Record breaker for a Pakistani movie: ‘Joyland’ grosses $1 million in France

The film is currently screening in the Spotlight section at the Sundance Film Festival

Saim Sadiq’s Joyland, even with its fair share of troubles to release in Pakistan, is winning in theatres across the world. The Cannes winner grossed over $1 million in France and is now on its way to having its US premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. The performance of Joyland in France is encouraging considering how volatile the theatrical market currently is.

As per Variety, Joyland, distributed by Condor in France, broke all previous records at the box office for a Pakistani film in the country and for Sadiq, the achievement is “truly momentous.” He said, “To see our labour of love receiving the immense support and critical acclaim of the industry and then have that translated to global audiences across theatres around the world — it’s been an extraordinary journey I couldn’t have imagined. Having our film approach the $1 million mark in France is truly momentous!”

The Ali Junejo and Alina Khan-starrer will next release theatrically in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, BeNeLux, Scandinavia, Germany and Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Former Yugoslavia, Turkey, Indonesia, South Korea and Taiwan. While the film is playing in the spotlight section at Sundance, it will reportedly also have a traditional theatrical release in the US.

Joyland tells the story of a man raised in a conservative patriarchal family who falls in love with a transgender dancer he met at an erotic dance theatre. Described as both a “boundary-breaker” and “crowdpleaser” by the publication, the movie has garnered support from many global celebrities including actor Riz Ahmed and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who are now executive producers of the film.