Au Revoir Les Enfants book cover.

Zootopia film poster.  This film also included the message of overcoming prejudice. 

While Au Revoir Les Enfants is a beautiful film portraying a great message, audiences might not be picking up on it as well as film makers would hope.  Au Revoir Les Enfants made a gross $4,542,825 in the USA ("Box office ... Les Enfants").  Compare this to a known popular film that was also released in 1987: Good Morning, Vietnam.  This film made a gross $123,922,370 in the United States ("Box office ... Vietnam").  To put that in perspective, this film made $119,379,545 more than Au Revoir les Enfants.  So while Au Revoir Les Enfants is critically acclaimed, it didn't seem to really resonate with audiences.  The other two films surrounding children in World War II, also released in 1987, were better received, but didn't quite knock it out of the park.  Empire of the Sun grossed $22,238,696 in the US ("Box office ... Sun"), and Hope and Glory grossed $10,021,120 ("Box office ... Glory").  And while Au Revoir Les Enfants was critically acclaimed despite the low box office turnout, its praise was for cinematography, and it sparked conversation about Malle's autobiography, not about his message.

It appears that the message of overcoming prejudice, while a great message, is not being presented as well as it could be.  There is potential that American audiences have adopted an attitude that, "Yeah, prejudice against Jews in World War II was terrible," thereby failing to see this message is still applicable today.  The context of being set in the popular historical setting of World War II seems to have placed a wall between audiences and the artistic message.  One of the most recent films released in the US about a child in World War II is The Book Thief.  Based on a young adult novel that many people read in school, this film conveys a very similar message to Au Revoir Les Enfants.  Liesel's caregivers take it upon themselves to hide a Jew, Max, and young Liesel makes friends with him.  As they grow closer, Liesel is confused as to why everyone is after him, and why he is considered so bad.  The film made a total of $21,483,154 in the United States ("Box office ... Thief").  The Book Thief did make much more than Au Revoir Les Enfants (after inflation this film would have made just over $9 million today), but it also failed to spark conversation about the message.  The Book Thief was mostly recognized for how it portrayed the novel.  Compare this to another popular film that was released three years later than The Book Thief, that also tackled the message of overcoming prejudice: Zootopia.

Zootopia is a Disney film that, while technically being a kids movie, is easily enjoyed by all ages.  Winning the Oscar for "Best Animated Feature Film of the Year," this was a film that caught a lot of people's attention ("Zootopia Awards").  In the US, Zootopia made a gross $341,264,012 ("Box office ... Zootopia").  Some may contribute this to the "Disney factor" which is that Disney films tend to turn out big box office numbers.  However, there was a lot of buzz about the film's message circulating around its release, which could very well have contributed to the large turnout.  Many, if not most, audience members saw that the film was fighting prejudice, specifically racial prejudice.  One article said that Zootopia, "sets itself apart ... by attacking prejudice head-on. ... Through its clever, endearing characters, hilarious jokes, and honest sentiment, Zootopia comes away as a film that's not only a joy to watch, but also one with a message that couldn't be more relevant right now" (Goldberg).  Some reviewers didn't feel as positive about the film, arguing that Zootopia "gets racism wrong" because in the film "all forms of racism and prejudice ... operate on a fairly level playing field" (Lang).  Whether you agree or disagree with reviewers, Disney's attempt at a message about prejudice was clearly received by audiences.  Even though it was controversial, Zootopia did manage to convey its message to viewers, something that films about children in World War II have been attempting to do for decades. 

The next time filmmakers want to release a film that tackles prejudice today, they might want to hit the pause button when a story about a child in World War II comes to mind.  Sure, the historical setting is tailor made for fighting prejudice in society, but audiences might not get the message.  These films are popular, and they are very likely to be nominated for awards, but audiences might be looking for something different.