Romania’s Film Industry Reaches a ‘Turning Point,’ Backed by Box Office Success: ‘This Is a Completely Different Beast’

variety.com:

Christopher Vourlias When “Avatar 2: Way of the Water” surged to the top of the Romanian box office earlier this year to become the highest-grossing film of all time, it marked an auspicious sign for a theatrical business still looking to recover from the doldrums of the coronavirus pandemic.

Yet local industry-watchers were even more encouraged to see a historic first in 2022, with two Romanian films cracking the top 10 at the year-end box office — a striking achievement for an industry that hasn’t historically been known for cranking out crowd-pleasing hits.

Topping the list was “Teambuilding,” a satirical workplace comedy from directors Matei Dima, Alex Coteț and Cosmin Nedelcu, which briefly reigned as the top-grossing film ever in Romania before being knocked from its perch by James Cameron’s blockbuster, which has raked in more than $8.3 million to date.

Meanwhile, first-time filmmaker Cristian Ilișuan’s “Mirciulică,” a comedy about a 30-year-old forced to move back in with his parents after flunking a judicial exam, clocked in in seventh place, edging out “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and finishing just behind Hollywood tentpoles including “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” Buoyed by such commercial success, the Romanian industry is at a “turning point,” says Mihai Chirilov, artistic director of the Transilvania Film Festival, which takes place from June 9 – 18. “We are dealing with this new breed of Romanian film, the box-office hit, which is a completely different beast.” Since Cristi Puiu’s “The Death of Mr.