Many of Besson 's films have achieved popular , if not critical , success . One such release was '' Le Grand Bleu '' . " When the film had its premiere on opening night at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival , it was mercilessly drubbed , but no matter ; it was a smash , " observed the '' International Herald Tribune '' in a 2007 profile of Besson . " Embraced by young people who kept returning to see it again , the movie sold 10 million tickets and quickly became what the French call a ' film générationnel , ' a defining moment in the culture . " Besson created the Arthur series , which comprises '' Arthur and the Minimoys '' , '' Arthur and the Forbidden City '' , '' Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard '' and '' Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds '' . He directed '' Arthur and the Invisibles '' , an adaptation of the first two books of the collection . A film with live action and animation , it was released in the UK and the US
1988 Cannes Film Festival
1988 Cannes Film Festival
Luc Besson