German producer-distributor Constantin Film hasraised its sales forecast for 2004 to at least Euros 200m.

The move came after Constantin posted a 175%year-on-year increase in sales for the first six months of this year. In the period up toJune 30, the Constantin Group achieved sales of Euros 99m, compared to Euros36m for the same period last year.

Constantin Film's CEO Fred Kogel said thatmeasures such as expanding the TV and home entertainment operations, increasingproduction, distribution and licence trading activities as well as undertakingintensive cost-cutting measures were "taking effect."

Originally, Constantin had set a target been ofat least Euros 180m turnover and a positive EBIT of Euros 6m for the currentfinancial year, but this forecast had now been raised - to at least Euros 200mturnover and a positive EBIT of at least Euros 8m.

Constantin was the market leader among theindependent German distributors in the first half of 2004 with such successesas Lost In Translation (1.1m admissions) and The Passion Of TheChrist (1.3m).

This position will have been furtherstrengthened by the current release of Michael "Bully" Herbig's scifispoof (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1 which has already topped the 6madmissions mark.

Meanwhile, the second half of 2004 has seenConstantin beginning principal photography on five theatrical in-house andco-productions, including John Fawcett's horror thriller The Dark (thethird collaboration with Impact Pictures after the two Resident Evilfilms), 20th Century Fox's Marvel Comics adaptation Fantastic Four, andHermine Huntegburth's Kenyan-set love story Die Weisse Massai.