the Verge , his biggest hit). Pain & Glory earned about $37.1 million globally. [REVIEW | PODCAST | OSCAR FINALIST 2019 | MURTADA ON TV | PEDRO'S MEN | EUROPEAN FILM AWARD NOMINEE | NATHANIEL'S TOP TEN LIST 2019]
09 Uri: Surgical Strike (PackYourBag, India, Jan 11th) $4.1
10 Ip Man 4: The Finale (WellGo, Dec 25th) $3.9
Donnie Yen returns in yet another film about the Kung Fu master
11 Mission Mangal (FIP, India, Aug 15th) $3.6
12 Bharat (Viva, India, June 5th) $2.9
13 Saaho (Yash Raj, India, Aug 29th) $2.8 [Streaming on Netflix]
14 Kalank (FIP, India, April 17th) $2.7
Since Bollywood pictures often do well in the North American marketplace despite very little publicity we thought it might be worth noting what the global charts look like in terms of the most successful Indian movies are this year. Don't quote us on this as its hard to cobble together this information but we think the top ten goes like so when you combine their Indian grosses with their export value.
- War $67.1 million
- Uri: Surgical Strike $39.4 million
- Total Dhamaal $25 million
- Gully Boy $24.9 million
- Kalank $16.1 million
- Bharat $7.7 million
- Saaho $5.7 million
- Mission Mangal $5.6 million
- Housefull 4 $4.6 million
- Super30 $3.9 million
15 Everybody Knows (Focus, Spain, Feb 8th) $2.6
A bit of a disappointment despite its top twenty finish given that it just barely eked out more than Asghar Farhadi's last Oscar winner The Salesman (2017), domestically and couldn't match the global success of A Separation ($19.8 worldwide versus $17.9 worldwide) despite three popular international stars: Spains power couple Penelope Cruz & Javier Bardem, and Argentina's Ricardo Darín. The mild critical response, given Farhadi's usual raves, surely didn't help. [Streaming on Netflix]
16 Tod@s Caen (US... but in Spanish, Aug 30th) $2.6
17 My People My Country (CMC, China, Sept 30th) $2.3
18 Super30 (Reliance, India, July 12th) $2.2
Bollywood's Hrithik Roshan headlines this biopic about a famous mathematician.
19 Total Dhamaal (FIP, India, Feb 22nd) $2.1
20 Housefull 4 (India, Oct 25th) $2.1
21 Chhichhore (FIP, India, Sept 6th) $2.0
22 Better Days (WellGo, China, Nov 8th) $1.9
23 Badla (Reliance, India, March 8th) $1.8 [Streaming on Netflix]
24 Extreme Job (CJ, South Korea, Jan 25th) $1.5
25 Never Look Away (Sony Pictures Classics, Germany, Jan 25th) $1.3
In an extremely rare situation all five of the nominees last year for Best Foreign-Language Fims were hits. In fact, if you buy Netflix's vague no-receipts statement that Roma made $3 million in theaters, then last season is the only time in this new century wherein all five nominees in the foreign category (now renamed "International" ) have grossed over a million dollars. Usually at least one and sometimes two or three of the nominees are nothing like hits and sometimes not even released in theaters until after Oscar season. Never Look Away made $6.1 million globally. [REVIEW |GERMANY'S OSCAR NOMINEE 2018]
26 Los Domirriquenos 2 (Spanglish, US... but in Spanish, March 14th) $1.1
27 Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (FIP, India, March 1st) $1.1
This LGBT Hindi language romcom is about a woman hiding who she really loves while her family tries to marry her off. [Streaming on Netflix]
28 Luka Chuppi (VPD, India, March 1st) $1.0
Another Bollywood comedy, this one about a pretend marriage between a couple trying to avoid their orthodox families [Streaming on Netflix]
29 Perfect Strangers (Pantelion, Mexico, Jan 11th) $1.0
A remake of the Italian movie of the same name from 2016.
30 Merci Pour Tout (eONe, Canada, Dec 25th) $1.0
Just under the $1 million mark
Performed well given the tiny marketplace for subtitled features.
