Netflix reports box office for the first time as 'La Bola Negra' averages $69,375
Netflix reported box office results for the first time, and La Bola Negra averaged $69,375 per screen in four US theaters. Here is what the debut signals.
Netflix publicly reported box office results for the first time in its history on Oct. 18, disclosing that the Spanish-language drama “La Bola Negra” earned $277,500 from four theaters in Los Angeles and New York during its opening weekend.
The film averaged $69,375 per screen, the second-highest figure ever for a non-English-language release and the highest for a Spanish-language film, according to Variety. Netflix acquired U.S. rights at Cannes for a reported $5 million, the Los Angeles Times said, on a production budget of $15 million to $17 million.
Netflix had not previously disclosed theatrical grosses, setting it apart from the studios it competes with during awards season. The number also lands as Spanish-language cinema rarely reaches U.S. theaters at scale, and a strong per-screen average gives exhibitors and independent distributors a concrete benchmark when they weigh bookings aimed at Latino audiences, including Mexican American families who watch films in Spanish and English. Variety reported that Netflix plans a 45-day theatrical window, its longest to date, before the film reaches the streaming service on Dec. 2. The company said it will apply similar reporting to other titles with theatrical windows of roughly a month or more, according to Infobae.
“La Bola Negra” is a Spanish production directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, the pair known as Los Javis. IndieWire reported that 51% of the opening weekend audience was under 35, with the 25-to-34 group the largest at 39%. The film opened in Spain in late September, won six audience awards on the festival circuit and is Spain’s submission for the Academy Awards. The four U.S. theaters were the Paris Theater and the Angelika in New York and AMC Century City and Burbank in Los Angeles, according to Variety. The queer drama expands in the coming weeks to as many as 300 theaters across the country.
Netflix will report grosses for the title through its theatrical run, with the streaming debut set for Dec. 2. Spain’s Oscar campaign and the U.S. rollout now move on parallel tracks, and the next test comes when the film reaches hundreds of screens.
Sources: Box Office: 'La Bola Negra' Scores $277,500 From Four Theaters as Netflix Reports Grosses for First Time Ever · Netflix reports box office numbers for the first time with 'La Bola Negra' · 'La bola negra' ya se ha estrenado en Estados Unidos y Netflix publica por primera vez en la historia su recaudación en cines · 'La Bola Negra' Earns $277,500 in Limited Release as Netflix Reports Box Office Results for the First Time in History
This story was written with the help of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.
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