“THE READER” CROSSES $100 MILLION MARK WORLDWIDE
NEW YORK, NY–July 29, 2009 — The Weinstein Company (TWC) is pleased to announce that THE READER, starring Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes has crossed over $100 million in worldwide box office receipts since its initial domestic release on December 10, 2008.
The film has been an international success for TWC and its foreign distribution partners, having been released in 46 countries and 32 languages to date. Most notably, in Germany, THE READER is the sixth highest grossing film of 2009, earning approximately $19 million to date since its release on February 26 through Senator. Other significant releases include the UK which earned approximately $8.5M since its release on January 2, 2009 through Entertainment Film; France, where it was released through SND on July 15, 2009 and earned approximately $3 million to date; Australia/New Zealand where the film has earned approximately $3.6M since its release on February 19, 2009 through Village Roadshow; and Spain which earned approximately $6.6M since its release on February 13, 2009 through On Pictures.
“The success of this film is really fulfilling as we made a movie that captivated a worldwide audience and it‚s been thrilling to watch the THE READER being embraced by so many people,‰ said Harvey Weinstein in response to the accomplishment.
“We saw our domestic box office increase over 300% during the awards season, and knew that there was strong interest overseas in the picture,‰ said David Glasser, TWC’s President of International Distribution. „TWC is excited to congratulate its international partners on helping us achieve this box office milestone.”
THE READER stars two-time Academy Award-nominee Ralph Fiennes, David Kross and Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet, and is directed by Stephen Daldry (the Academy Award nominated director of THE HOURS), from a script by David Hare, and based on the award-winning novel by Bernhard Schlink. Schlink’s The Reader has been translated into 40 languages and was the first German novel to reach number one on The New York Times Bestseller List.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 2009, along with nominations for Stephen Daldry for Best Director and David Hare for Best Adapted Screenplay. Kate Winslet won her first Academy Award for her portrayal as Hanna Schmitz in the film.
THE READER was filmed in Germany and New York with Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack producing through their company, Mirage Enterprises. Studio Babelsberg’s Carl Woebcken and Christoph Fisser co-produced, together with Studio Babelsberg Motion Pictures’ Henning Molfenter. Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris also produced. TWC financed the production with Studio Babelsberg, and handled theatrical distribution of the film in the U.S. and worldwide sales.