Ken Loach's controversial political drama, which scooped the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes, has taken over €2.7 million at the Irish box office.
The Wind That Shakes the Barleyhas become the highest grossing independent Irish-made film at the box office in Ireland, it emerged today.
This puts British director Loach's independent film, which was financed without the involvement of major US studios, ahead of other recent Irish hits including Intermission, which took €2.5 million in 2003 and Man About Dog, which grossed €2.1 at the Irish box office in 2004.
Overall, the War of Independence film, which stars Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham and Padraic Delaney, is the fourth highest grossing film released in Ireland this year, fending off stiff competition from major Hollywood studio productions such as Mission Impossible IIIand Chicken Little.
Simon Perry, chief executive of the Irish Film Board, said: "This is great news for the Irish film industry. The local audience for Irish films is continuing to grow year on year and we're delighted to see Irish films compete successfully with major Hollywood blockbusters.
"The strong support the film industry has received from Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism John O'Donoghue and the Irish government is making a real impact and we look forward to seeing more Irish films top the Irish box office."
The film, which was written by Paul Laverty, is set in the 1920s and follows the lives of two brothers during the Irish War of Independence.
The brothers find themselves pitted against each other as the war gets underway. The film, which is currently showing in cinemas, was shot on location in Cork and Kerry for seven weeks, and depicts Bandon town, Mallow, Buttevant, Coolea and Killarney.
The drama, produced by Loach's Sixteen Films and Irish company Element Films, had a production budget of €6.5 million. The work was produced with financing from the Irish Film Board, the UK Film Council and TV3.
The next Irish film to be released in cinemas will be The Front Line, directed by David Gleeson, whose previous work includes Cowboys and Angels.
PA