Picturehouse Entertainment falls for Romantics Anonymous

Fledgling UK distributor Picturehouse Entertainment — the distribution wing of the Picturehouse cinema chain — has acquired French comedy Romantics Anonymous (Les Emotifs Anonymes) from StudioCanal, with a UK release date set for November 18.

Directed by Jean-Pierre Ameris, Romantics Anonymous took $9.5m in France at the beginning of this year.

Benoit Poelvoorde and Isabelle Carre star as the boss of a chocolate factory and a talented chocolate maker, respectively. The two pathologically shy people are drawn together by a shared passion for chocolate.

The acquisition follows the strong performances of Picturehouse Entertainment’s first UK releases, My Afternoons with Margueritte (£210,000) and Werner Herzog documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams (£514,000).

Speaking of the acquisition and the company’s strong start, Clare Binns, Director of Programming and Acquisitions, Picturehouse Entertainment, said: “Romantics Anonymous is a superior and heart-warming grown up, romantic comedy that the French do very well, and perhaps something of a guilty pleasure. There is a strong market for this type of film in the UK, a market that is too often neglected. Like My Afternoons with Margueritte last year, we think this is another film that sophisticated cinema audiences will really enjoy.

“Picturehouse Entertainment have had a great start in distribution with Margueritte and Cave which we hope to build on. Our acquisitions team will be out in force looking for more suitable films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival,” she continued.

Romantics Anonymous is a Pan-Européenne - StudioCanal - France 3 Cinéma - Climax Films - Rhône-Alpes Cinéma - RTBF (Belgian TV) co-production with the participation of Canal +,CINÉCINÉMA and France Télévisions in association with La Banque Postale Image 3, Cinemage 4 and Uni Etoile 7 with the support of the Belgian Federal Government Tax Shelter, Casa Kafka Pictures, the EU MEDIA program, the Procirep and the Angoa-Agicoa.