31 ★ Woman at War (Magnolia, Iceland, March 1st) $847k
This brilliant drama about a daring environmental activist who learns that she's going to become a mother was a solid performer in the US and did better overseas with $4.4 million globally. An American remake with Jodie Foster is already in the works. [REVIEW | ICELAND'S OSCAR SUBMISSION 2018 | NATHANIEL'S TOP TEN LIST 2019 | Streaming on Hulu]
32 ★ Climax (A24, France, March 1st) $817k
The one and only Gaspar Noe had another risque success with this dance / drug / thriller / all set in an empty school on a wintry night. You'll be seeing it in at least one Film Bitch Awards category so stay tuned. [REVIEW | SOFIA BOUTELLA | JOHN WATERS TOP TEN LIST | Streaming on Amazon Prime ]
33 ★ Transit (Music Box, Germany, March 1st) $815k
Christian Petzold, who directred the brilliant Phoenix (2014) and the also lauded Barbara (2012) and Yella (2007) before this new haunting out-of-time picture about refugees in war time really needs to be a bigger name. [REVIEW | INTERVIEW]
34 Student of the Year 2 (FIP, India. May 10th) $778k
35 More Than Blue (China Lion, China. March 15th) $722k
36 The Captain (WellGo, China, Oct 18th) $706k
37 Non-Fiction (IFC, France, May 3rd) $704k
Juliette Binoche remains a bankable icon in arthouse terms. Her French-language films regularly make around this number in US release, more if they catch on outside her loyal fanbase. Overseas she's naturally more popular with this particular film grossing about $4 million globally.
38 The Sky is Pink (PackYourBags, India, Oct 10th) $652k
Priyanka Chopra-Jonas stars in this love story spanning 25 years. Considering the built in audience for Bollywood pictures in specialty houses, it's strange that this one with a famous star didn't crack a million. [Streaming on Netflix]
39 Furie (WellGo, Vietnam, March 1st) $594k
This drama starring Veronic Ngo as a former bruiser who gets pulled back into the criminal world when her daughter is kidnapped has terrific fight sequences and earned almost $6 million globally. [REVIEW | OSCAR SUBMISSION 2019 | Streaming on Netflix]
40 A Brother's Love (EOne, Canada, June 7th) $539k
Another film with an impressive arthouse run given that there was little press for it and it had no recognizable international stars. It's the directorial debut of the actress Monia Chokri (Xavier Dolan's co-star in Heartbeats)
41 ★ Shadow (WellGo, China, May 3rd) $521k
In the heyday of wuxia interest in the US (2000-2005) this jaw-dropping visual spectacle from Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) would have been an 8 figure arthouse blockbuster. Still, given the disappointing lack of media interest to help it find the right audience, half a million is pretty good. It was a regular sized big hit overseas where it earned $91 millon. [REVIEW | 4 GOLDEN HORSE WINS | POSTERIZED: ZHANG YIMOU | SATURN AWARD NOMINEE | NATHANIEL'S TOP TEN LIST 2019 | Streaming on Netflix]
42 Long Day's Journey Into Night (Kino Lorber, China, April 12th) $521k
43 ★ Birds of Passage (Orchard, Colombia, Feb 14th) $507k
[REVIEW | COLOMBIA'S OSCAR FINALIST 2018]
44 Tel Aviv on Fire (Cohen, Israel, Aug 2nd) $506k [OPHIR NOMINEE, LUXEMBOURG'S OSCAR SUMISSION 2019]
Under $500,000
They didn't quite cross over to ticket sales or larger awareness.
45 The Climbers (Wellgo, China, Sept 30th) $487k
46 Panipat (Reliance, India, Dec 6th) $461k
47 The Invisibles (Greenwich, Germany, Jan 25th) $426k
48 Exit (CJ Entertainment, South Korea, Aug 2nd) $426k
49 En Brazos de Un Asesino (Pantelion, Dominican Republic, Dec 6th) $425k
50 De De Pyaar De (Yash, India, May 17th) $425k
51 ★ Ash is Purest White (Cohen Media, China, March 15th) $422k
Jia Zhangke's epic critical darling with a much lauded lead performance from Zhao Tao was more successful overseas where it earned $11 million. [INTERVIEW]
52 ★ Monos (Neon, Colombia, Sept 13th) $406k
[COLOMBIA'S OSCAR SUBMISSION]
53 Ashfall (CJ, South Korea Dec 19th) $372k
54 Matthias & Maxime (EOne, Canada) $368k
Xavier Dolan's latest didn't get a US release but it was fairly popular further north in Canada.
