| Presidents | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Anne Fontaine |
| Producer: | Philippe Carcassonne |
| Starring: | |
| Cinematography: | Yves Angelo |
| Editing: | Fabrice Rouaud[1] |
| Music: | Vincent Blanchard[2] |
| Studio: | Ciné@ |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures International France |
| Runtime: | 100 minutes[3] |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French |
| Gross: | $3.6 million[4] |
Presidents (French: Présidents|links=yes) is a 2021 French political satire film written and directed by Anne Fontaine.[5] Although it was promoted with the disclaimer that "any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental", the film stars Jean Dujardin and Grégory Gadebois in roles inspired by former French presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, respectively.[6] It was theatrically released in France on 30 June 2021.
In August 2020, director Anne Fontaine revealed that she developed the idea for the screenplay during the first COVID-19 lockdown in France:
The project was described as a comedy about "[the] power and the difficulty of no longer being in charge [...] it is the meeting of two political adversaries who will live an adventure of sorts".
Presidents was produced by Philippe Carcassonne at Ciné@. The film was shot over a seven-week period in Corrèze and Paris, with Yves Angelo as director of photography. Principal photography began on 5 October 2020,[7] and concluded in mid-November 2020.[8]
The film was theatrically released by Universal Pictures International France on 30 June 2021.[9]
Presidents grossed $3.6 million in France, and $0 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $3.6 million.
In France, the film opened alongside , Le Sens de la famille, Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, The Deep House, The Rose Maker, Teddy, and Charlatan. The film sold 41,241 admissions on its first day,[10] 4,623 of which were preview screenings.[11] It went on to sell 213,699 admissions in its opening weekend, finishing 5th at the box office, behind Cruella, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, , and Le Sens de la famille.[12] At the end of its theatrical run, the film sold a total of 431,129 admissions.
Presidents received an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 30 reviews.[13]