Refugee crisis comedy becomes Germany's top film of 2016

PanARMENIAN.Net - A broad comedy about the European refugee crisis has become Germany's top local-language film of the year, earning more than $20 million to date, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Welcome to the Hartmanns from director Simon Verhoeven earned a further $2.1 million this past weekend with some 230,000 admissions, taking its admissions total to 2.1 million. It is on track to shoot by Verhoeven's top-grossing film, Men in the City (2009), which earned $20.3 million in Germany.

The movie stars veteran actor Senta Berger as Angelika Hartmann, a well-to-do Munich socialite who decides, in the wake of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open border policy of 2015, to take in an African refugee (played by Belgian actor Eric Kabongo).

Angelika wins out, despite her husband's objections ('Merkel might have invited in the whole Third World, but we're not going to!” fumes Dr. Hartmann, played by Heiner Lauterbach), and culture clash issues, including rising xenophobia from their spooked German neighbors.

Warner Bros. Germany is handling the release of the film in Germany and Austria. It is produced by Wiedemann & Berg (The Lives of Others), Sentana and Seven Pictures.

The movie's combination of political hot topic and easy laughs, as well its all-star cast —box office guarantees Elyas M'Barek and Florian David Fitz co-star —has made the film a hit. It is the only German title to crack the top ten at the local box office this year which has been dominated by U.S. blockbusters.