55 Cyrano My Love (Roadside Attractions, France) $351k
56 P Storm (CMC, Hong Kong, April 4th) $326k
57 Linewalker 2 Invisible Spy (WellGo, Hong Kong, Aug 22nd) $296k
58 Junglee (Viva, India, March 29th) $295k
59 The Bravest (Columbia, China, Aug 9th) $290k
60 The Whistleblower (CMC, China, Dec 6th) $280k
61 Romeo Akbar Walter (Eros, India, April 5th) $236k
An espionage drama about a major's son working undercover in Pakistan in 1971 [Streaming on Netflix]
62 First Love (Wellgo, Japan, Sept 27th) $218k
The ever prolific Takashi Miike was back with another wild comic crime film
63 ★ The Gangster, the Cop, and the Devil (WellGo, South Korea, June 7th) $216k
A twisty procedural and the title is truthful. This one was such a fun time at the movies and it's sad that it's US releases was so minor. Audiences were there for it, at least overseas, with a $26 million global gross. [REVIEW]
64 Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (WellGo, Hong Kong, April 12th) $209k [Streaming on Netflix]
65 ★ Synonyms (Kino Lorber, Israel) $206k
Buoyed by both critical raves and Tom Mercier's very...um... naked performance, this movie about an Israeli man trying to build a new identity in Paris was one of Kino Lorber's most successful releases this year. [REVIEW | STYLE ICONS | INTERVIEW]
66 Chasing the Dragon 2: Wild Wild Bunch (WellGo, Hong Kong, June 7th) $194k
67 India's Most Wanted (FIP, India, May 24th) $176k
68 Marjaavaan (Eros Int., Nov 15th) $174k
69 Sunset (Sony Pictures Classics, Hungary, March 22nd) $164k
[HUNGARY'S OSCAR SUBMISSION 2018]
70 The Bad Guys: Reign of Terror (CJ Ent, Sept 20th ) $162k
71 Money (CJ, South Korea, March 21st) $155k
72 Dogman (Magnolia, Italy, April 12th) $146k
[ITALY'S OSCAR SUBMISSION 2018]
73 ★Invisible Life (Amazon, Brazil, Dec 20th) $146k
The wonderful melodrama about two separated but devoted sisters sadly didn't make the Oscar finals. [BRAZIL'S OSCAR SUBMISSION | INTERVIEW]
74 Rafiki (Film Movement, Kenya, April 19th) $137k
This lesbian romance got some press for its chilly reception in Kenya, where they sought to ban it, but that press only generated a small amount of business here in the US. [REVIEW | INTERVIEW]
75 The Other Story (Strand, Israel, June 28th) $134k
A drama about two women crossing paths in Jerusalem, one seeking the discipline of faith, the other eager to escape religion for sexual and spiritual freedom.
76 The Zoya Factor (FIP, India, Sept 20th) $121k [Streaming on Netflix]
77 Avant Qu'on Explose (EOne, Canada, March 1st) $119k
78 The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (Dada Films, Palestine, June 12th) $113k
The affair between a Jewish woman and a Palestinian man causes political and personal mayhem.
79 Miss & Mrs Cops (CJ, South Korea, May 10th) $104k
80 The Divine Fury (WellGo, South Korea, Aug 16th) $102k
81 Mojin: The Worm Valley (WellGo, South Korea, Jan 4th) $101k
Under $100,000
Almost no one saw them but it's tough out there for foreign-language films in the US marketplace.
82 Tazza One Eyed Jack (Wellgo, South Korea, Sept 20th) $97k
A crime drama about a poker player with a history of gambling in the family.
83 The Image Book (Kino Lorber, France, Jan 25th) $94k
[REVIEW]
84 Always Miss You (China Lion, Taiwan, May 3rd) $91k
85 Rojo (Distrib Films, Argentina, July 12th) $91k
Two great actors Dario Grandinetti (Talk to Her) and Alfredo Castro (Tony Manero) star in this drama about a lawyer in crisis.
