David Farnor | On 06, Oct 2018

Cold War has become the first foreign-language day-and-date release to cross £1 million at the UK Box Office.

Pawel Pawlikowski’s black and white epic romance, set in the ruins of post-war Poland, follows Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) and Zula (Joanna Kulig), who fall deeply, obsessively and destructively in love. As performing musicians forced to play into the Soviet propaganda machine, they dream of escaping to the creative freedom of the West. But one day, as they spot their chance to make a break for Paris, both make a split decision that will mark their lives forever. As the years march on in the wake of that moment, Wiktor and Zula watch the world changing around them, always struggling to find their moment in time.

We hailed the Amazon Studios movie as an “artistic triumph for the Brit-Polish director” in our review of the movie, which was released simultaneously in cinemas by Curzon Artificial Eye and online through Curzon Home Cinema. “A haunting and unforgettable work from a truly great director,” we concluded.

Cold War opened on 62 screens on 31st August, expanding to 84 in week 3 for its widest point of release with takings exceeding £50,000 each in Curzon’s Soho, Bloomsbury and Mayfair sites. Now, in its fifth week of play, it has taken over £1 million at the UK theatrical box office – the first foreign-language title to do so and the second movie to do so, following Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years.

The strong performance in cinemas wasn’t in spite of its online release; Cold War is now Curzon Home Cinema’s second highest grossing title to date.

Following its Cannes premiere, where Pawlikowski picked up the award for Best Director, the film has since been selected by Poland to be their entry for the 2019 Foreign Language Oscar – following Pawlikowski’s 2015 win for Ida. Curzon will also be entering the film for consideration in the 2019 BAFTA Film Awards.

Philip Knatchbull, Curzon CEO, says: “Pawel Pawlikowski is a visionary filmmaker and we’re thrilled to have had such success with his extraordinary new film. Results like this are why we are committed to the day and date strategy – not only is it a great outcome for cinemas, but audiences also have greater flexibility and choice in how they watch new Curzon releases such as Cold War via the virtual venue Curzon Home Cinema.”

Keep up to date with the latest releases in UK cinemas and on VOD with our day-and-date reviews here.

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