The Spanish box office has a clear frontrunner once again. La bola negra, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, has secured its fourth consecutive weekend as the most-watched film in Spanish theaters, a streak that places it among the most successful domestic productions of recent years.
This data is particularly significant as it comes just before the Cinema Festival, an event that boosts theater attendance each season thanks to discounted tickets. Many viewers tend to delay their cinema visits until those promotional days, which partly explains the box office performance during this period.
Over 4.2 million viewers in Spain
During its fourth weekend in theaters, La bola negra grossed 2,891,313 euros, a figure that brings its total in Spain to 29,933,735 euros. This means the film is on the verge of breaking the psychological barrier of 30 million euros, a milestone expected to be confirmed with the boost from the Cinema Festival.
In terms of audience, the film has already gathered more than 4.2 million viewers in Spanish cinemas. Added to this is its recent release in the United States, where it has achieved an international gross of 26,847,949 dollars.
Fourth highest-grossing Spanish film in history
Data accumulated through Sunday confirms that La bola negra has become the fourth highest-grossing Spanish film of all time, surpassing Torrente presidente, which ended its commercial run with 28.10 million euros earlier this year.
The next goal on the horizon is Ocho apellidos catalanes, which is 5.48 million euros ahead. Reaching that figure would allow the film by Calvo and Ambrossi to rank among the three highest-grossing Spanish productions in history.
It is worth noting that this revenue ranking does not account for the effect of inflation, making it easier to climb positions than in the historical list of viewers, which is a much more demanding metric.
Close to the historical top 10 in viewers
In that stricter ranking, La bola negra currently holds the twelfth position among Spanish films with the most viewers in cinema history. The current figure leaves the film very close to entering the top 10, a jump that seems almost guaranteed once the results of the Cinema Festival are tallied.
The great benchmark to beat remains Ocho apellidos vascos, which, with 9.40 million viewers and 55.38 million euros in total revenue, clearly dominates both rankings—revenue and audience—with figures that remain difficult for any Spanish release to reach for now.
Street Fighter and Whalefall disappoint at the box office
The rest of the weekly box office showed modest results, which is common in the weekends leading up to the Cinema Festival, when a large portion of the public prefers to wait for the discount days.
En el corazón de la bestia, starring Brad Pitt, remains in second place in its fourth week, with 521,266 euros grossed and a total of 5.578 million euros in Spain, showing remarkable staying power despite a low-key initial release.
Third place went to La otra madre, in its second week in theaters, with an additional 490,525 euros that bring its total revenue to 1.947 million euros.
The week’s releases fail to take off
The first new release to enter the weekly top was Street Fighter, the cinematic reboot based on the video game saga, which despite leading the box office in the United States, settled for fourth place in Spain with just 452,038 euros. Its international gross stands at 55 million dollars, although the Spanish market has not responded with the same strength.
La invitación, directed by Olivia Wilde and featuring Penélope Cruz in the cast, debuted with 290,873 euros. The film arrived in Spain with some delay compared to its US release and has already accumulated 61.1 million dollars worldwide.
The most notable stumble was Whalefall, a Disney production that did not rise above sixth place with 281,524 euros, a figure barely higher than the re-release of 2006's Cars, which achieved 268,093 euros in seventh place. Whalefall had a production budget of 60 million dollars.
Resident Evil remains in the top 10 in its fifth week, with 234,565 euros, bringing its revenue in Spain to 6.793 million euros, a solid result for a horror film in a year particularly favorable for the genre.
Verity. La sombra de un engaño, starring Anne Hathaway, added 203,534 euros in its third week, with a total of 1,972,223 euros. Closing the weekly top 10 is the release of La maleta, with Alejandro Speitzer and Lucía Caraballo, which started with 182,645 euros, a modest figure that could improve thanks to the boost from the Cinema Festival.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much has La bola negra grossed in Spain?
Up to its fourth weekend in theaters, La bola negra has grossed 29,933,735 euros in Spanish cinemas, with more than 4.2 million viewers.
Who directed La bola negra?
The film is directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.
What position does La bola negra hold in the historical ranking of Spanish cinema?
It is currently the fourth highest-grossing Spanish film in history and the twelfth in terms of number of viewers.
How far is La bola negra from entering the historical top 3?
It is 5.48 million euros away from Ocho apellidos catalanes, the third highest-grossing film in Spanish cinema.
Which is the Spanish film with the most viewers in history?
Ocho apellidos vascos remains the benchmark, with 9.40 million viewers and 55.38 million euros in total revenue.
How did La bola negra perform in its US release?
The film has achieved an international gross of 26,847,949 dollars following its arrival in US theaters.