86 The Crossing (CMC, China, March 15th) $90k
New director Bai Xue was a favourite for many "first time filmmaker" style nominations and awards for this drama about a teenager who starts smuggling iPhones to save up money for travel.
87 My Dear Liar (CMC, China Nov 8th) $90k
88 Ramen Shop (Strand, Japan, March 22nd) $88k
89 Sonchiraya (Pack Your Bag, India, March 1st) $86k
90 The Third Wife (Film Movemement, Vietnam. May 15th) $84k
91 The Chambermaid (Kino Lorber, Mexico, June 28th) $83k
Overshadowed by Roma due to timing and the lead character's profession, it was nevertheless very well reviewed. [REVIEW | MEXICO'S OSCAR SUBMISSION | ARIEL AWARD NOMINEE]
92 ★ The Heiresses (Distrib, Paraguay, Jan 16th) $78k
[REVIEW | PARAGUAY'S OSCAR SUBMISSION 2018]
93 ★ A Faithful Man (Kino Lorber, France, July 18th) $77k
This charmingly offkilter romantic comedy starring (and directed by) the ever ubiquitous Louis Garrel was much more successful at home in France. It's global gross is $1.7 million. It's sad that it didn't catch on at arthouses because it was delightful.
94 Triple Threat (WellGo, Thailand, March 19th) $76k
An heiress targeted for murder has three fierce fighters protecting her (Iko Uwais from The Raid and Tony Jaa from the Ong Bak movies co-star) [Streaming on Netflix]
95 Savage (WellGo, China, May 3rd) $74k
Chen Chang (Crouching Tiger) stars in this action drama about treacherous mountain weather and a cop in conflict with thieves.
96 3 Faces (Kino Lorber, Iran, March 8th) $71k
97 The Battle of Jangsari (WellGo, South Korea, Oct 4th) $70k
98 ★ Diamantino (Kino Lorber, Portugal, May 24th) $70k
One of the oddest films of the year circled a football star who loses his mojo and then adopts an adult lesbian who he mistakes for an teenage boy African refugee. No really. Oh and there's also sci-fi shenanigans and giant dream puppies [REVIEW | INTERVIEW | SCREEN ANIMALS | PODCAST]
99 The Divine Movie 2: The Wrathful (CJ Entertainment, Nov 15th) $67k
100 ★ By the Grace of God (Music Box Films, France, Oct 18th) $67k
This very well reviewed Catholic abuse drama comes from the ever prolific gay filmmaker François Ozon. Americans didn't show up but it did well abroad with $7.6 globally. [REVIEW]
RUNNERS UP
101 ★ End of the Century (Cinema Guild, Aug 16th) $66k
Lots of queer titles at the tail end of this list.
102
★ Sauvage/Wild (Strand, France, April 10th) $61k
This explicit controversial French film is about a gay hustler living trick-to-trick with no thought of tomorrow. [PODCAST]
SOME KEY TITLES OUTSIDE THE LIST...
Despite strong reviews or revered filmmakers or festival buzz or Oscar submitting, nobody went to see these pictures in the theaters.
- One Cut of the Dead (Variance, Japan) $54k
- Immortal Hero (Japan, Freestyle, Oct 18th) $43k
- Aniara (Magnolia, Sweden) $40k May 17th It was a Saturn Award Nominee
- The Wild Pear Tree (Cinema Guild, Turkey) $32k Nuri Bilge Ceylan's 2018 Oscar Submission was beloved at Cannes but he's never caught on as an auteur in US arthouse theaters.
- ★ Sorry, Angel (Strand, France) $30k Christophe Honore finally returned with this well-regarded gay romantic drama but US audiences didn't show up. Thankfully it made $1.6 million abroad.
- Aga (Big World Pictures, Bulgaria) $35k Bulgaria's 2019 Oscar submission has ardent fans but didn't have much of a theatrical run.
- Girls of the Sun (Cohen Media Group, France) $19k Another Cannes hit that fizzled in US theaters
- Yomeddine (Strand, Egypt) $11k Egypt's 2018 Oscar submission didn't sell tickets in the US
- I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians (Big World Pictures, Romania) $11k
Romania's 2018 Oscar submission is not audience friendly so the low box office take does not at all surprise us.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS GIANT LIST?